Color the images that start with a short A or long A sound.

Let’s go through each picture one by one and say the name out loud. We’re looking for words that start with either a short A sound (like “apple”) or a long A sound (like “ape”).

We’ll check each item:

1. Africa → starts with “A” — sounds like “AF-ri-ca” → short A ✔
2. Acorn → “AY-korn” → long A ✔
3. Alligator → “AL-li-ga-tor” → short A ✔
4. Key → starts with K, not A ✘
5. Astronaut → “AS-tro-naut” → short A ✔
6. Seahorse → starts with S ✘
7. Alien → “AY-lee-en” → long A ✔
8. Apron → “AY-pron” → long A ✔
9. Ant → “ANT” → short A ✔
10. Dress → starts with D ✘
11. Ambulance → “AM-bu-lance” → short A ✔
12. Ax → “AX” → short A ✔
13. Avocado → “av-o-CAD-o” → first sound is “uh”, not A ✘ (It starts with a schwa sound, not clear short or long A)
→ Actually, let’s double-check: In many pronunciations, “avocado” starts with /æ/ like “cat” — so it CAN be considered short A ✔
*(Note: Some may argue, but in early phonics, it’s often accepted as starting with short A)*
14. Worm → starts with W ✘
15. Apple → “AP-ple” → short A ✔
16. Abacus → “AB-a-cus” → short A ✔
17. Pie → starts with P ✘
18. Crocodile → starts with C ✘

Wait — we missed one! The ant is already counted. Let’s list all the ones that DO start with short or long A:

✔ Africa
✔ Acorn
✔ Alligator
✔ Astronaut
✔ Alien
✔ Apron
✔ Ant
✔ Ambulance
✔ Ax
✔ Avocado *(accepted as short A in most elementary contexts)*
✔ Apple
✔ Abacus

That’s 12 items.

But wait — let’s make sure about “avocado”. If we’re being strict, some teachers might say it doesn’t clearly start with short A because of the vowel reduction. But in this worksheet context, since it’s drawn prominently and commonly used in A lessons, we’ll include it.

Also — did we miss any?

What about the axe? Yes, we have “ax” — same thing.

And the alligator — yes.

Now, let’s cross off the ones that DON’T belong:

✘ Key
Seahorse
✘ Dress
✘ Worm
✘ Pie
✘ Crocodile

So total images: 18
Images to color: 12
Images NOT to color: 6

Final check: Say each word again slowly.

- Africa → A (short) ✔
- Acorn → A (long) ✔
- Alligator → A (short) ✔
- Key → K ✘
- Astronaut → A (short) ✔
- Seahorse → S ✘
- Alien → A (long) ✔
- Apron → A (long) ✔
- Ant → A (short) ✔
- Dress → D ✘
- Ambulance → A (short) ✔
- Ax → A (short) ✔
- Avocado → A (short) ✔
- Worm → W ✘
- Apple → A (short) ✔
- Abacus → A (short) ✔
- Pie → P ✘
- Crocodile → C ✘

Yes — 12 correct answers.

Final Answer:
Color these 12 pictures: Africa, acorn, alligator, astronaut, alien, apron, ant, ambulance, ax, avocado, apple, abacus.