Guiding Star Tutoring Services

🔤 The first 5 letters I typically introduce are:

M, H, S, A, and T

Why these letters?

When deciding which letters to teach first, I consider things like:

✨ Can the child produce the sound in their speech?
✨ Can we quickly use these letters to build simple words?

There isn’t one perfect order for introducing letters, but being intentional about the sequence can help children find success early on.

What letters do you like to teach first?

Myth: Children should learn letters in ABC order.

Last week, we talked about letter names vs. letter sounds. This week, let’s tackle another common question:

Which letters should we teach first?

The truth? There isn’t one “perfect” order to introduce letters, but abc order isn’t the best order.

For example:
• b and d are often visually confused.
• e and i can be difficult vowel sounds to distinguish.
• g and j are commonly mixed up, and j can be a harder sound for some children to produce.

I also adjust based on the individual child. If a child says “tat” for cat or “tid” for kid, learning the /k/ sound for c and k may be more challenging because those speech sounds aren’t fully established yet.

The goal isn’t to follow a script perfectly. The goal is to choose an order that helps children be successful.

Would you like me to share my full letter introduction sequence?

“My child writes all of their letters in uppercase. Is that ok?”

Uppercase letters are often easier for young children to form because they tend to use simpler lines and shapes.

For example:
✨ A uses straight lines that meet at a point (similar to a triangle)
✨ E uses a vertical and horizontal line.
✨ H more vertical and horizontal lines.

Because of this, many children naturally begin writing uppercase letters first.

⚠️ However, it’s important to continue exposing children to and practicing lowercase letters because those are the letters they use most often in everyday writing.

We primarily use uppercase letters:
• at the beginning of sentences
• for proper nouns

The rest of the time, children are reading and writing lowercase letters.

It’s also worth remembering that learning letter sounds often comes before learning to write letters. Reading and handwriting skills don’t always develop at the same pace.

Progress matters more than perfection.

Did your child start with uppercase or lowercase letters?

One of my favorite ways to teach letter sounds is by helping children notice what their mouths are doing.

For the /v/ sound:
😁 Teeth gently rest on the bottom lip.
🌬️ Air keeps moving.
✋ You can even place your hand on your throat to feel the vibration.

When children can connect how a sound looks, feels, and sounds, it often becomes easier to remember.

Myth: Children should focus on learning uppercase letters first.

While uppercase letters are often easier for children to form, lowercase letters are the ones children encounter most often when learning to read.

Think about the books your child reads. Most of the text is made up of lowercase letters.

That’s why, when teaching letter sounds, I focus primarily on lowercase letters.

Children certainly need exposure to uppercase letters, too. We use them at the beginning of sentences and for proper nouns. But if our goal is helping children connect letters to sounds for reading, lowercase letters deserve the majority of our attention.

As for handwriting? Many uppercase letters are easier to form because they use simpler lines and shapes. So if your child writes uppercase letters first, that’s okay! Handwriting and reading don’t always develop in the exact same sequence (more on this in a couple of days).

The goal isn’t perfection. The goal is helping children become confident readers and writers.

Did you know lowercase letters make up most of the print children encounter?

Drawing shapes helps children develop skills needed for handwriting.

Think about the strokes needed to form letters:
⬇️ vertical lines
➡️ horizontal lines
↘️ diagonal lines
⭕ circles

As children practice drawing and combining these shapes, they are building the foundation for handwriting.

So if your child loves drawing roads, making shapes, or creating pictures, know that those experiences are valuable too.