3 Reasons You Should Start the Year Off with My Alphabet Unit

It’s the beginning of the year in Kindergarten. Some of your students come in knowing all their letters, can confidently write their names, and play nicely with other kids. Others… well let’s just say others… do not. 

The first few weeks of school in a kindergarten class are chaotic, exciting, exhausting, and just plain wild. There is so much to do, so much to teach, and you have to keep it all fun, engaging, and very simple. Because otherwise, you might not make it through the day. 

Of course, one of the most important pieces of teaching kindergarten is the introduction of letters. Students will need this knowledge to write their names and words, and to read! And while this is a really important concept to be teaching right away, the thought of teaching all 26 letters of the alphabet while you also have students that cannot sit still for more than 1 minute at a time… very overwhelming. 

So I have created this Kindergarten Alphabet Unit designed specifically for those wiggly little learners on your carpet at the very beginning of the year. 

This unit is perfect for the first few weeks because it will introduce letters in a fun, engaging way, provide you and your students with a repetitive routine, and build up those foundational skills necessary to start reading! 

Reason 1: An Engaging and Fun Introduction to Letters

You’ll see when you grab the lesson one freebie, that each lesson is packed full of differentiated, hands-on activities for all types of learners. Each lesson includes an introduction of the letter with a motion and mouth formation card to go with it. Your students will learn actions to go along with their sounds, helping them stick in their brains a bit better while they move their bodies too. 

Then, you’ll guide students in reading a poem all about the letter. In lesson one with the letter Aa, students will find and circle every letter Aa they can. Then, they will use their reading skills (I know! Reading already?!?) by using a short decodable to practice their /a/ sound. 

Already your students have engaged in learning through multiple modes and there are still more activity options for you and your learners! Each letter comes with a letter craft and a letter crown. These are optional but an excellent way to engage your students even more. They are awesome for extending the learning into a different time of day as well. Finally, you'll also find handwriting practice pages. Use these after you do one or two of my fun practice activities like writing on your friend's back, air writing the letter, or writing it in salt trays! 

Along with the basic activities included in the lesson, you’ll also receive a variety of letter mats and worksheets! These are excellent to practice recognizing and forming the letters. Students may use dotters to dot out the letter, or play-doh to mold it! They could even use shape pieces to build it! The large variety of options means that you can change the activity daily. 

Reason 2: Start Building Classroom Routines 

The other amazing thing about starting this unit during back-to-school season is the introduction of classroom routines! Every kindergarten teacher knows that the first few weeks of the school year focus more on routine and procedure than state standards and curriculum. Skipping this would make the rest of your year… well, insane. So we teach the routines slowly, we model every step, and we practice sitting on the carpet and lining up. 

Using this Alphabet Unit allows you to teach these routines while also teaching important skills needed for the rest of the school year. Every lesson uses the same routines and all activities are created using the same format, making it easy for your students to learn the expectations and then (by the end of the unit) complete activities independently. 

Your students will practice learning on the carpet and reading a decodable daily. They also will learn to work with a partner, use a pencil to write and trace, color neatly like a kindergartener, and use a variety of classroom supplies such as shape pieces, play-doh, blocks, paint dotters, and more. 

Each day your students will become more and more in tune with the routines of kindergarten and become more confident, independent learners! 

Reason 3: Build Foundational Skills and Start Reading! 

Letters are something your students will need to know no matter what! Even if your district’s phonics curriculum covers them, this will serve as an excellent introduction and provide a strong foundation for when you begin formally covering them. The earlier your students are introduced to these concepts, the better! 

Many of your students may not master the concept right away while using this unit. They may remember that Aa says /a/ but struggle to remember other letters. Some may only be able to identify the letters but not the sounds. This is okay, too! Remember students learn at very different paces. All of the resources included are there so that you can go back and review or differentiate as needed! Use the decodables in a small group with students who need extra practice, and have others read it with a partner! 

Letter names and sounds are a huge component of kindergarten and a skill that must be mastered to read fluently. Get your students started with this skill right away and you’ll see amazing growth! 

Ready to jump on board? 

Grab the full Alphabet Unit here! These printable and easy-to-follow lessons will make your planning easy, too. You can also see a full list of everything that is included here! 

If you aren’t quite sure but would like to give it a try, try the first lesson on the letter Aa with your students using this freebie! 

If you are looking for even more resources for letter practice, here are all my developmentally appropriate, alphabet bundles!