Talk About It: The Letter D

The big idea: D says /d/, a sound you make by tapping your tongue behind your top teeth.

Today we're learning D. For toddlers the goal isn't writing it. It's hearing the /d/ sound at the start of words like dog, duck and dad, and connecting it to the shape of D: a straight line and a big curve.

Questions to ask

• "Say 'dog.' Can you feel your tongue tap?"

• "Does duck start with /d/? Does cat?"

• "Can you think of a D word? Dog, door, dinosaur, dance, dad!"

• "Who do we know whose name starts with D?"

• "What does a D look like? A straight line and a big round tummy!"

Show it in one minute

Knock on a door and say, "/d/ /d/ door!" Let your child knock and say it too. Then trace a big D in the air: "Straight line down, then a big curve back up."

Keep it going

Do a dinosaur dance. Every time someone says a D word, everyone stomps like a dinosaur. Keep it silly and quick.

Want to learn more?

• Letters and Sounds: Practical Ideas for Parents, from Reading Rockets

• The Alphabetic Principle, from Reading Rockets

• Phonological and Phonemic Awareness: Activities for Your Pre-K Child, from Reading Rockets

Shop these items

Find the books and supplies from this week in one place. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

• Today's book: Cold, Crunchy, Colorful by Jane Brocket

• From our set: Magnetic alphabet flash cards

• Shop everything for Week 4: My Senses

• Starter supplies: the basics we use most weeks

• See every week in our Amazon storefront

More for this week: see all our Five Senses activities, Letter D activities and Number 4 activities.