How to Teach Letter Sounds: 7 Simple Steps for Parents
To teach letter sounds, teach the sound each letter makes (not its name), a few letters at a time, using hands-on activities and a key word for each sound, with short daily practice. Once your child knows a handful of sounds, start blending them into simple words right away.
Letter sounds are the foundation of reading. Here are the seven steps I've used with my students over more than 35 years of teaching, starting in Montessori classrooms.
1. Teach the sound, not the letter name
When we read, we use letter sounds, not letter names. The name of b is "bee," but the sound is /b/. Children who know letter names but not sounds often get stuck when they try to read, because "bee-ay-tee" doesn't sound like bat!
So say it this way: "B says /b/." Keep consonant sounds short and crisp: /b/, not "buh," and /m/, not "muh." That extra "uh" makes blending much harder later.
2. Start with short vowels and hard consonants
Many letters make more than one sound. In the beginning, teach just one sound for each letter:
- Short vowels: a as in ant, e as in egg, i as in itch, o as in octopus, u as in up
- Hard consonants: c as in cat (not city), g as in gum (not gem)
Our free letter sounds chart shows all 26 letters this way, with an example word for each.
3. Teach a few letters at a time
There's no need to teach the alphabet in order. Start with a small group of letters your child can use right away, for example m, s, a, t, p. With just those five sounds, your child can already read sat, map, pat and mat! Add two or three new letters at a time, and keep reviewing the old ones.
4. Make it hands-on
Young children learn best through their senses. In Montessori classrooms, children trace sandpaper letters with their fingers while saying the sound. You can do the same at home:
- Trace letters in sand, salt or shaving cream while saying the sound
- Build letters with play dough or pipe cleaners
- Color and trace our free alphabet coloring pages, which show each letter with the sound it "says"
5. Use a key word and picture for each sound
A key word gives your child something to hold on to: "a, /a/, ant." Choose simple words that start with the sound, and keep using the same one for each letter so it becomes automatic.
6. Play with sounds every day
A few minutes a day works better than one long session a week. Try games like these:
- I Spy sounds: "I spy something that starts with /b/." (A ball! A book!)
- Sound hunt: find three things in the house that start with /m/
- Silly sound sentences: "Silly Sam sat on soup!"
7. Start blending early
As soon as your child knows a few sounds, show them how to blend: point under each letter, say the sounds (/s/ /a/ /t/), then slide them together: "sat!" This is the moment reading really begins. Our free CVC words list is full of simple three-letter words to practice with, and the short vowel word list groups them into easy word families.
When is my child ready to read books?
Your child is ready for their first decodable books when they know their letter sounds (short vowels and hard consonants), can blend simple words, and know three sight words: a, the and is. That's exactly what Miss Wendy's Favorite Phonetic Books were written for: every word can be sounded out, with no surprises.
Wondering why I keep sight words to just three? Read sight words vs. phonics.
Miss Wendy