Practice Sentences for the “-at” Word Family

Great! Below are short, simple sentences using words from the “-at” family. For each sentence: 1) have your child trace or copy the sentence three times, and 2) draw a picture that shows the sentence.

1. The cat sat on the mat.

Write it 3 times:

Draw a picture of the sentence: (draw the cat on the mat)

2. The fat cat sat on the mat.

Write it 3 times:

Draw a picture: (draw a round cat on the mat)

3. The cat wears a red hat.

Write it 3 times:

Draw a picture: (draw the cat with a red hat)

4. Pat has a blue hat.

Write it 3 times:

Draw a picture: (draw Pat wearing a blue hat)

5. The bat can fly.

Write it 3 times:

Draw a picture: (draw a bat flying at night)

6. A rat ran to the mat.

Write it 3 times:

Draw a picture: (draw a rat running to the mat)

7. The cat and the rat sat.

Write it 3 times:

Draw a picture: (draw the cat and rat sitting together — make it friendly!)

8. I pat the cat.

Write it 3 times:

Draw a picture: (draw a child patting the cat)

9. The boy has a bat.

Write it 3 times:

Draw a picture: (draw the boy holding a bat)

10. That is a big cat.

Write it 3 times:

Draw a picture: (draw a big cat and point to it)

Extra practice (fun variations):

• Fill-in-the-blank: "The sat on the ." Let the child write two -at words (cat, mat, hat, rat).
• Swap the first sound: change cat to hat, mat, bat and read how the sentence changes.
• Make a mini-book: fold paper into 4 pages, write one sentence per page and draw a matching picture.

Helpful tips:

• Let your child trace the sentence once (you write it in big letters), copy it once, then write it alone once — three chances builds confidence.
• Say the words aloud and emphasize the "-at" sound (e.g., "c-at, b-at, h-at") to build phonics awareness.
• Encourage drawing first, then writing: drawing makes the sentence meaningful and motivates writing.
• Praise effort (stickers or stamps work great) and keep practice short (5–10 minutes) and fun.
• If a sentence feels hard, simplify it (e.g., just "Cat on mat.") or use magnetic letters to build the words.

Have fun practicing! Keep the pages and you’ll see big improvement quickly.