How to Teach the Alphabet in Kindergarten

It is easy to get lost in the back-to-school chaos. There are procedures to learn, basics to cover, and generally just a lot going on. Then you throw in your district's curriculum and all those requirements, and it starts to feel a bit (or very) overwhelming. 

The beginning of the year can feel like you constantly have your foot on the gas, trying to catch up even though it seems impossible that you are already behind. Often, kindergarten curriculums move too fast for our little learners. They skip the basics and the fundamentals. Or sometimes it is the opposite and they wait too long to cover things that you really need your students to become familiar with, like vowels and the rest of the alphabet! Adding in your own supplemental material to cover these gaps becomes super important, but doing so is also a whole lot of work for you. 

My Alphabet Curriculum is the perfect, quick, easy, and minimal prep way to introduce your students to the alphabet. It will get them familiar with the concept of letters right off the bat and allow you to teach your district's curriculum, routines, and all the other important stuff with peace of mind, knowing that they are learning the basics they need to be successful! 

What does it look like in the classroom? 

I know what you are thinking. “How the heck will I have time for that?!” 

These lessons are short, sweet, and to the point with a slew of optional activities to add in if you have time! You can cover one letter a day with a simple 5-10 minute whole group lesson with your students. 

Then choose one or two (or none, or all!) activities to do depending on what works best for your schedule. Students could practice writing the letter using the simple print-and-go worksheets, they could read the letter sound decodable, or if you have a bit more time they could complete one of the crafts included! 

Grab this freebie and try out lesson one to see what I mean! 

How long will it take me to get through this unit? 

Typically, I would recommend doing 1 letter a day, so about 5 weeks. However, if you are truly using this as a supplement to another phonics curriculum and looking for more of a basic review rather than a full in-depth lesson, you could do more than that. 

Can I use this while teaching another district-required curriculum? 

Absolutely, like I said, these lessons are meant to work for you! You can adjust them as needed and use them in whatever way works best for your classroom. 

You may notice at the beginning of the year that your curriculum doesn’t introduce letters until the second month of school. It might be a good idea to get students familiar with the concept sooner than that and start this off right away! 

Or maybe your curriculum starts with letters immediately but you think your students could use the extra practice. Take a look at what's included and pull the activities out that you feel your students will benefit from most! 

Grab lesson one (the letter Aa) for free here! Try it out and I know you’ll be ready to grab the whole bundle! 

If your students need more practice with their letters take a look at my Alphabet Directed Drawings or these Alphabet Decode and Draw Books. These are excellent to use as independent practice all through the school year!  

You can find all of my developmentally appropriate resources in my TpT Store!!