Alphabet and letter knowledge

Alphabet and letter knowledge includes knowing the names of the letters of the alphabet and their corresponding sounds

Knowledge of letter names and shapes is a strong predictor of success in learning to read. Knowing letter names is strongly related to children's ability to remember the forms of written words and their ability to treat words as sequences of letters. Source: Reading Rockets

Learning objectives for children and corresponding strategies for library staff

Birth to 12 months

Not applicable

12 - 24 months

Not applicable

2 - 3 years

Literacy learning objectives for children	Educator strategies to support children's learning
For children to: Recognise that there is a connection between words and pictures. Label familiar objects in books.	Invite children to name objects in pictures. Have environmental print (e.g. "Exit" sign, labels, print on packaging) of different kinds visible in library space.

Literacy learning objectives for children

Educator strategies to support children's learning

For children to:

Recognise that there is a connection between words and pictures.

Label familiar objects in books.

Invite children to name objects in pictures.

Have environmental print (e.g. "Exit" sign, labels, print on packaging) of different kinds visible in library space.

3 -5 years

Literacy learning objectives for children	Educator strategies to support children's learning
For children to: (Begin to) identify some letters (e.g. the first letter of their name). Guess the beginning sound of some words.	Draw attention to letters on the page. Finger point to some words in books as you read them aloud.

Literacy learning objectives for children

Educator strategies to support children's learning

For children to:

(Begin to) identify some letters (e.g. the first letter of their name).

Guess the beginning sound of some words.

Draw attention to letters on the page.

Finger point to some words in books as you read them aloud.

smiling librarian reading a story book to a group of small children — Storytime at Blacktown City Libraries

Ideas for storytime

Picture books that focus on letters:
- Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr and John Archambault
Point to the title on the cover of the book and ask if anyone knows a letter
Repetition of words and letters
- Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell
- SHOUT! Shout it out! by Denise Fleming
Books with alliteration allow for multiple opportunities for letter recognition and familiarising the link between the letter and the sound
Choose a letter of the week to focus on during storytime

Look for letters everywhere, talk about the sound a letter makes.

“Letter knowledge is one of those early literacy skills that seems so obvious. Learn the alphabet! But we’re not teaching babies the ABCs. We don’t want to quiz toddlers on letters. Shapes are great introduction to the alphabet for our little ones. A triangle looks like the letter A. A circle looks like the letter O. And talking about shapes-“A triangle has 3 sides, but a circle doesn’t have any sides!”-helps young children build a foundation upon which they’ll be able to notice differences among letters. As we get a little older, singing the ABCs helps us learn the letter names though challenge yourself and your child to learn to sing it tunes other than “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. “Mary had a Little Lamb” and “Row Row Row Your Boat” are two good choices! Young children are usually most interested in the letter that make up their names. Go on letter hunts throughout picture books and identify the letters in their names. Draw or cut out pictures of objects that start with the first letter of your child’s name. And when you’re out and about, point out objects that start with that letter. Playing alphabet blocks and letter shapes is also a great way to get little ones started on learning their letters.”

Source: Herrick District Library