Learning Letters & Their Sounds
Our overarching goal when introducing the alphabet & phonics to our little ones is to spark excitement, curiosity and a love of literature! To do this, we combine lots of read-aloud time & hands-on learning with the occasional use of workbooks if they are receptive to that. Read on to learn more about the strategies we've been using to teach the alphabet & phonics in a fun, gentle way!
Playdough
The Hape alphabet puzzle is perfect for stamping into playdough!
Playdough is a wonderful learning tool that is incredibly versatile. If I had to pick only one educational tool, it would be playdough! It’s great for a variety of learning styles and honestly is fun for adults too! Here are some ways we use it for our letter learning:
STAMP LETTERS INTO IT — the Hape letter puzzles are colorful and easy for little hands to grip, but we’ve also had luck with wooden letter stamps and this set looks great too! A simple set of letter manipulatives or alphabet cookie cutters could also be fun to try! Toddlers will have fun simply experimenting with stamping. Preschoolers and early elementary kids can start practicing spelling by copying the letters they see on a flashcard.
PRESS IT ONTO LETTER MATS — you can find all sorts of beautiful letter mats on Etsy or try the Treehouse Schoolhouse set. Either laminate each page or place a few pages into a restaurant menu cover so that they can withstand little hands and repeat use!
ROLL IT INTO LETTER SHAPES - this can be done freeform or overtop of a letter guide such as the Treehouse Schoolhouse Wonder of Nature set
I find that it’s worth the effort to make playdough at home, but I do use and enjoy store-bought playdough too! If you’d like to try making your own playdough, I recommend getting gel food coloring and following a “no cook” style recipe like this one or this one. Pouring boiling water over a mound of flour & salt feels a whole lot simpler than stirring like a wild woman while it cooks on the stove.
Wonder of Nature Collection
All geared up for a round of alphabet stomp!
In addition to the Wonder of Nature Alphabet Pack, we’ve also really enjoyed the Wonder of Nature Alphabet Cards from Treehouse Schoolhouse! They are so versatile and offer a way to learn that incorporates movement and fun! I opted for the printed flashcards and was impressed by the quality. There’s a game suggestion card included in the pack with lots of fantastic ideas! A top favorite is the Alphabet Stomp game where we lay a few flashcards on the floor and then either state the letter or its sound and the have the kids find & stomp on the correct card. They also like when we hide a few cards around the room and then ask them to find the letter (or we say the letter sound and they have to find the corresponding card).
Some other ways you could use alphabet flashcards:
match the uppercase letters to the lowercase letters
line them up in alphabetical order
flip through the deck together as you say the letter, sound, and word (ex: “P, puh, pinecone”)
Note: None of this is sponsored - I truly love all the Treehouse Schoolhouse products and want to spread the word!
Games & Activities
Writing letters on the sidewalk is a low-prep activity that brings lots of fun & movement!
Games are fun for any age, but they’re especially helpful for engaging little ones in learning! It’s been demonstrated that kids actually learn faster when they’re playing!
Similar to the alphabet card stomp, I like to write the letters on the sidewalk and have the kids run to find the letter either by its name or its sound. For an extra boost, you could also have them trace the letter with their finger or a piece of chalk when they find it.
At times we also have set up "letter baskets", where we fill a small basket with toys that match the sound we're learning. Pictured below in the gallery you can see an example of this. All of the items in the basket begin with the letter S - squares/stack, sofa, snowman, stone, Snow White, stick, and shoes. We review each of the items, making sure to enunciate that leading sound.
Here are some other games & activities we’ve enjoyed:
the Lovevery reading games - we have the Part 2 set
prompts from the How Wee Learn reading curriculum such as “I spy something that rhymes with cat”
using dot markers to stamp the letters in our learning journals
You can find abounding inspiration for alphabet games & activities by searching on Pinterest & Instagram too!
Workbooks & Resources
two of our top favorite reading workbooks
Workbooks provide an organized way to present information to your kids while also being low prep for parents. Though I know some people dislike them as a teaching tool, I’ve found my kids to be receptive to and even excited about them if used in a low pressure way. At early ages, it’s important to read your kids’ cues about workbook time so that you don’t excessively frustrate them.
Pictured are two of our top favorites! The "Learn to Read ABC See, Hear, Do" book offers a movement friendly approach to phonics as it prompts readers to act out various animal movements that correlate with a phonetic. The "Learn To Read Activity Book" is an open & go style resource that makes lessons easy for someone without teaching experience. The lessons are short & fun and our kindergartner was always excited to work on it!
Additionally, we occasionally use the Heggerty phonic flip cards as well. To use them, we flip through each and say the letter, the word and the sound (ex: A, apple, ahh). Another resource we’ve recently been exploring is the Good & Beautiful Language Arts Course (Level K). It really is beautiful, while still having a kid friendly feel to it, and I’ve really appreciated the free PDF download option they provide.
Read Aloud Time
Piles of books have been constant companions in our home through the years. At my baby shower we had people bring books instead of cards, and I still vividly remember the excitement of taking my little one on a first library trip at a couple months old. Books helped me keep a toddler content while I nursed a newborn and they always provide a soothing balm for overwhelmed nervous systems. They teach us, calm us, inspire us and captivate us!
Books saved the day during postpartum!
Reading aloud supports literacy while providing connection, comprehension skills, vocabulary and so much more for kids! There is such value to it that books are a main focus here on this blog, and it’s why I am so excited to create the story basket membership so that more families can find joy in reading aloud to their little ones.
Here are some ways we incorporate read aloud time into our days (not everyday, but often!):
books after breakfast or before bed
“curiosity hour” (I strew a number of books on the coffee table and let the kids pick based on their interest)
to help everyone feel calm when tension or hyperness is mounting
Our shelves are always packed full of library books for both young & old!
In summary, these activities have made teaching the alphabet enjoyable and often playful, and the variety has been a helpful way to introduce phonics to our little ones as we figure out what style of learners they are! Below you can see more inspiration of how all this looks in real life!
