-an Word Family Quick Sheet

One free page: circle the right starting letter, then write six -an family words.

Part of: Phonics path — step 1 of 2

Print & download

-an Word Family Quick Sheet (1 page)

Free to print and use at home or in the classroom, as many times as you like.

What it builds
This is the same word-family structure as the '-at' sheet in this set, with 'an' as the fixed rime instead — can, fan, man, pan, ran, van. Giving a child a second word family right after the first, rather than a single one-off page, is what actually builds the transferable skill: swap the rime, the exact same 'keep the ending, change the start' strategy still works, which is the insight phonics instruction is really after rather than memorizing any one specific list of words. 'Van' is included deliberately as the one word starting with a less common initial sound in this set, giving a slightly wider spread of starting letters to distinguish between than a family built only from very similar-sounding consonants.
Ready when
Best right after — or alongside — the '-at' word family sheet in this set, once a child has the basic 'change the first letter, keep the rest' idea from that page. Doing a second family soon after the first is what turns a one-time trick into a general strategy.
How to run it
Print one copy. Same routine as the '-at' sheet: say the target word, have them find the matching starting letter, circle it, then write the full word. Five to ten minutes covers the page. If the two family sheets are done back to back, ask afterward 'what's the same about both pages, and what's different?' — noticing that the strategy (not just the words) repeats is the real payoff. Both UK (A4) and US (Letter) paper sizes print from the same download.

Part of this skill path — step 1 of 2