Engaging Prefix and Suffix Worksheets for 1st Grade

Are you looking for effective ways to teach prefixes and suffixes to your first graders? Our collection of prefix and suffix worksheets offers engaging, standards-aligned activities that make word-building fun and accessible for young learners. Whether you’re teaching in a traditional classroom or remotely, these carefully crafted resources help students understand how adding prefixes and suffixes can transform base words and expand their vocabulary.

As educators know, mastering affixes is a crucial stepping stone in developing reading fluency and comprehension skills. These worksheets go beyond simple memorization, incorporating interactive elements like spinners and matching activities that keep students engaged while building their confidence with word patterns. From common suffixes like “-ing” and “-ed” to essential prefixes such as “un-” and “re-,” our comprehensive collection supports both independent practice and guided instruction.

Teaching Target and Standard Alignment

Teaching prefixes and suffixes to 1st-grade students builds foundational vocabulary skills and improves word recognition. These skills align with CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.1.4.B, which states that students should “use frequently occurring affixes as a clue to the meaning of a word.”

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.1.4.b requires first-grade students to:

• Recognize common prefixes and suffixes
• Understand how affixes change word meanings
• Use this knowledge to decode unfamiliar words

Why Teach Prefixes and Suffixes in First Grade?

• Helps students recognize word parts and understand word formation.
• Improves reading fluency and comprehension.
• Encourages vocabulary expansion by learning how words change with affixes.
• Strengthens spelling and decoding skills.

Remote Teaching Resources for Prefix and Suffix Worksheets

Whether you’re teaching in the classroom or remotely, engaging activities can make learning about prefixes and suffixes fun. Here are some helpful resources:

1. Interactive Digital Tools: Online word-building games, such as Boom Cards and Google Slides activities, can help reinforce learning.
2. Anchor Charts: Visual aids displaying common prefixes and suffixes along with examples.
3. Hands-On Activities: Cutting and matching word parts, flipbooks, and sorting games.
4. Video Lessons: Educational YouTube channels provide catchy songs to help students remember common prefixes and suffixes.
5. Printable Worksheets: Fun worksheets that encourage practice and application of prefixes and suffixes.
6. Digital Flashcards: Platforms like Quizlet allow students to practice affixes with interactive flashcards.

Showcasing Prefix and Suffix Worksheets – WorkyBooks Digital Library

To support teachers in introducing affixes to 1st graders, here are three engaging grade 1 ela worksheets worksheets from Workybooks Digital Library for Teachers:

1. Suffixes: Spin and Add

Activity: Spin the spinner and add the suffix you land on to the words below only if it makes a real word. Keep spinning until all words have a suffix.

Spinner Sections: ly, er, ed, ing

Words to modify:

• teach, sad, start
• quick, fast, play
• shout, reach, glad
• proud, push, clean
• heat, shy, want

This hands-on activity reinforces how suffixes modify base words while keeping the lesson fun and interactive.

2. Adding Prefixes

Activity: Add prefixes from the list below to the base words so that the word matches the description. The first one has been done for you.

Prefixes to Use:

• Re- (again, back)
• Un- (opposite, not)
• Mis- (incorrectly, wrong)

Exercise:

1. Not happy → unhappy
2. To hear incorrectly → __hear
3. Heat up again → __heat
4. Not locked → __locked
5. To build again → __build
6. To judge incorrectly → __judge
7. To behave badly → __behave
8. To try again → __try
9. Not true → __true
10. To do again → __do

This grade 1 activities worksheets printables helps students develop an understanding of how prefixes alter word meanings, strengthening their vocabulary skills.

3. Prefixes: Spin and Add

Activity: Spin the spinner and add the prefix you land on to the words below only if it makes a real word. Keep spinning until all words have a prefix.

Spinner Sections: un-, re-, mis-

Words to modify:

• __heat, __aware, __hear
• __happy, __common, __place
• __behave, __turn, __kind
• __lead, __do, __well
• __able, __fair, __write

This activity reinforces prefix knowledge in a playful way, encouraging students to recognize and apply prefixes in different contexts

Access engaging prefix and suffix worksheets for Grade 3! Click here to download and start learning today!