What Is Letter Recognition?
A child's ability to recognize the letters in a word and match them with their sounds.
How Can I Teach This At Home?
Playing
1. Play with letter blocks with your child in different colors, shapes, and sizes.
2. Play matching games and sorting games to have children identify what is alike and different.
3. Hold letter flashcards and ask, "What sound does this letter make?".
Reading
1. Read books that feature letters in different sizes and shapes.
2. Point out letters as you are reading them, especially if they are uppercase and lowercase. Ask your child, "What sound does this letter make?".
Singing
1. Sing "The Alphabet Song"!
2. Sing "The Backwards Alphabet Song"!
Talking
1. Encourage children to point out letters when they see them.
2. Point out uppercase and lowercase letters to children when you see them outside of books.
3. Use nametags as an opportunity to talk about letters.
Writing
1. Have children write their names.
2. Sing songs or do activities where children are writing letters in the air.
Skills Checklist
Where Do I Start?
Did You Take the B from My _ook? by Call Number: EASY STANTONISBN: 9780316434416Publication Date: 2017
What about X? An Alphabet Adventure by Call Number: EASY HOUPPERTISBN: 9781419740787Publication Date: 2021
Need More?
The catalog for the Waco-McLennan County Library is available here!
If you want to search for more resources in our catalog in this subject, we suggest you search for the following subject headings:
For more assistance with searching and locating items held by the Waco-McLennan County Library, use our Ask a Librarian feature available on our catalog website or stop in to one of our branches!
The Waco-McLennan County Library provides patrons with access to resources through our Electronic Resources page, which can be found here. Suggested databases are listed below:
Did You Know?
One of the first skills children need to learn is recognizing that letters and sounds are related. Unlike other languages, English has many more letter sounds than letters! For example, the letter "E" can have as many as eight different sounds in the English language. This sentence is a perfect example: "The smell of the fern reed despite our efforts".
Online Resources
There are many different online resources for early literacy - and we know it can be overwhelming. The following apps, blogs/newsletters, videos, and websites are some of the materials we would recommend to learn more about letter sound correspondence!
APPS
1. AlphaTots
BLOGS/NEWSLETTERS
1. Dr. Jean and Friends: Letter Sound Correspondence
2. Learn with Homer: Letter Recognition: How To Help Your Child Learn The Alphabet
3. Reading Rockets: Sounds and Letters
VIDEOS
