First Letters of Animals

💡 About this activity

🎯 Learning objectives

• Name the six animals shown.
• Identify the beginning sound in each animal name.
• Write the missing first letter of each word.

🧺 What you need

• Printed activity sheet
• Pencil
• Eraser

👣 How to do it

1. Print the sheet and gather a pencil and eraser.
2. Invite the child to look at and name the animals.
3. Give a different example: say “rabbit” and emphasize the beginning sound /r/.
4. Ask the child to say the first animal’s name slowly and write the missing letter.
5. Invite the child to complete the other words in the same way.
6. Read the completed words together and celebrate the child’s effort.

🍎 Teaching suggestions

• Before starting, agree on the names used on the sheet: cat, pig, dog, hen, fox, and bat.
• If the child is unsure, say the name slowly and emphasize its beginning sound.
• Offer a choice of two letters if the child needs support.
• In a group, invite children to explain how they found a letter, without requiring anyone to speak in front of everyone.

🔀 Variations

💬 Talk about it

• How did you figure out the first letter of an animal’s name?
• What do you notice when you say “fox” very slowly?
• What other animal do you know? What sound does its name begin with?

👀 What to look for

• Notice whether the child names the animals using the words on the sheet.
• Observe whether the child identifies the beginning sound in each name.
• Check whether the child writes the missing letters, with or without support.