Letters and Sounds Activities
- Names - My Name Is
Use the children's names to focus on letter names and letter sounds. Write the rhyme below on colored paper or tag paper with space for the child to draw a self-portrait. As children are creating their portraits, fill in their names and the beginning letter in the appropriate spaces. (Using yarn for the hair gives a nice three dimensional look.)
My name is ________ . (Karen)
I begin with ________ . (K)
- Names - I Want to Be
Have children draw a self-portrait of what they would like to do when they grow up. Invite the children to use the same beginning letter/sound for the career or activity.
My name is ________. (Bobby)
And I want to be a ________. (baker)
- Names - Toe Touch
Have children take their right foot, cross over their left foot, and touch the floor with their right toe. Then, do the same with the left foot crossing over the right. Alternate these two actions as you say the following.(letter name)
My name is (name)
and I like !
For example,
R
My name is Ramie
and I like rockets!
- ABC Tune Changes
The traditional tune we use when we sing the ABC song is also the one we use to sing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. Vary the ABC song by using other familiar tunes and stretch the children's ability to name their letters in new contexts.
Try using the tune of 99 Bottles and write the letters in a new pattern to go with the tune, such as the following:A B C
D E F G
H I J K L M
N O P Q
R S T U
V W X Y Z
Try using the tune to The Muffin Man as follows:A B C D E F G
H I J K
L M N O
P Q R S T U V
W X Y Z
- Letter Stickers
Have the children copy a letter (uppercase or lowercase) onto self-stick notes and stick them to objects around the room that begin with that letter. - Letter Hunters
Have the children go on a letter hunt around the room. How many places can they find the letter? Have them place a brightly colored self-stick note next to each "find."
Note: Magnifying glasses are a nice touch for this activity. - Letter Makers
Provide a variety of materials for children to make letters, such as sand, clay, dough, cereal, yarn, chalk, paint, collage, craft sticks, popcorn, or wet linguine. - Names - Someone's in the Kitchen
(Sing to the tune of Someone's in the Kitchen with Dinah.)
Someone's in the kitchen with (child's name).
Someone's in the kitchen I know-oh-oh-oh.
Someone's in the kitchen with
strumming on the old banjo.
And she goes (if child's name was Deena)
De Di Diddly-i-o
De Di Diddly-i-o-oh-oh-oh
De Di Diddly-i-o
Strumming on the old banjo.
Challenge the children to sing the chorus with various letters you call out, "Try it with the /ch/ sound."
Che Chi Chiddly-i-o
Che Chi Chiddly-i-o-oh-oh-oh
Che Chi Chiddly-i-o
Strumming on the old banjo.
- Old McDonald Beginning Sounds
(Using the tune to Old McDonald Had a Farm)
Have the children copy a letter (uppercase or lowercase) on to self-stick notes and stick them to objects around the room that begin with that letter.
What's the sound that starts these words:
Turtle, time, and teeth? (Allow time for the children to answer.)
/t/ is the sound that starts these words:
turtle, time, and teeth.
With a /t/, /t/ here, and a /t/, /t/ there
Here a /t/, there a /t/, everywhere a /t/, /t/.
/t/ is the sound that starts these words:
Turtle, time, and teeth!
- Sound Off Beginning Sounds
(Using the tune to the Sound Off cadence)
Children:
Listen, listen,
Loud and clear
What's the first sound
That you hear?
Teacher: monkey, moon, man, and mop
(Say a series of four words with the same beginning sound.)
Class chants:
Tell us, tell us
What you hear.
One student answers with the letter sound:
I hear /m/
Loud and clear.
- Beginning Sounds Picture Sorting
Have the children sort pictures that have the same sound in a pocket chart.
Have the children identify the picture that has a different beginning sound.
Have the children match pictures to alphabet letter cards in a pocket chart.
Have the children sort pictures by the same beginning sound, ending sound, or medial sound. Place three pictures in a row and ask which one does not belong. Ask them to explain why a word could not go in a particular group.
- Beginning Sounds Object Sorting
Have the children collect objects and/or pictures of things that begin with the same beginning consonant and place them in resealable plastic bags in the ABC center. Include a card with the letter written in both uppercase and lowercase.
