Free printable worksheets · United Kingdom
Reception Worksheets (Ages 4–5)
Reception worksheets are practice sheets for children aged 4 to 5 in the first year of primary school in England, the final year of the EYFS. They cover Phase 2 phonics sounds and blending, correct letter formation, counting and writing numbers to 10 and then 20, subitising small groups, comparing quantities, and naming 2D shapes.
Reception is the year phonics starts in earnest. Within the first few weeks most schools begin Phase 2 of Letters and Sounds or an equivalent validated scheme, teaching around four new sounds a week starting with s, a, t, p, i, n, and children begin blending them into words such as sat, pin and tap. In maths the emphasis is depth before breadth: numbers to 10 are explored through subitising, composing and comparing before counting extends to 20. Children also complete the Reception Baseline Assessment in their first six weeks. It is a short, one-to-one activity used to measure school-level progress, not a test to prepare for. The sheets on this page follow the Phase 2 teaching order and the number progression that Reception classes use.
1952+ worksheets · free PDF download · print on A4 or Letter
Reception Worksheets to print
Browse all worksheets for ages 4–5
Clothing Pattern Match Worksheet for Preschoolers
This worksheet helps children learn to identify and match patterns by associating different clothing items.
Trace the Numbers 1-9 Worksheet for Preschoolers
This worksheet helps children practice tracing numbers 1 through 9, improving their fine motor skills and number recognition.
Caterpillar Counting Worksheet for Preschoolers
This worksheet helps children practice counting segments by using fingerpaint, pom poms, or clips.
Taste Bud Sorting Worksheet: Identify and Sort Foods by Taste!
This worksheet helps children learn about the different tastes (salty, sour, bitter, and sweet) and how to identify them in various foods.
Elephant Shapes: Fun Sorting Worksheet for Preschoolers!
This worksheet helps children identify and sort different shapes while following simple instructions.
Coding Kites Worksheet: Match the Bows!
This worksheet helps children practice matching skills and following instructions by matching the correct bows to the kites.
Pac-Man Maze Worksheet: Count and Move!
This worksheet helps children practice counting and following directions while navigating a Pac-Man themed maze.
CVC Train Worksheet: Write and Build CVC Words!
This worksheet helps children practice writing and recognizing CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words.
Stick Man Emotions Worksheet: Happy, Sad, Angry, and Surprised!
This worksheet helps children identify and understand different emotions by matching them to facial expressions.
Lock and Key Matching Worksheet for Preschoolers
This worksheet helps children practice matching skills by connecting keys to the corresponding locks.
Dad's Beard: A Fun Shaving Activity for Kids!
Children will practice their fine motor skills by drawing and applying shaving foam to a picture of a face.
Plant Parts Worksheet: Identify and Label the Parts of a Plant!
This worksheet helps children learn the different parts of a plant, including the flower, stem, leaf, and roots.
Coding Shapes Worksheet: Cut and Arrange Shapes!
This worksheet helps children practice shape recognition and spatial reasoning by cutting out and arranging shapes to match the given patterns.
Soap & Pepper Science Experiment Worksheet for Preschoolers
This worksheet helps children understand how soap works by observing an experiment with pepper and water.
Balloon Pattern Matching Worksheet for Preschoolers
This worksheet helps children learn to identify and match patterns by observing the arrangement of colored balloons.
Pac-Man Maze Worksheet: Count and Move!
This worksheet helps children practice counting and following directions to guide Pac-Man through the maze.
Corn Seed Addition Worksheet for Preschoolers
This worksheet helps children practice basic addition skills by counting and combining corn seed images.
Clothing Pattern Matching Worksheet for Preschoolers
This worksheet helps children practice pattern recognition by matching clothing items with similar designs.
3D Shapes Worksheet: Explore and Learn with Playdough!
This worksheet helps children identify and understand the basic components of 3D shapes, such as vertices, edges, and faces, using playdough.
Balloon Pattern Matching Worksheet for Preschoolers
This worksheet helps children practice pattern recognition by matching the balloon arrangements.
Number Matching Worksheet: 0-18
This worksheet helps children practice number recognition and matching skills by associating numbers with their corresponding values.
Addition House Worksheet for Preschoolers
This worksheet helps children practice simple addition using visual aids.
States of Matter Worksheet: Exploring Solids, Liquids, and Gases!
