Strand A: Foundations of Language and Mathematics · Talking, Listening, Reading and WritingLetter Names and Letter Sounds
A2.1 A2.4About 20 minutes
Learning goals- I can name many letters of the alphabet.
- I can match big (uppercase) and small (lowercase) letters.
- I can say the sound some letters make.
- I can find letters around my home and neighbourhood.
- I can name letters even when they are mixed up.
Words to know
alphabet
All the letters we use to write words. The English alphabet has 26 letters, from A to Z.
letter
A shape we write. Each letter has a name and stands for one or more sounds.
uppercase
A big (capital) letter, like B.
lowercase
A small letter, like b.
Meet the letters!
(Grown-up: read aloud and point to the letters as you go.)
Do you know the alphabet song? Let's sing it together: A, B, C, D, E, F, G...
The alphabet has 26 letters. We use letters to write every word, like your name, STOP on a sign, and milk on the carton.
Every letter has a name and a sound
The letter M is called "em". But when it is in a word, it makes the sound /m/ (mmm), like in moon.
The letter S is called "ess". It makes the sound /s/ (sss), like in sun.
The name is what we call the letter. The sound is what it says in words.
The word moon starts with the sound /m/. The letter M makes that sound: mmm, moon! AI-generated image| Letter | Name | Sound | Word |
|---|
| M m | em | mmm | moon 🌙 |
| S s | ess | sss | sun ☀️ |
| B b | bee | /b/ | bear 🐻 |
| F f | ef | fff | fish 🐟 |
| D d | dee | /d/ | dog 🐶 |
| P p | pee | /p/ | pig 🐷 |
| T t | tee | /t/ | turtle 🐢 |
| A a | ay | /a/ (as in apple) | apple 🍎 |
Big and small letters
Every letter comes in two sizes. The big one is uppercase (or capital). The small one is lowercase.
A a, B b, M m, S s
Some pairs look the same, just bigger and smaller, like S s and O o. Some look different, like A a and B b. Your name starts with an uppercase letter!
Letters in any order
In the alphabet song, letters come in order. But in books and on signs, they come in any order!
Can you name these mixed-up letters? Point to each one.
t M a R s B o g
(They are: t, M, a, R, s, B, o, g.) Some are uppercase and some are lowercase. A real letter expert can name them all, mixed up!
Worked exampleLet's find the letters in a name
Look at the name SAM. What letters are in it, and what sounds do they make?
- Point to the first letter: S. Its name is "ess". Its sound is /s/.
- Point to the next letter: A. Its name is "ay". In Sam, it makes the /a/ sound, like in apple.
- Point to the last letter: M. Its name is "em". Its sound is /m/.
- Now say the sounds together: /s/ /a/ /m/ → Sam!
Sam has 3 letters: S, A, M. Together they make the sounds of the name Sam.
Letters are all around us
Look for letters on signs, boxes and books. A STOP sign has the letters S, T, O, P. A cereal box has letters. Your toothpaste has letters!
Start with your name
The letters in your own name are the most important letters to know first. Find them everywhere!
Just for funWhy is the letter A like a flower?
Because a B (bee) comes after it! 🐝🌼
Hands-on activityLetter hunt and letter play
Letter hunt: Pick one letter (like the first letter of your name). Look for it on cereal boxes, signs, books and the fridge. How many can you find?
Make letters: Make letters with playdough, string, sticks from outside, or your finger in a tray of salt or flour.
Fridge letters: If you have magnetic letters, match uppercase and lowercase pairs: A with a, B with b.
Your turn
1Sing the alphabet song with me.
Look for the letters in order from A to Z. It is okay to need help with "L-M-N-O-P".
2What letter does your name start with?
Answers will vary. Check that the child names the first letter of their name.
5Which one is lowercase b? B, b, d
b. (B is uppercase. d is a different letter that looks a bit like b.)
6Find the letter O on something in our house.
Answers will vary. Check that the letter they point to is O or o.
7🐟 Fish starts with which letter: F, M or S?
F. Fish starts with the /f/ sound.
8Name these mixed-up letters: t, B, o, M, s. Is each one uppercase or lowercase?
t (lowercase), B (uppercase), o (lowercase), M (uppercase), s (lowercase).
More practice: warm-up
2Point to the uppercase letter: a or A?
3How many letters are in the alphabet?
4What letter comes after A in the alphabet song?
5🌙 Moon starts with which letter: M, B or D?
More practice: on your own
1Match the pairs: D, S, M with s, m, d.
D–d, S–s, M–m. Each uppercase letter goes with its own lowercase letter.
2What letters are on a STOP sign 🛑?
3Say a word that starts with the letter B.
Answers will vary: ball, bear, bus, banana, boot, book. The word should start with /b/.
4🐶 Dog starts with which letter? What sound does it make?
D, and it makes the /d/ sound.
5What is the name of this letter, and what is its sound: T?
The name is "tee". The sound is /t/, like in turtle. The name and the sound are different.
Challenge
1Look at the name PAT. Say the sound of each letter, then push them together.
/p/ /a/ /t/ → Pat. P says /p/, A says /a/, T says /t/.
2Find 3 letters from your name in a book or on a box.
Answers will vary. Check that each letter found really is in the child's name.
3Which two letters are easy to mix up: b, o, d? Why?
b and d. They are both a stick and a circle, but they face opposite ways. (b has the circle after the stick; d has the circle before the stick.)
Quiz
1. Which letter makes the sound mmm?
2. Which is the lowercase s?
3. 🐻 Bear starts with which letter?
4. How many letters are in the alphabet?
5. Where can you find letters?
What the curriculum asks: The Kindergarten Curriculum (2026) expects children to name uppercase and lowercase letters in any order, not just by singing the alphabet (A2.1), and to match letters to the sounds they make (A2.4). This builds over the whole year, not all at once!
How to help at home:
- Start with the letters in your child's name, then family names.
- Point out letters on signs, food packages and licence plates.
- When you say a letter sound, keep it short and clear (mmm, not "muh").
- Use hands-on materials: magnetic letters, playdough, a tray of salt or sand.
- Mix the letters up: pull magnetic letters out of a bag one at a time and name them.
Common difficulties:
- Mixing up b and d, or p and q. This is very common until age 7 or so. Point it out gently and move on.
- Knowing the alphabet song but not the letters. Singing is great, but also point to each letter as you sing.
- Confusing names and sounds. Say both: "This is B. It says /b/."
- Vowels (A, E, I, O, U) make more than one sound. In Kindergarten we usually focus on the short sounds (a as in apple).