Long a words for kindergarten

Long A Words for Kindergarteners

Written by Amber

KindergartenLanguage ArtsResources for Educators

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Learning vowel sounds can be rough on kids.

They might look like simple, single letters, but these five (sometimes six) little letters can make multiple sounds and do so in multiple ways.

The English language is known for its quirky rules that don’t always make a whole lot of sense and the many exceptions to those rules that you’ll encounter.

It can be confusing enough to rattle the brain of a fully grown adult, but for a kindergartner that’s just learning to read, it can be even worse.

I try to keep this in mind when we first start learning to read.

We start with the short vowel sounds as those are typically what are seen most often in regular day to day reading, and those are usually picked up pretty quickly.

But once we move onto the long vowel sounds, we slow way down.

You’ll find far more rules and ways to make these sounds and a few new exceptions to the rules as well.

Today, we’re going to focus on that long A sound and the long A words that your kindergartener will be able to read and spell with it.

Now, like I said before, we typically start learning vowel sounds by covering the short vowel sounds first as these are much more common and give kids the opportunity to immediately start reading short CVC words, but moving onto those long vowel sounds is also really exciting.

Learning these long sounds gives your kindergarteners the ability to really expand the list of words that they’ll then be able to read and spell.

You just have to learn those rules that I talked about earlier.

Ways to Make the Long A Sound

When learning to identify those long A words, your kindergartener should understand that there are a few different way to make them.

The Magic Silent E

This is an easy one to spot and kids always love spotting that magic silent E!

These are VCe or a_e words where the A and the E are separated by a consonant and the E is the last letter in the word. With this combination the E sits silently at the end of the word while making the previous vowel say its name.

Words like ace, cake, fame, and gate are all magic E words.

The Vowel Team AI

There’s an old saying that I learned in school that makes these vowel team rules super simple to remember: when two vowels go walking, the first one does the talking.

So, when you see this particular vowel team, ai, the A will make that long A sound and say its name while the I will remain silent.

Examples of the long A words containing the ai vowel team include maid, train, paid, and faint.

The Vowel Team AY

This vowel team works exactly the same as the other when it comes to those long A words.

The A does the talking while the Y stays silent.

You’ll see this vowel team in words like ray, pay, away, and spray.

The Open Syllable

Open syllables occur when a vowel is at the end of a syllable.

Alternatively, syllables that end in consonants are considered closed.

When the letter A is found at the end of a syllable, this produces that long A vowel sound.

You’ll find this in long A words like April, radio, cater, and table.

The Irregular Vowel Team EI

Like I said earlier, there are always exceptions to the rules.

The vowel teams rules would tell us that when two vowels go walking, the first one does the talking, but the ei vowel team is the exception.

This team makes that long A sound and can be found in words like eight, vein, neighbor, and reign.

Knowing these five ways to make the long A sound will make it exponentially easier for your kindergarteners to identify them, but it can also be helpful to know the various spellings that they might see.

Spelling Long A Words

There are eight different spelling patterns that can create the long A sound.

• a (halo)
• a_e (make)
• ai (bait)
• ay (day)
• ei (vein)
• eigh (sleigh)
• ea (break)
• ey (they)

Now, while it’s important to know the rules, exceptions, and spelling patterns for those long A words, it’s far more important to get in some good old fashioned vowel practice with a list of different long A words.

Long A Word List

Words That Start with Long A

• aim
• ail
• aid
• able
• acorn
• apron
• April

• agent
• aphid
• angel
• alien
• alias
• age
• away

• acre
• aide
• apex
• ache
• ate
• ape

More Long A Words

• baby
• bait
• bake
• base
• basic
• break
• cable
• cage
• cake
• came
• cane
• cape
• case
• cave
• change
• contain
• crate
• data
• display
• eight
• essay
• explain
• face
• fame

• flake
• game
• grate
• gray
• graze
• great
• hail
• halo
• hay
• hazy
• label
• lady
• lake
• mail
• main
• make
• maple
• mate
• may
• obey
• pain
• paper
• plain

• potato
• radio
• rake
• rate
• reign
• relay
• say
• shaky
• skate
• sleigh
• space
• sprain
• strain
• survey
• sway
• table
• take
• tomato
• trade
• tray
• vein
• waist
• weigh

By no means is this an exhaustive list, but it definitely gives you and your kindergarteners a solid place to start.

