AB Word Family Handwriting Workbook

About this ab word family

In the ab word family, the ending stays the same while the initial letter changes: c, d, j, l and t each join ab. Read every word by attending to all three letters, then ask children to identify the part they can see again. Recognising the shared ending should support careful blending rather than replace it.

Several words may need an explanation before handwriting begins. Cab is a car that passengers pay to use; lab is a short form of laboratory. Dab and jab describe different movements, while a tab is something small that can be held or pulled. The glossary provides meanings and short sentences so these less familiar examples are not simply copied without understanding.

What is included?

• 5 words: cab, dab, jab, lab, tab.
• 1 picture-glossary page with meanings and example sentences.
• 1 handwriting sheet using grey models, dotted letters and independent copying space.
• 6 PDF pages in total: front cover, instructions, glossary, handwriting sheets and two terms pages.

How to use this ab word family

Begin with cab and point to each letter as you model the sounds and blend them. Read its glossary sentence, then invite a child to explain when someone might use a cab. Turn to the handwriting sheet only after the spoken word has a clear meaning.

Show the route through the three strips for one word: trace the pale models, follow the dotted letters, and finally copy from the black model into the remaining space. Keep the tall stem of b above the middle guide and its rounded part on the baseline. In dab, draw attention to the different starting movements for d and b.

Work through the other examples in short sections. Ask pupils to say the word they have just written and check the first letter, the a and the final b against the model. A readable, correctly ordered word is a more useful goal than filling the whole sheet quickly.

Teaching and follow-up ideas

• Compare dab and jab orally: describe a gentle touch with paint and a quick poke, without asking children to poke each other.
• Use separate letter cards to change cab into lab, then tab. Read each new word before writing it.
• Ask learners to find a real tab on suitable packaging and explain how it is used.
• Cover a completed cab row and invite pupils to write cab once from memory on separate paper, then check all three letters.

Support and challenge

For a learner who reverses b and d, isolate dab and rehearse the two formations separately before returning to the whole word. Keep the printed model visible and reduce the number of repetitions.

For an additional challenge, ask pupils to compose an oral sentence containing lab or tab and explain its meaning. Write an agreed sentence together on separate paper; the workbook itself supplies word-writing practice, not a sentence-writing exercise.

Where this fits in learning

This booklet suits a lesson in which the short-a sound and the five initial consonants have already been introduced. Choose individual words if some correspondences are still new. After secure reading and writing, mix these words with another short-a ending so children must attend to the final consonant instead of assuming every word ends in b.