Education

Teaching Your Child Letters and Letter Sounds

January 22, 2019May 11, 2020 by Johanna

A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,I,J,K,L,M, N……….oh wow, Kindergarten is right around the corner! Now a days, kindergarten is a big deal. As a former elementary school teacher, I know that ideally students should enter Kindergarten knowing most of the letters and their sounds. Below, I am sharing a few of the helpful activities that have assisted my son in learning the letters and the letter sounds. These activities were definitely more engaging and interacting than the workbooks were.

Make sure your child knows the letters, then begin working on the sounds of each letter. Here are some activities you and your child can do to identify the letters and their sounds. Take 5-10 minutes each school day to do one of these activities with your child or have your child “play” alphabet games with their siblings.

Point to each letter as you sing the alphabet song. Print the alphabet or buy an alphabet poster. This will assist your child in being able to make the association that each letter has a name and what it looks like.

Sing and dance to this You Tube- Jack Hartman Learning Letter Sounds Song with your child for a fun way to learn the proper letter sounds.

Movie– Leapfrog: The Amazing Alphabet Amusement Park. Watch this short 35 minute movie with your child. It will take you and your child on an alphabet adventure through the entire alphabet. Be sure to watch and engage with your child during the first viewing. Have discussions about the letters and the sounds. Participate during the movie, you guys can even enjoy a bag of popcorn as you watch!

Games–Leapfrog: Fridge Phonics Magnet Set (see photo to the right) -When we play this game, I ask my son to find letters. For example, I’ll say, “Can you find the letter B?” or I’ll say a letter sound and have my son find the letter that makes the sound. Then he places the letter in the bus window of the toy to hear the letter sound and song.
We also use the Melissa and Doug Puzzle to change things up. This puzzle says the letter sounds as you place the letter puzzle piece into the correct spot.