Looking for fun early learning indoor literacy activities? Teach letter sounds with these helpful tips and a free printable winter alphabet book.
As the temperatures start to drop, parents may be looking for indoor activities they can do with their children to supplement what they may be learning through virtual school classes or to complement their current homeschool lesson plans.
For younger students just learning the alphabet and their letter sounds, there are many ways to make learning fun.
Incorporate a variety of activities, resources and techniques to teach letter sounds.
This will help your child stay engaged and encouraged as they begin to navigate literacy and reading.
The following tips and ideas will help you as you teach letter sounds to your child. As a bonus, use the printable winter alphabet book to reinforce lessons and learn about the winter season and corresponding vocabulary.
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How to Teach Letter Sounds The Right Way
When you begin to teach letter sounds to your child, be sure you’re enunciating.
Often the tendency is to add an ‘uh’ sound to the end of specific letter sounds like D and B. Try to refrain from doing that.
When you model how to make the /d/ sound be sure you’re saying the short, clipped version.
As children learn to decode words they’ll need the actual letter sounds to properly sound things out.
Adding in an additional syllable sound like ‘uh’ to the end, can make learning new words a bit more difficult.
Hands-on Literacy Activities for Young Children
There’s nothing like incorporating hands-on activities in the early grades to ensure young children remember what they’re taught.
Just as Benjamin Franklin said, “Tell me, and I’ll forget, show me and I may remember, involve me and I’ll understand.”
Involve your child and fully immerse them in what they’re being taught through hands-on activities. This allows you to carve a path where true learning can take place.
Reinforce Letter Sounds With This Winter Alphabet Book
Print and color the winter alphabet book.
This A to Z winter themed booklet is available for free by filling out the form at the end of this post.
This winter alphabet activity can be used as a fun morning activity. Set out crayons and colored pencils for kids to trace the words and color in the pictures.
Say the word with your child, have them repeat it back and discuss the beginning sound and the referenced word.
Have your child think of other words they know that start with the same sound and letter.
Use the printable winter alphabet book to help teach letter sounds
Label your home or homeschooling area.
Go through your space and label as many words from the winter alphabet book as possible.
If you have a fireplace, write the word on a sticky note, or better yet print and laminate it and place the word card near the fireplace.
Do this for as many words as possible from the winter alphabet book.
This is a tangible and fun way to teach letter sounds and help your child remember how the words are spelled.
Create an alphabet sensory bin.
Help your child recognize letter sounds and letter shapes with a fun sensory bin or learning tray like our Fishing for Letters activity.
Include magnetic letters and objects that start with each letter. For example, a small toy apple, coupled with a magnetic or foam apple and a letter ‘a’ flash card could be grouped together.
This can help your child recognize each component of the sound and letter.
This is a fun and inexpensive hands-on way to teach letter sounds to your child as the supplies can easily be found at any discount or dollar store.
Use the winter alphabet book vocabulary words to tell a story.
By nature, we are all storytellers. Your child is no different. We use stories to understand the world around us and our place in it.
Use the vocabulary words in the printable winter alphabet book to create a winter story.
Let your child come up with a story using the words. It’s fine if they’re not writing yet. You can write it down for them as they craft their own fun winter tale.
Storytelling is a great way to help your child flex their creative muscles. This will help them later as they begin working on writing and composition in later grades.
Be patient when teaching your child to read
Teaching a child to read takes time and patience. Every child picks it up when they’re ready.
If your child is having difficulty learning letter sounds or seems disinterested, it’s ok to put everything away for a while.
Try again at another time when they’re more receptive. All children are different and learn different things at various stages.
Don’t push too hard and never compare your child to other children.
Continue to read aloud together. Visit the library and most importantly, talk to your child as you go about your daily activities.
Young children are always learning. It’s only a matter of time before they’re peeking over your shoulder trying to read what you’re typing on the computer.