Letter Sound Safari Hunt

A bag for collecting items (optional)

Your house or any indoor/outdoor space

Choose a familiar letter: "We're hunting for 'B' sounds! Buh, buh, B!"

Walk around together. Model: "BOOK! Book starts with 'buh'! B for book!"

Ask: "Can you find something that starts with 'buh'?"

Celebrate finds: "BED! Yes! B for bed! Amazing safari hunter!"

Hunt for 5 items per letter.

Switch to a new sound: "Now 'S' things! Sss, sss, S!"

Collect small items in a bag. Dump and review at the end.

Finish by looking at the written letter: "This is B. It says 'buh.'"

Focus on the SOUND the letter makes, not its name. At this age, knowing that B says "buh" is more useful for future reading than knowing it's called "bee." Sound knowledge is what decoding is built on.

Start with consonants that have a single, clear sound: B, D, F, M, N, P, S, T. Save tricky letters (C, G, X) for later.

If your child picks an item that doesn't match (like "orange" for the O sound), don't correct harshly. Say: "I hear the 'or' sound! Good ear! Let's find more — can you find something that starts with 'oh'?"

This game can happen anywhere: the park, a store, the car. "I see something that starts with 'T'!" is a great waiting game.