When “g” Becomes “e”: A Little Kindergarten Moment That Says a Lot About Learning to Read

The other day I was walking down the hallway after stepping out of my classroom for a minute. As I passed one of my fellow kindergarten teachers' rooms, I noticed she was sitting with a student doing a quick assessment.

She pointed to the alphabet chart and asked,
"What letter is this?"

She was pointing at the lowercase g.

Without missing a beat, the student looked up and replied:

"Can we just say that it's an e?"

I had to smile as I kept walking.

Because if you've spent any time teaching kindergarten phonics, you know that moments like these are actually very special moments in the reading journey.

Why Moments Like This Matter in Early Reading

At first glance, it might sound like the student simply didn't know the letter.

But what I heard in that moment was something deeper. That student was thinking about letters.
He was comparing shapes while trying to make sense of the alphabet.

That's what early reading development looks like.

When children are learning letters and sounds, they're not just memorizing symbols. They're building a mental map of how written language works. Often that map includes a few detours like turning a g into an e. This is not just beautiful, it is a big part of this magical reading process.

If Your Students Are Still Working on Letters and Sounds… That's Okay

At this point in the school year, some kindergarten students are confidently blending CVC words while others are still strengthening their letter–sound knowledge. Both places are perfectly normal in early literacy development.

The key is continuing to provide intentional, engaging phonics practice that helps students connect:

• letters

• sounds

• and words

When we do that consistently, something wonderful happens. Students begin to move from recognizing letters, to decoding words…to reading real books.

Here are a few strategies I often use in my classroom with students who need more practice with letters and phonics sounds.

1. Make Letters Feel Alive

In my classroom, we greet letters like old friends.

I'll say:

"Hi a, it's so good to see you!"

Then the class responds with the sound:

"/ăăă/!"

It may sound silly, but this routine helps students remember that letters have names AND sounds. It also lowers anxiety for students who are still unsure about them.

2. Practice Blending with Simple CVC Words

Once students know just a few letters—like m, t, b, f, n and vowels like a, i, o—they can start decoding simple CVC words.

Instead of waiting for them to master every letter and sound, we begin building words like:

• mat

• bat

• fan

• tin

• top

Students tap the sounds and blend them together. When they realize they can actually read the word… that's when confidence starts to grow.

3. Give Students Text They Can Actually Decode

One of the most helpful supports for early readers is providing them with 100% decodable books. These are books where students can sound out every word based on phonics patterns they've already learned.

That means they're not guessing. They're ACTUALLY reading!

Stories like Bob the Cat allow students to practice reading CVC words like cat, rat, and Pat while building confidence and comprehension.

And when students start reading connected stories like I Did It!, they get to see how phonics knowledge turns into real reading fluency. That's when the magic really starts happening.

A Gentle Reminder for Teachers and Parents

Learning to read is not a straight line. Some students quickly recognize every letter. Others take longer to sort them out. And sometimes, a g might look suspiciously like an e.

But when we continue to provide joyful, intentional phonics instruction, those small confusions slowly turn into understanding.

Keep Supporting Your Emerging Readers

If you're looking for resources to support kindergarten phonics, CVC practice, and early decoding, you can explore the decodable books and phonics resources at Sparking Creativity.

They were designed to help students move from learning letters and sounds to reading with confidence. These decodable texts are engaging, Science-of-Reading aligned, and trusted by educators across the country.