English · Story Woods
Word Workshop
Build the word for each picture, one sound at a time.
- Grades
- K–3
- Levels
- 48 in 2 tracks
- Free
- 20 levels
- Session
- 4–10 minutes
What it is
A cozy workbench of letter tiles. Children build the word that names a picture: short-vowel words like cat and mop, then blends and digraphs (frog, ship), long-vowel patterns (cake, rain, boat), and finally prefixes and suffixes (unlock, helpful). Spare tiles make every word a real choice about sounds.
What children learn
Practices phonics for spelling (encoding): hearing each sound in a word and choosing the letters that make it. Progresses from short vowels to blends, digraphs, silent e and vowel teams, then uses prefixes and suffixes to build and understand longer words.
What it teaches
- Blends and digraphs
- Long-vowel patterns
- Prefixes and suffixes
- Build and read words
How to play
Tap a tile to add it to the word mat, or drag it into place. Tap a placed tile to send it back. Keyboard: Tab to a tile and press Enter; on the mat, arrow keys move between tiles, Shift+arrow moves a tile, Backspace sends it back. Turn on Say tiles to hear each tile.
Plays with: Touch Mouse Keyboard
Accessibility
- Read-aloud on request
- Fully playable with a keyboard
- Calm mode with reduced motion
- No timers or time pressure
- Never relies on color alone
- Quiet mode turns off sound effects
Level maps
Tracks and levels
Each track is made for a grade range. Start anywhere that fits — you don't have to play the younger tracks first. As a guest, your stars are saved on this device.
Sound Builders
Short-vowel words, then blends and digraphs.
K–1
24 levels · 10 free
Sound Builders
Short-vowel words, then blends and digraphs. · K–1
- 1 Letter Bench 1 ☆☆☆
- 2 Letter Bench 2 ☆☆☆
- 3 Letter Bench 3 ☆☆☆
- 4 Letter Bench 4 ☆☆☆
- 5 Letter Bench 5 ☆☆☆
- 6 Letter Bench Challenge ☆☆☆
- 7 Sound Shop 1 ☆☆☆
- 8 Sound Shop 2 ☆☆☆
- 9 Sound Shop 3 ☆☆☆
- 10 Sound Shop 4 ☆☆☆
- 11 Sound Shop 5 Plan level
- 12 Sound Shop Challenge Plan level
- 13 Blend Barn 1 Plan level
- 14 Blend Barn 2 Plan level
- 15 Blend Barn 3 Plan level
- 16 Blend Barn 4 Plan level
- 17 Blend Barn 5 Plan level
- 18 Blend Barn Challenge Plan level
- 19 Digraph Den 1 Plan level
- 20 Digraph Den 2 Plan level
- 21 Digraph Den 3 Plan level
- 22 Digraph Den 4 Plan level
- 23 Digraph Den 5 Plan level
- 24 Digraph Den Challenge Plan level
Levels after 10 are part of a PlayOwl plan. Free levels, saving and basic reports stay free.
Word Crafters
Silent e and vowel teams, then prefixes and suffixes.
2–3
24 levels · 10 free
Word Crafters
Silent e and vowel teams, then prefixes and suffixes. · 2–3
- 1 Silent-E Station 1 ☆☆☆
- 2 Silent-E Station 2 ☆☆☆
- 3 Silent-E Station 3 ☆☆☆
- 4 Silent-E Station 4 ☆☆☆
- 5 Silent-E Station 5 ☆☆☆
- 6 Silent-E Station Challenge ☆☆☆
- 7 Vowel Team Yard 1 ☆☆☆
- 8 Vowel Team Yard 2 ☆☆☆
- 9 Vowel Team Yard 3 ☆☆☆
- 10 Vowel Team Yard 4 ☆☆☆
- 11 Vowel Team Yard 5 Plan level
- 12 Vowel Team Yard Challenge Plan level
- 13 Prefix Forge 1 Plan level
- 14 Prefix Forge 2 Plan level
- 15 Prefix Forge 3 Plan level
- 16 Prefix Forge 4 Plan level
- 17 Prefix Forge 5 Plan level
- 18 Prefix Forge Challenge Plan level
- 19 Suffix Studio 1 Plan level
- 20 Suffix Studio 2 Plan level
- 21 Suffix Studio 3 Plan level
- 22 Suffix Studio 4 Plan level
- 23 Suffix Studio 5 Plan level
- 24 Suffix Studio Challenge Plan level
Levels after 10 are part of a PlayOwl plan. Free levels, saving and basic reports stay free.
Off screen
Print & play
Paper activities that go with this game.
Trace capital letters A to I
English · Preschool · Tracing · 2 pages
Trace capital letters J to R
English · Preschool · Tracing · 2 pages
Trace capital letters S to Z
English · Preschool · Tracing · 1 page
Trace big and small letter pairs: stretch
English · Pre-K · Tracing · 2 pages
Trace capital letters A–M
English · Pre-K–K · Tracing · 2 pages
Trace capital letters J to R: stretch
English · Pre-K · Tracing · 2 pages
Trace capital letters N–Z
English · Pre-K–K · Tracing · 2 pages
Trace small letters a–m
English · Pre-K–1 · Tracing · 2 pages
Trace small letters n–z
English · Pre-K–1 · Tracing · 2 pages
Trace tall letters and tail letters
English · Pre-K · Tracing · 2 pages
A hen and her chicks: warm-up
English · Kindergarten · Reading · 1 page
Pip and the red ball
English · Kindergarten · Reading · 1 page
Trace short words
English · K–1 · Tracing · 2 pages
Trace tall letters and tail letters
English · Kindergarten · Tracing · 2 pages
Digraphs comic strip: 4 panels
English · Grade 1 · Worksheet · 1 page
Grade 1 sight words word search
English · Grade 1 · Puzzle · 1 page
Number code: compound words
English · Grade 1 · Puzzle · 1 page
Tariq's windy hat: warm-up
English · Grade 1 · Reading · 1 page
How bees make honey: warm-up
English · Grade 2 · Reading · 1 page
Trace magic e: long vowels
English · Grade 2 · Tracing · 1 page
Keep exploring
Part of these collections
Guide for grown-ups
- Phonics for kids: what it is and how to practice it at homeA guide for parents · 7 min read
Reading games by grade
Reading worksheets by grade
More from Story Woods
Other english games, each with its own free levels.