-op Word Family Worksheets

Hand the sheet over after the child can say the short o sound on its own. Read the first word together, then let the child write the rest alone. Five words keep it to a ten minute sitting. Turn on the answer key to check spelling, or print the 5 versions so a small group each gets a different order. Hopping and mopping make good acting-out breaks between rows. Tape the finished page on the fridge and read it aloud at dinner.

Each row pairs a starting sound with the same ending, op, so the child learns to read the chunk once and reuse it. The usual snag is the p at the end: some children write b because it looks like a mirror image, so watch how the bowl faces. Before this page, children should know their consonant sounds and short o. After it, the -ot and -ob families add new endings to the same vowel.

Five rows of first sound plus -op is a ten minute job. Let the child read cop, hop and mop first, then write each from its starting sound. Check p for the b mix-up. A child who mixes cop and cap should go back to the short vowel pages. After that, Missing vowel checks the o, and Rhyming matches pairs.

Why does the page add -og words next to -op words?

They share the short o, so the child compares endings instead of vowels. Reading hop and hog side by side shows that only the last letter changed. If the second column feels like too much, ignore it at first.

Is the word cop suitable for young children?

Yes, it means a police officer, and children usually know it from picture books and play. It follows the same sound pattern as hop and mop. If you prefer, start the child on hop, mop and top and add the others afterward.

How many -op words can my child write per sheet?

Five: cop, hop, mop, pop and top. That is the whole family at this level, so there are no made-up words to pad the page. For more reading practice, switch Mode to Rhyming and match them with other families.