How to Teach Letters and Letter Sounds to Preschoolers

Teaching letters was a little bit challenging at first. Then, I discovered that it can be really fun and exciting for preschoolers and perfect for a preschool theme. Now, I’m going to share some of my favorite tips and tools for how to teach letters and letter sounds to preschoolers.

Some kids start out loving books and reading, but other kids are full of wiggles and less willing to sit for a story. Forget even attempting flashcards with these little balls of energy!

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Don’t worry though, I’m going to share some of our favorite hands-on letter learning activities and the very best alphabet books your preschoolers will love.

Then, you’ll be ready to teach letters and have all kinds of fun with songs, books, hands-on activities and adorable no-prep printables too. Keep reading to discover my favorite ways to teach letters to your little learners.

How to Get Started Teaching Letters

You could read all kinds of articles about teaching letters and you’d probably end with a myriad of methods, tips, and advice. You might even be more confused than when you started.

Determining the best way to teach letters to your little learners can be challenging. Here are my favorite tips for getting started teaching letters:

Be Flexible

There are lots of different methods for teaching letters. Don’t commit to any one method initially. Experiment with all of my fun alphabet activities and printables. Then, pick and choose what works for your homeschool.

Have Fun

If you’re having fun, they will too. When you’re having a great time, your kids pick up on the vibe and it helps them to stay engaged in learning letters.

Plus, preschoolers learn best through play so take advantage of all the fun letter activities to teach your little learners the alphabet and make it stick.

Don’t hesitate to sing, dance, and get silly! Learning through play is definitely the way to go when you’re trying to teach letters.

Start with Names

Starting with your little learner’s name is a great place to begin teaching letters because your kids can get really invested in the process. Who doesn’t want to know how to spell and write their own name?

Teaching Letters with Fun Books

Teaching letters with great books is one of my favorite things! Reading aloud to preschoolers is the very best way to help your kids fall in love with books and become lifelong readers.

When our children listen to us read, they gain valuable print awareness skills, expand their vocabulary, and develop important early language skills too.

Teach Letters of the Week

Another great way to begin teaching letters to your little learners is by adopting a letter of the week theme. It’s an easy way to help your preschoolers begin to recognize letters, letter sounds, and build early literacy skills too. I like to begin by introducing a new letter to my homeschooler at the start of the week.

Don’t forget to use uppercase and lowercase versions when you teach letters to your kids. Practice saying the letter’s name and making the sound together to really master each letter with your homeschoolers. Then, talk about whether the letter is a consonant or a vowel.

Beginning Letter Sounds Game

My kids love to play a game with me where we try to name as many words as we can that start with the letter of the week. Sometimes it’s really easy and other weeks the game can get pretty challenging!

Either way, it’s a great opportunity to explore letter sounds, spelling, homophones, and more with my homeschoolers.

The best part? It’s an easy game you can play with zero prep and no supplies this week. We like to play in the car while running errands. It’s an easy way to build in extra letter learning time on the go with my preschoolers.

Teach Letters with Printables

I’ve got all kinds of no-prep printables to help you introduce new letters to your little learners this year too. These fun activities and worksheets are perfect for learning letters at home. Check out my favorites:

Hands-On Letter Activities

Kids love hands-on letter learning activities where they can touch and manipulate the letters of the alphabet. Check out my favorite hands-on letter learning activities for preschoolers with all kinds of kinesthetic fun:

You can use some of my favorite hands-on alphabet activities to introduce your preschoolers to phonics with lots of kinesthetic learning fun. Check out these letter learning activities:

I love using sensory activities with my little learners because they provide an excellent multisensory learning experience. That’s why they’re so effective for teaching letters. Plus, they’re a whole lot of fun!

How will you teach letters to your little learners this school year? Are you planning on teaching letters with some of these awesome no-prep printables and hands-on activity ideas? Share your favorites in the comments. I can’t wait to read them!

Don’t forget to stop by next week if you’re interested in seeing what we’re up to with preschool homeschool!