One More Sheet.

1st Grade Articles (A, An, The) Worksheets

A, an, and the are the little words that introduce nouns. First graders learn the sound rule in its simplest form: a before a consonant sound (a dog), an before a vowel sound (an egg). At this age it is an ear skill first and a writing skill second.

Free printable PDF, aligned to Common Core L.1.1.h. One skill per page, answer key on page two.

Every sheet is one of a kind and prints with a version code, so you can reprint the exact same one later. New version every click.

A sample 1st grade sheet. Yours will have different sentences. Click it to print your own.

The kind of sentences you'll get

Circle the letter of the article that fits the sentence.

  1. Tim got ______ kite. an · a

    Answer: a

  2. She has ______ bike. a · an
  3. Mia ate ______ egg. a · an

Every print draws a fresh mix of sentences at this level, so a make-up test or a second sibling gets a different sheet.

What's on each sheet

Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key on the last page.

How to teach this

Say both versions aloud and let the awkward one lose: "a apple" makes the mouth stumble, "an apple" glides. First graders pick the right article by ear long before they can explain it. Keep the choices to clear cases; the tricky ones (an hour) can wait.

Watch for: It's the sound that decides, not the letter. We say an hour because hour starts with a vowel sound (like our), and a unicorn because unicorn starts with a y-sound. The works for anything specific, but a and an only go with one of something you could count.

Common questions about articles (a, an, the)

How do I explain a versus an to a 1st grader?
Through the mouth, not a rule. Have your child say "a apple" and "an apple" and pick the one that feels smooth. The ear almost always chooses right, and the formal rule (vowel sounds take an) can be named later once the habit exists.
Should my 1st grader worry about words like hour or unicorn?
Not yet. Those hinge on sounds that disagree with spellings, which is a 2nd and 3rd grade refinement. First grade is for cementing the easy majority: a ball, an ant, a sock, an igloo.

Related worksheets

Ready to print one?

One page, answer key included. A fresh version every time you click.

Aligned to Common Core L.1.1.h. Reviewed by the One More Sheet curriculum team. Content version 68, updated July 2026.