Variation: Combine the contents of two resealable plastic bags into a box or large grab bag. Be sure to have the children say the name of the item and its beginning sound as they separate the objects that begin with the featured letter.
Variation: Have the children sort two or three letters at a time. For example, place the contents of the /p/ bag, /t/ bag, and /k/ bag into one box. Place three pieces of colored paper on the table or floor. Label one colored sheet P p, one T t, and one K k or simply place one of the letter label cards on each sheet. Have the children place the objects they draw from the box on the appropriate piece of colored paper. Be sure to have the children say the name of their object and its beginning sound before placing it in the appropriate letter group. - Three Chairs
Ask three children to sit in chairs at the front of the room. Hold up a letter and say a word with the sound that the letter makes. Have the three children decide whether the focus letter/sound comes at the beginning, middle, or end of the word. The child in that chair takes the letter card. The class can then confirm or disagree with their decision. - Noisy Words
Invite the children to listen to a rich sound word such as snip, whoosh, rustle, swish, and so forth. Have the children predict what letters they might see in those words. Then have the children look at the word to see if they were correct. - Daily News
Occasionally stop before you write a word and ask the children what letters/sounds they can hear in it. In more complex words, ask the children what letters/sounds they might expect to see. - Spelling Try Cards
Have the children use a "try card" before writing words that give them a little trouble. Children can make their first attempts at the word by writing it on a sticky note, index card, or scratch paper. Have them focus on auditory strategies at first. Later shift them to a visual emphasis. "Does that look right?" - Sound Flippers
Take a familiar rhyme and switch around the beginning sound of some of the words, such as: Dumpty Humpty wat on a sall. - Alliteration
Have the children make up two or three phrases that repeat the same initial sound such as big blue bears, or fat floppy fish. - Phonics Phones
Say a word very slowly, without segmenting it, into a megaphone, j-trap, or other sound-magnifying instrument. Have the children listen to and identify the beginning sound. - Letter Pictures
Have the children illustrate a word and write its beginning sound. - Tic-Tac-Toe
Make a Tic-Tac-Toe grid and place a letter in the center square. Divide the class into two teams. Ask one team to tell you a word that begins with the designated letter. If they guess correctly, write the word on a self-stick note and ask them where they want to place the word in the remaining squares. Follow the same process for the other team. Continue alternating until one team wins. - Family Feud
Divide the class into teams. Select a letter to begin the game. Ask one team to start. Each member of the team must say a word that starts with that letter. If one member of a team says an incorrect word, then the game shifts to the other team. The other team proceeds until it makes an error. The team with the most words scores the point.
Note: This game can be played with multiple teams or table groups. - Mystery Letter Guest
Have table groups choose a mystery letter (delivered in a sealed envelope) and keep it a secret from the rest of the class. Have the group collect six items that begin with that letter and keep them hidden in a box or under a cloth until they are ready to have the class guess. Lift up the cloth to reveal the items for 15-30 seconds. From memory, the table that is guessing must name all the items and then name the mystery letter. They get one point for each item they remember, even if they call it a different name, and one point for correctly guessing the letter.
Note: Incorrectly guessed letters can be put in new mystery letter envelopes. - Mystery Word Scrambles
Place the letters for a word in an envelope or bag. Write the word on a piece of paper, fold it up, and put it in with the letters. Invite the children to take the letters out and try to make the mystery word or unfold the paper and match the letters to the word. - Sound Hunters
Have the children find words that have the focus sound in them in books, poems, and places around the room. - Picture Cut Ups
Have the children illustrate a word and then cut it up according to the number of sounds they hear in it. Invite the children to write the letters in each of the sections as an added complexity. - Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Word
Say the following rhyme and have the children answer the question posed.Listen, listen to my word.
Tell me all the sounds you heard.
(Say the word slowly without breaking it apart.) Cat
(Children respond.) /c/-/a/-/t/
- Front - Middle - End
Using a picture of a train, airplane, or car, designate the front, middle, and end. Ask children where they hear the sound of a particular letter. In front? In the middle? At the end?
