Fundations
We use the Wilson's Fundations program to teach phonics. Below, you will find the letter formation guide documents for both upper and lowercase letters, as well as the Fundations alphabet chart.
Please feel free to print and make use of the documents at home.
Embedded Files
Letters & Sounds
Learning to identify and manipulate the letters and sounds of the alphabet are an important part of your child's success in Kindergarten.
To help support your child, here are a few simple and fun games to play at home.
Letter/Sound I-Spy:
Say a letter and/or sound of an object within sight. Have your child try name the item that begins with the same letter and/or sound. This is a great game for car trips, such as to and from school.
Letter Bean Bag Toss:
Make a set of uppercase letter cards (one letter per piece of paper, any size). Spread out the letter cards on the floor. In the beginning, it will be helpful to place the letters in alphabetical order or even just start with a few of the letters. As your child becomes more proficient, you can mix up the arrangement of the cards and/or add more letter cards. Then, you or your child can toss a bean bag or rolled up sock onto a letter. Your child should then say the name and/or sound of that letter. This can also be done with a set of homemade lowercase letter cards.
Letter/Sound Object Hunt:
Tell your child the name or sound of a letter. Then, it's time to go off and search the house! They can retrieve items like toys and other small objects that begin with that letter/sound.
Letter Fishing:
Place magnetic letters in a bowl or on the floor. To make the "fishing pole." tie one end of a piece of string to a popsicle stick or pencil, the other to a paper clip. Now start fishing! As your child finds a letter, have him or her say its name and/or sound.
Jenga:
On Jenga game pieces, write upper and lowercase letters. As you play the game and take pieces out of the tower, the players will say the sound and/or letter written on his/her game piece. Sight words can also be written on the pieces as an extension or for practice once letters and sounds have been mastered.
Candy Land:
Upper and lowercase letters can be written on the game board. As a player lands on a space, he or she will say the sound our letter name written on that space. This game can also be modified in the same way for sight word practice.
Alphabet Go Fish:
Make two sets of flashcards with a letter on each card. Play the traditional Go Fish game with the letter cards. Players may ask for cards by letter name, sound, or by giving a word that begins with the letter they are looking for (i.e. "Do you have a cards that start like the word bat?").
Heart Words
Also known as "Trick Words" in our Fundations program, these are words the kindergarteners will be expected to know by heart and be able to read by the end of K. The new words we learn will be included on our newsletter every week! A list of the heart words kindergarteners will be expected to know by the end of Kindergarten is below. We teach supplemental words as well throughout the year.
We will be working with these words through the use of various activities in our classroom.
You can help your child learn these words by making fun games. When starting out, only use a few of the words, all of the words may be too overwhelming and could cause frustration for your child. As they begin to master some of the words, you may add more.
Flashcards
Either you or your child can write the words on index cards. Show them to your child. At first, read them together. As your child becomes more familiar with the words, have him/her read them to you.
Heart Word Hop Scotch
Write each of the chosen heart words on its own large sheet of paper. Arrange them on the floor like a hop scotch game. Have your child toss a rolled up sock or small ball onto one of the words. As your child hops on a word, he/she needs to say it out loud.
Heart Word Sock Toss
Make a giant set of the words or have your child write each word on a sheet of paper. Roll up a sock as a ball. Spread the words on the floor. Read one word and show it to your child so he/she can toss the sock on the matching word. As your child becomes more proficient in reading the words, you can just read the word and have him/her toss it on the correct word. Or as your child tosses the sock onto a word, they will read it aloud.
Heart Word Magazine Scavenger Hunt
Have your child look through magazines to find heart words! They can cut out and glue any words they find to a separate piece of paper. Students can also cut out individual letters and build heart words by putting the letters together. They can also find them by highlighting them or circling them in magazines as an alternative.
Below is a list of the Heart Words we learn in Kindergarten. Under the "Fundations" header are words we are teaching as part of our Fundations curriculum. Under the "additional practice words" header are words we may read in our small groups in our decodable texts.
Page updated
Report abuse