Goin' on a letter hunt

Learning the alphabet is not just about learning the letter names (although that is important too). It's paramount that children start to see letters as a vehicle for language, as the building blocks of communication. The first step is to start recognizing letters in authentic contexts, and to start interacting with text in the environment.

To start this process, we took about half of the class out for a "Letter Hunt". The other half will get a chance soon.

 

It took a few moments, but the children began to recognize letters everywhere! They felt very important as they recorded their findings on clipboards.

They even found letters on shoes and clothes.

After hunting high and low for letters, we had a quick lesson about how letters work. The children learned that letters are just symbols for a sound, and we use the sounds to make words.

Why don't you try out a letter hunt at home?