1st Grade Word Ladders
Three- and four-letter words, 100 printable ladders
First grade word ladders start with three-letter words. Students change one letter at a time, and a clue under every step tells them which word to make: hen becomes pen, then pet, then pot. By the last two levels they're climbing four-letter ladders.
What's in the 1st grade pack
- 100 word ladders on 50 student pages, two to a page
- A clue under every step
- Four levels that climb from three-letter words to four
- Standard and Assisted versions; the Assisted arrows point to the letter box that changes
- Teacher directions with a worked example
- An answer key for all 100 ladders
- Black and white pages that photocopy cleanly
Try a 1st grade word ladder
This is ladder 49 from the 1st grade pack. Read each clue, change one letter, and climb from box to tie. It prints free just below, and the free sampler has a page from every grade.
- boxStart here.
- a 3-letter wordA male child.
- a 3-letter wordSomething fun to play with.
- a 3-letter wordOne of ten on your feet.
- tieTo make a knot with laces.
Show the answers
box, boy, toy, toe, tie
Free printable
Free 1st grade word ladders to print
Here's a real page from the 1st grade pack to print free: the ladder above plus one more, tar to hot, in Standard and Assisted versions with the answer key. No sign-up, no account.
Prefer to keep it in your TpT library? Get it free on Teachers Pay Teachers.
Terms of use: Free to print and use with your own students. Please share a link to this page rather than the PDF files. Not for resale.
How the 1st grade pack climbs
The routine never changes. What grows is the number of words students write and, in first grade, the length of the words.
| Level | Pages | Students write |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Pages 3 to 14 | 2 three-letter words |
| Level 2 | Pages 15 to 28 | 3 three-letter words |
| Level 3 | Pages 29 to 42 | 4 four-letter words |
| Level 4 | Pages 43 to 52 | 5 four-letter words, top word only |
Model a ladder together first and read the clues aloud as needed. The last two levels stretch toward late first grade, so they're best for spring, strong readers, or a supported small group.
1st grade Halloween word ladders
The Halloween and fall pack keeps the same routine with a seasonal theme: 50 ladders on 25 pages, the same four levels, Standard and Assisted versions, and an answer key. Its worked example climbs fox, box, bow, cow, with clues about a costume and a candy bag. To try one first, the free Halloween sampler has a page from this grade.
1st grade winter word ladders
For December through February, the winter pack keeps the same routine with a winter theme rather than a holiday one: 50 ladders on 25 pages, the same four levels, Standard and Assisted versions, and an answer key. Its worked example climbs sun, run, rug, mug, with a mug that keeps cocoa warm. More in Winter Word Ladders for Grades 1 to 5.
Teaching more than one grade, or want room to move up or down a level? The Grades 1 to 5 bundle has all five packs, 500 ladders in all, for less than the price of four. Want the seasonal sets too? The Word Ladders MEGA Bundle has all 19 word ladder packs, 1,100+ ladders in all.
Other grades: 2nd grade · 3rd grade · 4th grade · 5th grade. Every set, including Halloween and winter, is on the word ladders page.