Letter sounds and reading simple words (kindergarten) · lesson

Letters and sounds

💡 Each letter stands for a sound.

Dog starts with d. Bear starts with b.

Use the sound, not the name. W says w, like in web.

🧠 How to think about it

Say the word slow. What sound comes first? Which letter makes that sound?

🏡 Try it at home

Pick a letter. Walk around your home and find three things that start with its sound.

💡 The middle letter in a short word often says its short sound.

A says a, like in cat. I says i, like in pig.

O says o, like in dog. U says u, like in bug. E says e, like in bed.

🧠 How to think about it

Look at the middle letter. Say its short sound. Now say the whole word.

🏡 Try it at home

Write cat, pig, dog, bug, and bed. Read them. Point to the middle letter in each.

💡 A vowel can say its name or its short sound.

In go, the o says its name. That is the long sound.

In box, the o says its short sound, like in hot.

🧠 How to think about it

Is the vowel in the middle of a short word? Try its short sound first.

🏡 Try it at home

Say go and box. Ask: in which word does o say its name?

💡 To read a word, say each sound, then push them together.

C, a, t. Push it fast. Cat!

Check each letter. Cat and cut look a lot the same.

🧠 How to think about it

Point to each letter and say its sound. Then slide your finger fast and say the word.

🏡 Try it at home

Write a short word on a note. Your child sounds it out and finds that thing.

💡 Change one letter and the word changes.

Map and mop are not the same. Just the middle letter is new.

Bug and dug are not the same. Look at b and d.

🧠 How to think about it

Read every letter, not just the first one. Then check if the word fits the picture.

🏡 Try it at home

Write sun. Change the first letter to r, then b. Read each new word.