Explore the real reason why children know letter names. but struggle to apply them.

These two skills are key for reading success.

Name Games in Preschool

Let's embrace playful exploration of the alphabet with 2-year-olds!

How Teaching Letter Sounds Impacts Children I didn’t grow up in the South. I was born and raised in a small town in Central Illinois, spent time near Chicago, and then moved to North Carolina for my senior year of high school. It was a big shift, but I loved it! The clothes were a bit different, the popular sports shifted a bit, but one thing truly stuck out.   The accent.   At UNC-Chapel Hill, I was surrounded by friends from all over the country, each with their own way of

When it comes to teaching the alphabet, the goal is simple: make learning fun, engaging, and EFFECTIVE. In this post, I’m sharing the top 8 preschool alphabet activities and tools that I use regularly in my preschool literacy classes. These tools are the backbone of my teaching and help me build an environment that is both fun and supported by science-back practices. Learn how I both TEACH and PLAY with each tool, helping you transform your alphabet instruction for the bette

If you’ve ever taught a class full of preschoolers, you know firsthand the wide range of skills and developmental stages they bring. Each child enters the classroom with their own set of strengths, challenges, experiences, and background knowledge, creating a rainbow of unique learning profiles. This makes our roles as preschool teachers especially exciting (glass half full?)! Through engagement, observation, and assessment, we can begin to learn to unique learning profile of

Learning the Alphabet Letters How Many Should Preschoolers Know? How Many Letters Should Children Know by the End of Preschool? As a preschool literacy teacher, one question I often get is, “How many letters should children actually know?” It’s an important question, and one we often hear different answers to, especially since we know that children develop at their own unique pace and in various ways. But what does the research actually reveal? Is there a magic number for s

How DO You Teach the Alphabet to Preschoolers? The Alphabet is HARD! One of my favorite quotes to share when training parents and teachers is this: The brain is wired for language, but the alphabet is a human invention.  It’s a set of symbols that we have to figure out.   When children are born, their brains are naturally wired to learn language, which is why people often say it’s best to learn a second language from birth. However, the same isn’t true for the alphabet. We ha

Why Name Games Rock for Preschoolers! It is the beginning of the year, and you are scratching your head about exactly WHAT to do with you preschoolers. We know that we want to keep our students engaged, build community, play and learn, but we don't exactly know how to start. Well, we have you covered! My favorite beginning of the year activities are name games for circle time! Let's dive into WHY! Playing name games at the beginning of the school year during ciricle time

Learn how to best teach the alphabet using letter cycling in preschool. No more one letter per week!

Learning the alphabet is an essential milestone in a child's journey towards reading and writing. However, some children may struggle with simultaneously learning letter names and sounds. If your child is facing difficulties, don't fret! In this blog post, we'll explore a helpful intervention: focusing on lowercase letter sounds. We'll discuss why lowercase letter sounds are crucial, the importance of phonemic awareness, and scientific insights into why some children struggle

Letter Sounds are a Critical Early Literacy Skill Letter sounds. They are quite possibly the single most important academic skill that children must learn to be well-prepared to read. Letter sounds are the backbone of phonics instruction…children can begin to decode words and understand how written language works with a strong letter sound foundation. This knowledge is critical for reading comprehension, and it lays the foundation for success in all aspects of education.

We all know that letters are a critical part of early literacy. In fact, studies show that alphabetic knowledge in preschool and kindergarten is one of the strongest predictors of reading success in later elementary years. There is a clear connection between difficulty learning letter names and future challenges with reading. We know this is important, but how are we supposed to tackle teaching letters in the first place? Should we teach a letter a week? Go in ABC order? Star