Beginning Sounds
Beginning-sound activities ask a child to listen to a word and pick the letter or picture that matches its first sound. This builds the listening skills needed for spelling and early reading.
Examples
- • Which starts with /b/: ball or sun?
- • Which starts with /t/: top or dog?
How to practice at home
- Say a word slowly and stretch the first sound: "ssssun".
- Ask "What's the first sound?" before asking for the letter.
- Sort small toys or pictures into two piles by their first sound.
- Once it's easy, ask for the letter that makes that sound.
Watch out for
Words that start with a blend (stop, tree): the first sound is still just /s/ or /t/. Children often say the whole blend at first, and that's fine.