Teaching Letters and Letter-Sound Knowledge

The following is provided by the Texas A&M Institute for Early Childhood Development & Education

Learning letters is very important! Over and over research shows that Letter knowledge and letter-sound knowledge are key early literacy skills that consistently predict future reading success. It is important for families to be engaged in helping their children develop letter and letter-sound knowledge, because families are children’s first and most important teachers.

But how can families support their child’s letter knowledge and letter-sound knowledge at home? The following sections include research-informed answers to commonly asked questions about supporting letter skills as well as some ways you can incorporate letters into your daily routines!

General Tips for Supporting Letters and Letter-Sound Knowledge

• How many letters should my child know? The simple answer is the more, the better! The more letters a child knows entering kindergarten, the more prepared they will be to learn to read and the less likely they are to experience reading difficulties. But if your child doesn’t know many letters yet, don’t panic! The strategies below will help you support your child in learning more letters in no time!
• What letters do I start with? Children often begin learning letters with letters in their own names because that is what interests the child! Some letters are easier to learn as well, including letters where the name and sound align (m or b), letters that are earlier in the alphabet, and letters that are meaningful in other contexts (e.g., sibling or friend names, familiar words).
• What do children need to know about letters? Name, sound, and form. When talking about letters with your child, be sure to say the name and sound(s) of the letter to help draw their attention to both! (e.g., b makes a /b/ /b/ sound like in balloon or book). Connecting letters to familiar words helps children to see the relevance of these letters and reinforces the letter sounds. Writing letters with your child draws their attention to the specific forms of letters both capital and lowercase.

Ways to Support These Concepts in Your Daily Life

• At Home: Include your child in the grocery shopping process! Have them help you sound out and write initial letters for some of the items on your list (e.g., “We need potatoes for dinner tomorrow, what letter do you think potato starts with?”).
• On the Road: Point out words on road signs or billboards to help your child become familiarized with new For example, point out the M on the McDonald’s sign or the W in a Walmart sign.
• While Playing: While your child plays, incorporate letters wherever you This may look like having them write some letters while taking your order in a play kitchen or asking them what letters some of their favorite outdoor things start with (trees, birds, etc.)!
• Reading books: Reading books with children is a great way to promote language and literacy skills. Specifically highlighting words that start with the same letter or sound while reading is a great way to draw children’s attention to letters and letter

The activities above will expose your children to more letters in contexts that interest them and will ultimately help them learn letters. Remember: any additional practice with letters and letter-sounds will benefit your child and help prepare them for later reading success.

For media inquiries, contact Ruben Hidalgo.