A is for apple! 🍎

A is the very first letter of the alphabet — and one of the most important letters for beginning readers to learn.

When children are learning A, give them opportunities to recognize the letter, hear its sound, say words that begin with A, and practice forming the letter.

Here are some simple letter A activities for kindergarten and preschool.

What Sound Does A Make?

The letter A most commonly represents the short vowel sound /ă/ in beginning reading instruction.

Have children say:

/ă/ /ă/ /ă/

Like the sound at the beginning of apple, ant, and ax.

Then practice:

A says /ă/.

A Is for Apple 🍎

The most familiar A word for young children is: A is for apple!

Ask:

• What is an apple?
• What color is an apple?
• What sound do you hear at the beginning of apple?
• What other words begin with /ă/?

Then introduce additional A words.

A Words for Kids

• apple
• ant
• ax
  
• astronaut
  

Have students listen for the beginning sound: /ă/ /ă/ apple   /ă/ /ă/ ant

Play an A Beginning-Sound Game

Say a word. Students give a thumbs-up if the word begins with /ă/.

Play an "A" Beginning Sound Game: 

Try these: apple - ant - sun - ax - fish -map - pen

Then make it more challenging. Ask: "Do you hear /ă/ in map?" Yes! "Does map begin with /ă/?" No — it is in the middle!

This helps children pay attention not just to whether a sound is in a word, but where the sound occurs.

Practice Uppercase A and Lowercase a

Show students: A and a

Invite them to practice the letters in different ways:

• Write A in the air.
• Trace A with a finger.
• Form A with play dough.
• Trace A on a textured surface.
• Write A on paper or a whiteboard.
• Find A among other letters.

As students write, encourage them to say: "A says /ă/."

Go on an A Hunt

Challenge children to find A around the classroom. They might discover A:

• In books
• On alphabet charts
• In their own names
• On labels and signs
• On classroom materials

Every time they find an A, ask: "What letter is that?" Then: "What sound does it represent?"

A or Not A?

Write or display a collection of letters: A M T a B A C a S f z E

Ask students to find all the A’s — both uppercase and lowercase. Then ask: "What sound do both of these letters represent?" /ă/

Read A Words Together

Once students are familiar with the letter and sound, give them opportunities to notice A in words. Try: at, am, an, ax

Ask: "What letter do you see at the beginning?" "What sound does it represent?" "Can you hear /ă/?"

This is where alphabet learning begins to connect to phonics and decoding.

Make Letter A Learning Interactive

Children don’t have to sit at a table to learn. You can also have them:

The goal is to give children multiple opportunities to interact with the letter and its sound.

Looking for an A Is for Apple Book?

We created A Is for Apple to give young learners an engaging way to practice the letter A while building early literacy skills.

The book can be used in preschool and kindergarten for:

• Letter recognition
• Letter formation
• Beginning sounds
• Vocabulary
• Phonemic awareness
• Small-group instruction
• Literacy centers
• Independent practice

Want All 26 Letters?

If you’re teaching the alphabet systematically, you don’t have to search for a different resource for every letter. The Alphabet Story Book collection brings the entire A–Z experience together.

Children can explore each letter through a story-based approach while building their knowledge of letters and sounds.

EXPLORE THE COMPLETE ALPHABET COLLECTION →

From A to Reading

Learning the alphabet is only the beginning. Ultimately, children need to use their knowledge of letters and sounds to decode words and read connected text.

That’s why a strong early-literacy progression moves from:

Letters → Sounds → Blending → Decoding → Fluency → Comprehension

A is the first letter — and the first step toward reading. 

P.S. Want free decodable books to get started? Grab them here!