With time and a little bit of practice, they’ll soon be able to identify the rule that makes each of these long A words as well as be able to spot other long A words in their day to day reading.

Amber

Amber is a former preschool teacher turned stay at home, homeschooling mom of 3 and the creator of From ABCs to ACTs.  She loves sharing crafts, activities, and printables that encourage children to learn through play, creativity, and exploration. Learn More

Long A Sound, List of Long A Words and Worksheets

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The long a sound can be spelled several ways. The magic e or final e and the open syllable are the most common ways. In addition, the long a sound can be represented in 2 vowel teams (“ai” and “ay”). Of course, there will be exceptions or odd balls- the irregular vowel team (“ei”).

Five Ways to Spell the Long A Sound

1. Magic E (VCe or a_e)

The magic E rule states when a word contains the letter “e” at the end, it is usually silent and the preceding vowel says its name (long sound), e. g., cake and date.

2. Vowel Team – AI

The vowel team rule states when two vowels go walking the first does the talking and the second vowel is silent. The combination of both an “a” and an “i” (double vowels) results in the long a sound. There are many AI words, e.g., maid, brain and paint.

3. Vowel Team – AY

As noted above, when two vowels go walking the first does the talking. The combination of both an “a” and “y” can result in the long a sound. The AY words, e.g., day and say, are not as plentiful as the AI words.

4. Irregular Vowel Team – EI

The vowel team rule states when two vowels go walking the first does the talking and the second vowel is silent. Like most things in life, there are exceptions. The combination of the vowels “e” and “i” can result in the long a sound, e.g., eight, sleigh, neigh and weigh.

5. Open Syllable – Long A

An open syllable occurs when a vowel is at the end of the syllable (it is not closed by a consonant), e. g., A/pril and ha/zy.

Long A Words

The table below contains 169 long A words. The words are categorized into one of the five ways the long a sound can be spelled – Magic E Rule, Vowel Teams (2), Irregular Vowel Team and Open Syllable.

Long A Worksheets

We created 30 worksheets to assist a child in learning the various ways the long A sound can be spelled.

Source: Fry, E. B., Ph.D. & Kress, J.E., Ed.D. (2006). The Reading
Teacher’s Book of Lists 5th Edition. San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass

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Poems for kindergarten - read beautiful children's poems

Preschool time is an important stage of development, which should not be missed. In order for adaptation to kindergarten to be successful, we recommend poems about kindergarten. Here are collected poetic works designed for toddlers, younger, older and preparatory groups. They will be remembered even by the smallest, because they rhyme easily, do not contain unfamiliar words.

Included in the collection about kindergarten short and long poems, sad and funny, funny and serious. Poems about kindergarten are suitable for any solemn occasion, whether it is an acquaintance with a preschool institution, reading at a matinee, a graduation party that marks farewell to a preschool institution.

A poem for the younger group of kindergarten or touching poems about the years spent in kindergarten are equally important. They develop speech, improve memory, contribute to the formation of the right psychological attitude, and motivate you to wake up early.

Poems about children in kindergarten will help if the kid can't get used to the regime and the new, yet unfamiliar society. In poems about kindergarten, short everyday stories take on a new meaning: toys come to life, the face of the teacher shines with a kind smile, the doors swing open on their own, inviting children. Gradually, the child will begin to unconsciously associate the kindergarten with positive emotions. He will have a desire to get up neither light nor dawn and rather rush to his beloved teacher and friends.

* * *

The breeze barely breathes...
Kindergarten is sleeping under the roof,
Its toys are sleeping -
Cubes, little animals...

Soon a new day will begin -
Morning will smile on all of us.
We'll go to "work"
And wake up this house!

* * *

Childhood days are flying farther and farther,
You are not children at all now:
The school opens the doors of knowledge -
It's time to say goodbye to the kindergarten.

And although this holiday is sad,
But in the soul with trembling warmth
We will remember your funny babble
And we will easily wipe away a tear.

In life you will have bright, even roads
And good friends on the way,
Happiness and smiles, of course,
And find a calling for everyone!

* * *

The sun has disappeared behind the houses,
We are leaving the kindergarten.
I tell my mother
About myself and about the guys.
How we sang songs in unison,
How we played leapfrog,
What we drank,
What we ate,
What we read in kindergarten.
I'm being honest
And in detail about everything.
I know, my mother is interested
To know about
How we live.

