Beginning Sounds Alphabet Clip Cards {101 Ways to Teach the Alphabet}

Kids generally first learn letters sounds in isolation from words, but eventually they need to develop the skill of segmenting the sounds in words to identify the letters that form those sounds. For most kids, it is easiest to identify the initial sound from the rest of the word (rather than trying to identify the middle or ending sound).

The next installment in my 101 Ways to Teach the Alphabet Series is a free printable activity that provides children with opportunities to practice identifying beginning sounds and their corresponding letters. I hope your children will enjoy my Beginning Sounds Clip Cards.

Click here if you want more information about teaching the alphabet in a fun, hands-on, and multi-sensory way.

My Beginning Sounds Clip Cards printable includes a total of 104 cards (2 uppercase and 2 lowercase letter cards for each of the 26 letters in the alphabet). You’ll want to print them and then cut them out, and then pair them with some clothespins.

Have your child say the name of the object on the card, identify the initial sound, and then clip the letter corresponding to that sound.

The use of clothespins makes this a great fine motor activity for young children.

If you don’t have clothespins, or if your child’s still-developing fine motor skills would make the use of clothespins too frustrating, you can also have your child place a small object on the letter. Here I used a dot from our Spielgaben set, but you could also use coins, raisins, etc. (Be sure whatever object you select is safe for your child to use.)

The set comes with two cards for each letter of the alphabet for plenty of practice. Below you see the two cards for the letter “A” and the two cards for the letter “B.”

Note that the first card for each letter is designed for beginners, as the non-target letters are quite different in sound and form than the target letter. However, the second clip card for each letter is more challenging, as it features non-target letters that either sound or look like the target letter.