Knowing that the sounds of English are represented by letters and groups of letters is an important bit of information for anyone wishing to be a conventional reader. (That's called the Alphabetic Principle.) It's not enough to just know that, though...we have to know which letters go with which sounds. This is tricky!
     
Your little one may be increasingly aware of letters but may be having a tough time keeping track of the sounds that are associated with them. That makes perfect sense because there are a lot of them and sometimes it doesn't make any sense what sounds go with what letter. (If "T" makes a /t/ sound, shouldn't "W" make a /d/ sound?)

Here are some ways to help your child make and remember the connections between letters and sounds.     

• Point out that when we say "B is for ball" we mean that the word ball starts with the B sound /b/. See if you can find other words that start with that same sound.
     
• Use your child's name and the names of people important to your child to start. "J is for Jason and Jenny. Both of those names start with /j/. Do you have other friends whose names start with that sound?"    

Parent Tip: Letter Scavenger Hunt 

 
Make a letter scavenger hunt. On a paper bag, write a letter. Talk about the name of the letter and the sound (or sounds) that letter makes. Send your child off to find things that fit in the bag that start with that sound(s) and letter. 

Talking and Drawing with
Author/Illustrator Melissa Sweet         

Melissa Sweet has illustrated over 100 children's books and has written and illustrated three books of her own. Children in Central Maine were fortunate to meet the Maine native at the Children's Discovery Museum in Augusta at the last event in our "Raising Readers Presents" series.  

Melissa Sweet reads her book Carmine.

The author/illustrator talked with the kids about creating expression in her characters.