1. Educational App Store for Busy Parents
Letters and Sounds
Power Pack
Level: 3K
Ages: 3-4

2. Getting Started 2
Children do not become literate automatically; careful planning
and instruction are essential.
—NAEYC - Position Statement on Learning to Read and Write
Children are on a path to literacy starting from birth. Parents play the first and
most important role in their child’s education.
Around age 3, it is important to start understanding how well your child is able
to identify and isolate the sounds in their native language. From an early age
children are able to identify a slight difference in words like “clap” and “cap.” This
ability to make sense of letter sounds is the foundation for reading later.
In this power pack, we will support you teaching your children with apps and
activities that focus on learning letter sounds. Note that we emphasize learn-
ing letter sounds before learning letter symbols and names. There is no harm in
teaching letter names and symbols, but a focus on sounds will be time well spent!
Getting Started 2
App Overview 3
Activity 1: Everyday Letter Sounds 4
Activity 2: Creative Fingerplays 5
Activity 3: N is for “Noodles” 6
Check In, Post Assessment 7
What’s Next 8
More to Explore 9
About KinderTown 10
Letters and Sounds 3K
KinderTown
©2013 KinderTown llc. All Rights Reserved.

3. App Overview 3
These are our favorite apps for learning this skill. We recom-
mend downloading them immediately and working them
into your child’s playtime. You’ll also find we mention these
apps throughout this power pack.
Together Time with Song and Rhyme Download
Over 20 fingerplays for you to learn and use with your
child. We highly recommend this app for parents (and
kids) to easily pick up these wonderful childhood fin-
gerplays. Record yourself doing the fingerplays right
in the app so your children can watch and sing along.
Elmo Loves ABCs Download
Explore letter sounds, letter symbols and make con-
nections between sounds, symbols and words. Kids
easily tap and engage with the letters that interest
them. Little games and interactive tools aid in the
learning.
Wee Sing & Learn ABC Download
Learn your ABCs, animals and instruments all in this
fantastic early learning app! ABC activities are con-
trolled by your child with read to me and read by my-
self settings. Excellent music quality, parent settings,
and well-paced content are a few of the best features.
Letters and Sounds 3K
KinderTown
©2013 KinderTown llc. All Rights Reserved.

4. Activity 1: 4
Everyday Letter Sounds
Download
The objective at this level is more about exposure than mastery. A formal ques-
tioning of letter names is not going to be as valuable for learning which letters
your child knows. Instead, while reading, isolate the sounds in words and see how
well your child repeats these sounds.
1. For example when reading “CAT” touch the word and make the “C” sound. Ask
your child, can you make this sound “C”?
2. Follow this sound play with asking, “Do you know what letter says “C”?” This
activity, embedded in everyday activities, will give you a better sense of what
sounds and letters your child knows well.
Take time each day to point out a few letter sounds as you are reading, at the
store or in general conversation with your child. Taking 30 seconds each day to
reinforce letter sounds goes a long way in your child’s retention.
Letters and Sounds 3K
KinderTown
©2013 KinderTown llc. All Rights Reserved.

5. Activity 2: 5
Creative Fingerplays
Download
Fingerplays are an important part of early language development. When kids learn these silly
story games they are really practicing rhyming, vocabulary, coordination, memory, matching
and listening (just to name a few).
Learn this favorite fingerplay to share with your child. Follow it up with one of the activities to
extend the literacy experience.
Here are three ways you can liven up fingerplays:
Act it out: This poem is wonderful because it is very physical. Children love listening and
acting out each part of Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear. Make sure to have stuffed animals or puppets
ready in case your little one wants to put on a show.
Create a poem puzzle: Type or print out the words to the poem in large font and add images
where needed. Print out 2 copies. Paste one complete copy on the front of a large envelope
so your child can read the whole poem. Cut apart the other copy. Start with large 2 sentence
groups. When that becomes easy, cut it down to individual sentences. Be prepared to cut the
poem down to half a sentence and then just individual words. Keep the pieces in the envelope
when not being used.
Make you own rhyme: Reinforce new vocabulary and the beginning stages of rhyming by
thinking up your own lines to the poem. This is a great activity for the car! Lines can be silly but
they need to be in sets of two with the last words of each pair of sentences rhyming.
Letters and Sounds 3K
KinderTown
©2013 KinderTown llc. All Rights Reserved.

