Do you introduce letter names or sounds first?
This is a widely debated topic. A lot of research suggests that teaching single-letter sounds is far more important than teaching the “names” of the letters when it comes to phonics and reading. Therefore, you should teach the sounds letters make first and then teach the names of the letters. Many teachers find this works for them. However, I have always taught both letter names and the sounds they make simultaneously.
Of course, you do what you believe is best for your students. My preferred approach is to expose students to both the names of the letters and the sounds they make simultaneously.
A cute idea is to introduce the concept using animals. Animals are all called different things, but they make different sounds. For example, the name of the animal is a “cow,” and the sound it makes is “mooo”. This gives them a way to understand that letters have names, and in their singular form, they make different sounds.
We have so many fantastic resources that you can use in your classroom to expose your students to the letters of the alphabet and their sounds!
This set of Initial Letter Bingo Cards is perfect for a small group or whole class activity.
What order do you teach letter names and sounds?
In my classroom, I taught the letters and sounds out of order.
Some phonics programs outline the order to teach the single sounds, often introducing a few simple digraph sounds early on. For those who may not have a phonics program to go by, I like this order of introducing single letters and sounds:
a, m, t, p, o, n, c, d, u, s, g, h, i, f, b, l, e, r, w, k, x, v, y, z, j, q
- Letters that occur frequently in words are taught first.
- Letters that look similar and have similar sounds (b and d) are separated in the instructional sequence to avoid confusion.
I would normally focus on one letter and sound a week. However, during this explicit teaching, it is still important to expose your students to other letters of the alphabet, both uppercase and lowercase.
By displaying these Alphabet Posters in your classroom, you will continually expose and immerse your students in the alphabet.
These printable Letter Worksheets are a fantastic resource for teaching students how to identify and name the letters of the alphabet and the most common sounds they represent.
Hands-on Alphabet Classroom Activities
Incorporating a variety of hands-on activities into the classroom is crucial to your student’s knowledge of the names of letters and the sounds they make. Immerse your students in alphabet land! Students must be exposed to the letters and sounds as much as possible.
Your students will be begging to learn about letters and sounds with our fun, super cute alphabet resources.
Initial Sounds – Fingerprint Art
This is one of my favorite alphabet activity ideas! Don’t be scared; it looks a little messy, but I can see this being an easy process in the classroom.
I would only be introducing a letter a week. So it would be the routine!
- Introduce the letter/sound of the week.
- As a class, decide what picture you will create with a fingerprint for that letter.
- While doing other activities related to that sound, set up a small group table for fingerprinting!
What a fantastic way to review the letters and sounds already taught! Once complete, you can laminate the strip and stick it to your students’ desks as a daily reminder! Download the teaching resource template today: Initial Sounds – Fingerprint Art Activity.
Alphabet Play-dough Mats
Kids love playing with play dough, and it is such a tactile activity. Check out our Alphabet Play-dough Mats for fine motor development and letter recognition.
This is another debate: Do you introduce both lower case and upper case? Again, there are arguments for both sides. In my classroom, I introduced both at the same time, which I found less confusing for the students when looking for letters in books and signs.
Alphabet Cards – Activity Ideas
Download and laminate our Alphabet and Picture Cards. This resource is a simple resource that keeps on giving! There are so many fantastic ways to utilize them in the classroom.
Letter Swatting Game
Using a fly swat, or students can use their hands, place ten pictures on the floor with the matching letters in a pile beside the pictures. Students take turns to turn over a letter. They must say the letter that is on the card, then swat the picture that starts with that letter.
Memory
Choose five to ten pictures and matching letters. Place each card face down. In pairs, students take turns to flip over two cards. Once they turn over a matching picture and letter, they get to keep these cards. The student with the most cards wins!
Sorting
In small groups, give the students picture cards, uppercase letter cards, and lowercase letter cards. Students need to match the correct uppercase, lowercase, and picture cards.
Alphabetical Order
Provide each student with the uppercase letter and lowercase letter cards. Have students place the cards in alphabetical order.
Scavenger Hunt
Give each student a letter from the uppercase or lowercase cards. Students need to find as many things that start with that letter. They can look in books, around the classroom, or even go exploring outside!
Train Line
Give each student a picture card and a lowercase card (they do not have to match). The aim of this activity is for students to create a ‘train line’. The student with the letter ‘a’ starts by placing down the card. The student with the picture that starts with the letter ‘a’ then places their card down. The process continues until all cards have been placed down in a long line in alphabetical order.
Alphabet Matching Caterpillar Activity
This is a vibrant and fun activity that can be done independently or in a small group to help consolidate your students’ knowledge of uppercase and lowercase letters.
Check it out today, Alphabet Matching Caterpillar Activity.
Recognizing Uppercase and Lowercase Letters on a Keyboard
This activity is great for your high-achieving students or even after all letters have been introduced. A great visual activity is where students find the hidden letters on and around the keyboard and add the missing letters to a series of simple descriptions.
Download this pack of 26 uppercase and lowercase worksheets.
Check out our Alphabet resource collection for more classroom activities and teaching resources for the alphabet.
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