Talk About It: The Letter H

The big idea: H says /h/, like horse.

H is our eighth letter! It makes an /h/ sound at the start of words like horse, house, hat and honeydew. To make it, open your mouth and breathe out, like you're fogging up a window: "Huh, huh, huh."

Questions to ask

• "Can you say /h/ with me? Huh, huh, horse!"

• "Hold your hand in front of your mouth. Can you feel the air when you say /h/?"

• "What sound does hat start with? What about house?"

• "Does pumpkin start with /h/? What sound does it start with?"

Show it in one minute

Write a big H on paper and trace it together: "Down, down, then across the middle." Then make an H with your bodies: stand side by side with your arms joined in the middle.

Keep it going

Make it an H day: hop like a bunny, give a big hug, put on a hat and say "hello" with a big /h/ to everyone you see.

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: Five Little Pumpkins by Dan Yaccarino

• Starter supplies: the basics we use most weeks

• See every week in our Amazon storefront

More for this week: see all our Pumpkin activities, Letter H activities and Number 8 activities.