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Children Need to Know the Most Common Sound for Each Letter

In addition to being able to recognize each letter, children need to know the most common sound each letter makes. Typically, children learn the name of a letter before they learn the sound of the letter. One reason for this is that many letter names contain the letter sound. For example, you can hear the /s/ in the name of the letter “s” and when you say the name of the letter “m” you can hear the /m/ sound. These connections between the names of letters and the sounds they make can be useful to children. Letters such as “w” or “y,” which don’t offer this kind of support, are usually some of the most difficult letter sounds to master.

One of the most important factors in teaching letter sounds is the way the teacher pronounces each sound. Now, let’s think about some ways we can teach those sounds to children. It can be helpful for many children to have a key word to link to each letter sound. Many alphabet charts, books, and songs link a letter to a key word in a memorable way. It is important that the key word for each letter reinforces the most common sound for that letter. For example, gum represents the most common sound for g while giraffe does not.

A picture-word wall can also help children connect letters and sounds. To create a picture-word wall, make a letter card for each letter and affix them to your wall in alphabetical order at your children’s eye level. Leave enough room under each letter for no more than five additional picture-word cards. As you focus on a letter sound, find words that begin with that letter and can be represented with a picture. Write the word for each picture in large, clear, lowercase letters. Be sure to select words that will be meaningful to your students. Attach the picture-word cards to the wall beneath the appropriate letters. Again, be sure that the picture-word cards that are added below each letter represent the most common sound for that letter. For example, it would make sense to add cookie with a picture of a cookie under the letter "c." However, city would not make sense because the /s/ sound for "c" is less common.

There are many ways to help children practice letter sounds. We talked about using alphabet books to teach children to recognize letters. Most alphabet books can also be used to practice connecting letters with their sounds. Actual objects and picture card sorts can provide another fun way for a small group of children to practice together. The use of objects or cards with easily recognizable pictures enables children to decide what sound a picture name starts with and then find the letter that makes that sound. Begin with just two or three different sounds to sort, and add more as your students become proficient with the sorting activity.