6. Activity 3: 6
N is for “Noodles”
Is your child able to easily and accurately isolate sounds? Begin
encouraging more formal letter learning by starting with letters that
have meaning for your child like letters in their names, the letter
sounds “M” for Mom and “D” for Dad, and the first sounds in their
siblings’ and pets’ names.
Download
Food makes fantastic activities for meaningful connections with
letter sounds. Have your child share with you a letter they want to
cook with. A quick google search will bring you lots of foods that
start with each letter. This will take a little planning but food is a
wonderful way for kids to engage multiple senses while learning let-
ters sounds.
Don’t worry if your child gives you the letter “X” you can always try
going with xiaodianxin - Chinese for cookies! If that is too big of a
stretch, there are always quick fixes like ABC pancakes, making let-
ters out of celery and carrot sticks and tracing with pudding.
Letters and Sounds 3K
KinderTown
©2013 KinderTown llc. All Rights Reserved.

7. Check In, Post Assessment 7
Thanks for
being my
first and best
teacher!
Continue to check in with your child to see if they are ready for more
formal letter learning. There is no specific age a child will be ready. You
just want to make sure that your child has had plenty of time playing
and exploring sounds before more formal experiences. Use the follow-
ing activity to check and see if more formal letter learning is appropri-
ate for your little one:
1. Go on a “search and find” in a favorite book, app or just around the
house. Let your child a choose a letter they know and love and identify
it in many places. Watch for consistency and if your child identifies
sounds or letter names in familiar words.
2. Take turns with your child pointing to letters. When pointing out
letters in unfamiliar words, note how many letter sounds and names
your child can accurately and consistently identify unsupported.
Letters and Sounds 3K
KinderTown
©2013 KinderTown llc. All Rights Reserved.

8. What’s Next 8
Start more formal letter instruction when your child is no longer iden-
tifying letters with number, shape and color words. Your child should
also be accurate with the sounds and letters in their name and other
familiar words before formal instruction.
Not quite sure what to do with the letters C, G and X? Keep it simple
by letting your child know the letters have more than 1 sound and
provide examples of the sounds:
C: Hard sound like in “cat” and a soft sound /s/ like in “celery”
G: Hard sound like in “go” and a soft sound like in “giraffe”
X: When in the beginning of the word it makes a /z/ sound like in “xy-
lophone” and at the end a /ks/ sound like in “fox”
Listen to all the consonants and vowels sounds on this video from
“Reading Rockets.”
Some more apps for learning letter and sounds are:
Download Download Download Download
Letters and Sounds 3K
KinderTown
©2013 KinderTown llc. All Rights Reserved.

9. More to Explore 9
M. Ruskin Alphabet with Animals Placemat: 2 sided
with lamination. Use with wet erase, overhead projec- Check it out
tion markers or wipe-off crayons.
Now I Eat my ABCs by Pam Abrams: Includes photos Check it out
of foods that begin with and form letters: a B is made
out of blueberries, an O is made out of an orange, a Z
is made out of zucchini sticks, and more!
Wee Alphas ABC Print: Find each letter of the al- Check it out
phabet (including your own) hidden in these quirky
characters.
Print out your own alphabet coloring pages. Finger- Check it out
paint, fill in with bingo dot markers or decorate with
tissue paper. Bind the pages together and create your
own ABC book.
Alphabet Caterpillars Paper Crafts -- Use these tem- Check it out
plates to make a name caterpillar with your child.
Letters and Sounds 3K
KinderTown
©2013 KinderTown llc. All Rights Reserved.

10. About KinderTown 10
KinderTown
KinderTown transforms mobile devices into powerful teaching tools
by finding and organizing the best educational apps for kids ages 3-8
years old. Our mission is to improve early childhood education by em-
powering busy parents with the tools to be better teachers.
We work hard to find the best educational apps for children. Each app
we select for KinderTown has been tested and reviewed by educators,
parents, and most importantly, children. Not all, or even most of the
apps meet our high standards. We take many factors into account
including educational value, ease of use, engagement value, design
features, artwork, cost, and shelf life.
It’s through this exacting process that we believe we can help
parents use their iPhones, iPads, and iPod Touches to teach their
children anything.
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Letters and Sounds 3K
KinderTown
©2013 KinderTown llc. All Rights Reserved.