* * *

Pines lined up in a row,
Maple trees under the window,
The sun enters the kindergarten
Along a bright path.

Will inspect everything in a good hour
Vigilantly in a businesslike way:
Will plunge into a clean basin,
Will lie on a tablecloth.

The windows are clean and shiny,
The plank floor is washed,
Wake up, kindergarten!
Good afternoon guys!

* * *

I wake up with the sun,
I am glad to come in the morning.
Quickly, quickly going
I'm going to my favorite kindergarten!

There are books and toys,
There are my beloved friends,
My faithful girlfriends,
I can't live without them!

The dearest teacher,
Helps us and teaches.
She is almost like a mother to me.
And our kindergarten is the best!

* * *

Lots of toys in the kindergarten,
Our toys stand out:
Puss in boots, long-eared bunnies,
Drum and balalaikas.
Dressed dolls in braids are sitting,
Dolls are looking at hares and bears.
We don't beat or break our toys,
We don't take them away from our comrades.
Our toys are in plain sight -
We have everything in common in kindergarten.

* * *

The breeze barely breathes. ..
Kindergarten sleeps under the roof,
Its toys sleep -
Cubes, little animals...
Soon a new day will begin -
Morning will smile on all of us.
We'll go to "work"
And wake up this house!

* * *

Children live in the kindergarten,
They play and sing here,
They find friends here,
Go for a walk with them.

They argue and dream together,
They grow imperceptibly.
Kindergarten is your second home,
How warm and cozy it is!

You love him, children,
The kindest house in the world!

* * *

Before dad, before mom
I learned to get up.
I'm the most obedient in the morning,
It's time to go to kindergarten!

I am growing, I am trying so hard
Hurry, how to become a dad.
I myself am going to kindergarten,
So as not to be left behind by adults.

I have my own worries
Start in the morning.
Kindergarten is my job
Study and play.

* * *

Kindergarten, kindergarten!
The kids are in a hurry to get there.

Look I'm going to the garden -
What grows in such a garden?

Maybe pears, grapes?
I'm always glad to see them!..

– Don't be ridiculous, uncle! –
The kids tell me.

And ten of them shout:
"We are growing in the garden!"

* * *

I go to kindergarten in the morning,
I lead Alyonka by the hand…
“This is a real brother!” –
One passer-by said.
Well, if people say,
So, we are similar.
A girl Alyonka
I'm not my little sister at all.

* * *

In our kindergarten
Quiet time is coming.
Children close their eyes
And quietly fall asleep.
Somewhere a knock is heard...
It's rain pounding on the roof.
He probably doesn't know,
That the guys are resting.

* * *

What kind of miracle garden is this?
Grapes do not ripen here,
Raspberries do not grow,
Marina lives here,
And also Deniska, Masha and Boris.
If you got into a fight,
Make peace right away!
Because you can't quarrel
You can't quarrel in the kindergarten.
Not snarky things grow here,
Not snarky things, not thorns,
But true friends!

* * *

Taya boasts loudly:
— I'm quite big now!..
And, hugging her friend Asya,
I looked at the guys:
— I'm finishing the nursery —
I'm going to kindergarten!

Poems for children about kindergarten

Kindergarten
O. Vysotskaya

We come to kindergarten,
There are toys there.
Steam locomotive,
Steamboat
The guys are waiting.

There are pictures on the wall
And flowers on the window.
I want to -
I will ride
On a toy horse!

Everything is for us in this house -
Fairy tales, song and story,
Noisy dance,
Quiet hour, -
This house has everything for us!

What a nice house!
We grow in it every day,
And when we grow up
,
Let's go to school together.

* * *

Kindergarten

Dmitry Sukharev

Kindergarten starts at eight,
And by eight our yard is filled with a swarm.
Human offspring, lover of fuss,
Silent and gloomy in the morning.

It's time for me to go to work, I'm running,
The yard greets me with chirping burr,
And the offspring are already piling up in the snow
Their towers, their labor quarters.

Sometimes a bulletin, sticking out at the window,
I keep looking and watching for a long, long time,
Like, free and violent, from dark to dark
The shift is accustomed to order and duty.

And the guys leave at seven, in half-darkness,
In a hurry, without saying "goodbye" to each other,
And they hurriedly mince across the frozen ground,
Clutching onto mother's warm hand.

* * *

New nurseries

Z. Aleksandrova