Vowel Dash Relay Game
Vowel Dash Relay
Phonics Movement Game • Vowel Teams Edition
Long Vowels (A, E, I, O, U)
Student Name:
Team / Relay Lane:
Date:
Relay Rules
1. Dash: Run to your assigned relay station card.
2. Decode: Read the clue & pick the right vowel team.
3. Tag: Write the full word below & tag your teammate!
Vowel Team Power Bank Use these digraphs to fill in each station card
Long A: ai, ay Long E: ea, ee Long I: igh, ie Long O: oa, ow Long U: ue, ui, ew
Relay Station Mission Log
Write the complete correctly spelled word for each card
01
Card 1 • Long A
02
Card 2 • Long A
03
Card 3 • Long A
04
Card 4 • Long A
05
Card 5 • Long E
06
Card 6 • Long E
07
Card 7 • Long E
08
Card 8 • Long E
09
Card 9 • Long I
10
Card 10 • Long I
11
Card 11 • Long I
12
Card 12 • Long O
13
Card 13 • Long O
14
Card 14 • Long O
15
Card 15 • Long U
16
Card 16 • Long U
Relay Completion Score: ______ / 16 Correct
Team Finish Rank:
1st 2nd 3rd
Printable Station Relay Cards • Set A (Cards 01 – 08)
Cut along dashed borders
STATION 01 Long A (ai / ay)
Fill in the missing vowel team:
r n
"Dark clouds brought heavy ______."
Clue: Storm water Options: ai or ay
STATION 02 Long A (ai / ay)
Fill in the missing vowel team:
pl
"We like to ______ at recess."
Clue: Have fun / game Options: ai or ay
STATION 03 Long A (ai / ay)
Fill in the missing vowel team:
p nt
"Dip your brush into the wet ______."
Clue: Colorful liquid Options: ai or ay
STATION 04 Long A (ai / ay)
Fill in the missing vowel team:
tr
"Carry your lunch on a flat ______."
Clue: Flat dish/holder Options: ai or ay
STATION 05 Long E (ea / ee)
Fill in the missing vowel team:
b ch
"We built sandcastles at the sunny ______."
Clue: Ocean shoreline Options: ea or ee
STATION 06 Long E (ea / ee)
Fill in the missing vowel team:
sl p
"Get eight hours of rest to ______ well."
Clue: Nighttime rest Options: ea or ee
STATION 07 Long E (ea / ee)
Fill in the missing vowel team:
dr m
"I had a flying ______ last night."
Clue: Mind pictures asleep Options: ea or ee
STATION 08 Long E (ea / ee)
Fill in the missing vowel team:
gr n
"The lush grass in the park is ______."
Clue: Color of leaves Options: ea or ee
Printable Station Relay Cards • Set B (Cards 09 – 16)
Cut along dashed borders
STATION 09 Long I (igh / ie)
Fill in the missing vowel team:
l t
"Flip the switch to turn on the ______."
Clue: Bright lamp glow Options: igh or ie
STATION 10 Long I (igh / ie)
Fill in the missing vowel team:
p
"Grandma baked a warm apple ______."
Clue: Baked dessert crust Options: igh or ie
STATION 11 Long I (igh / ie)
Fill in the missing vowel team:
n t
"The moon shines in the dark ______."
Clue: After sunset Options: igh or ie
STATION 12 Long O (oa / ow)
Fill in the missing vowel team:
b t
"We paddled the wooden ______ across the lake."
Clue: Water vessel Options: oa or ow
STATION 13 Long O (oa / ow)
Fill in the missing vowel team:
sn
"Cold white ______ fell in winter."
Clue: Frozen flakes Options: oa or ow
STATION 14 Long O (oa / ow)
Fill in the missing vowel team:
t st
"Spread warm butter on the crispy ______."
Clue: Browned bread slice Options: oa or ow
STATION 15 Long U (ue / ui / ew)
Fill in the missing vowel team:
cl
"The clever detective found a mystery ______."
Clue: Hint to solve a puzzle Options: ue, ui, or ew
STATION 16 Long U (ue / ui / ew)
Fill in the missing vowel team:
fr t
"Apples and grapes are fresh sweet ______."
Clue: Healthy sweet plant food Options: ue, ui, or ew
Teacher Guide & Answer Key
Vowel Dash Relay • Facilitation & Phonics Rules
Grades 1 – 3 Phonics
How to Run the Relay Game (3 Formats)
1 Classic Relay Race
Place cards across the gym or room. Students line up in lanes. Runner sprints, solves card, runs back, records word, and tags the next player.
2 Station Scavenger Hunt
Tape cards around the classroom walls. Students work with a clipboard partner, moving at their own pace to find and decode all 16 stations.
3 Flash Lightning Dash
Teacher holds up cards for 15 seconds. Teams whisper-huddle and write their answers before the buzzer sounds.
Core Spelling Pattern Reminders for Students
• ai vs. ay: ai is usually in the middle; ay is usually at the end of a word/syllable.
• oa vs. ow: oa is usually in the middle; ow is frequently at the end.
• ea vs. ee: Both appear in word middles; teach high-frequency sight pairs.
• igh vs. ie: igh before ‘t’ (night, light); ie at word ends (pie, tie).
Master Answer Key All 16 Stations & Vowel Digraphs
| # | Word | Team | Sound |
|---|
| 01 | rain | ai | Long A |
| 02 | play | ay | Long A |
| 03 | paint | ai | Long A |
| 04 | tray | ay | Long A |
| 05 | beach | ea | Long E |
| 06 | sleep | ee | Long E |
| 07 | dream | ea | Long E |
| 08 | green | ee | Long E |
| # | Word | Team | Sound |
|---|
| 09 | light | igh | Long I |
| 10 | pie | ie | Long I |
| 11 | night | igh | Long I |
| 12 | boat | oa | Long O |
| 13 | snow | ow | Long O |
| 14 | toast | oa | Long O |
| 15 | clue | ue | Long U |
| 16 | fruit | ui | Long U |
Speed Round Bonus: Have finished teams write two new rhyming words for any card!
Extension