This worksheet helps children learn about the three states of matter: solid, liquid, and gas. They will identify examples of each state.
Parts of a Leaf Worksheet for Preschoolers: Learn and Play!
This worksheet helps children learn the different parts of a leaf, such as the tip, blade, veins, midrib, petiole, and stem.
What your child learns in Reception
By the end of Reception children are assessed against the Early Learning Goals. In Literacy that means saying a sound for each letter of the alphabet and at least ten digraphs, reading words by blending, and writing simple phrases that others can read. In Mathematics it means a deep understanding of number to 10, including number bonds to 5 and some to 10, subitising to 5, and counting beyond 20.
- Phonics: Phase 2 sounds in order (s a t p i n m d g o c k ck e u r h b f ff l ll ss), then Phase 3 digraphs and trigraphs
- Blending and segmenting CVC words; tricky words such as the, to, I, no, go
- Letter formation with correct starting points, in print or pre-cursive as the school prefers
- Number: subitising to 5, counting objects to 10 and then 20, one more and one less, comparing groups
- Shape, space and measures: circles, squares, triangles and rectangles; longer and shorter, heavier and lighter
How to use Reception worksheets at home
Match the sheet to the sound or number your child is learning that week; most schools send home a phonics letter or list. Say the sound aloud together before tracing it, and blend the word before writing it. In maths, put real objects next to the sheet so counting is physical first and written second. One sheet, ten minutes, three or four times a week is enough alongside the reading book from school.
The Reception Baseline Assessment
Every child starting Reception in an English state school completes the Reception Baseline Assessment within six weeks of arrival. It is a short set of practical tasks in early maths and language, done one to one with a teacher, and its only purpose is to give a starting point for measuring the school's progress by the end of Key Stage 2. There is no pass mark, no score is reported to parents, and no preparation is needed.
Frequently asked questions
What phonics sounds are taught in Reception?
Reception covers Phase 2 and Phase 3 of Letters and Sounds or an equivalent validated scheme. Phase 2 introduces the first sounds in the order s, a, t, p, i, n, m, d, g, o, c, k, ck, e, u, r, h, b, f, ff, l, ll, ss. Phase 3 adds the remaining single letters and the consonant and vowel digraphs and trigraphs such as ch, sh, th, ng, ai, ee, igh, oa and oo.
What should a child know by the end of Reception?
By the end of Reception the Early Learning Goals expect a child to read simple words and sentences by blending sounds, write recognisable letters and short phrases, know number bonds to 5 and some to 10 without counting, subitise up to 5 objects, count past 20 and compare two quantities. Children are also expected to hold a pencil with a tripod grip and manage dressing and toileting independently.
How much homework should a Reception child have?
Very little. Most Reception classes send home a reading book and a list of the week's sounds, and that is enough. A single worksheet of about ten minutes, done two or three times a week to practise those sounds or that week's numbers, is plenty. Anything that turns into a battle is not worth doing at this age.
Is it normal for a Reception child to write letters backwards?
Yes. Reversing b and d, p and q, or writing whole words in mirror image is common until about age seven and is not by itself a sign of dyslexia. Consistent modelling of where each letter starts, tracing sheets with a marked starting dot, and plenty of large-scale movement all help. Mention it to the class teacher if reversals are still frequent in Year 2.
Are Reception worksheets free to print?
Yes. Create a free account and download any worksheet as a watermarked PDF, up to five a day. Sheets are laid out for A4 paper. A yearly subscription removes the watermark and the daily limit across the whole library, including the printable activity-book packs.
Written by
Hemsweta Jain · Teacher Cheena
MBA and Early Childhood Educator, teaching since 2014 · Founder of RaisoActive, Mumbai
Written and reviewed by Hemsweta Jain (Teacher Cheena), who designs every RaisoActive worksheet.
Last reviewed
Printable packs for ages 4–5
Pattern Writing Pre-writing Skills Activity Book for 3-4 Year Olds
Summer Activity Pack: Math, Literacy, Puzzles & More for Preschool & Kindergarten
Logical Reasoning Activity Book for Preschool & Kindergarten | Patterns, Puzzles & Analogies
Lifecycles Activity Book & Flashcards for Preschool & Early Elementary
Phonics Level 3 Long Vowels Activity Book for Kindergarten & 1st Grade
Phonics Level 2 Worksheets: CVC, CCVC, CVCC Word Families & Blends for Early Readers (Ages 4-7)
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