Exploring the Alphabet and Beyond
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Every day, your child sees words all around him — on street signs, food labels, and computer and television screens, just to name a few. Help him learn that those words are made up of letters, and that letters are symbols for sounds. Use the tips and videos below to open up the wide world of words for your child.
Names Are Made of Letters
Encourage your child to notice that letters are the building blocks of words. Start by placing a printed alphabet around the room. Say each letter with your child as you point to it. Try cutting out the letters of your child’s name, and ask her to color the letters. Hang the designed name somewhere in her room. From time to time, give examples of words that begin with the letters that make up her name, especially the letter her name starts with.
Watch Together: ABC Hip Hop
Talk Together: How would you sing the alphabet in a different way?
Let It Be About Letter B As your child learns a letter, do simple activities together that focus on that letter. For example, if you’re introducing the letter “B,” do an activity where your child can make or eat some bread. Ask him to find the letter "B" and the word "bread" on a package or recipe. Go to the supermarket and discover all the different kinds of bread. Challenge him to find other foods that begin with "B" and find the letter on the label.
Watch Together:
B-ball Bat Baseball Talk Together:
What other sports and games begin with the letter B? Letter Detective
Create a letter mystery for your child to solve. On a piece of a paper, draw or cut out from a magazine or pictures from the computer or online four items that begin with the same letter, like tree, turtle, toes, and toast. Next, ask your child how these four items fit together. Give them time to come up with their own ideas. She may say silly things like, a turtle has toes, eats toast, and likes to sit under the tree. Rephrase her observations, saying target words like “turtle” or “toast” with emphasis so she can hear how they start with the same similar sound, reinforcing the idea that each item begins with the same letter. As your child gets more comfortable with the alphabet, flip the activity around by saying a letter and having your child draw four items beginning with that letter.
Watch Together:
Jane Tuesday's Letter L Talk Together:
What other clues can you draw for the letter L? Sponge Paintings Cut sponges into different-sized shapes of one letter and let your child use them to make sponge paintings. As he is painting, ask your child to repeat the sound of the letter and see how many words he can think of that begin with that sound. As an alternative, let your child form letters out of clay or other materials.
Watch Together:
Pass Along Letter J Talk Together:
Can you think of more J words to sound out? S is for Snake Have fun practicing letters and sounds together by saying a letter and then linking it to a word, sound, and movement. For example, say the letter "S." Link it to the word "snake" and then make the "sssss" sound. Slither like a snake and say "sssss."
Watch Together:
Sammy The Snake Talk Together:
Can you make the shape of the letter S with your body? 
“We enjoy dozens of fun ways to practice with letters and words. We love playing with the refrigerator magnet letters, the bath letters, those poetry magnets, and our favorite game, Hangman—even though Ella always makes the same word, the name of her best friend Sierra.”
—Jenny Hansell
