Hello! Today you will meet all 26 English letters. Each letter has two printed forms: a capital letter and a small letter. You will look at them, say their names, match the pairs, and write them. Keep a pencil and paper nearby.
One letter, two shapes
Look at A a. The first shape is capital A. The second is small a. They look different, but both have the same name: A.
Now look at C c. These shapes look more alike, but one is capital and one is small. A letter’s shape can change without changing its name.
English letters are written from left to right. When you see a pair such as B b, point to the capital first, then the small letter. Say the name each time: “B, B.”
Meet the whole alphabet
Watch How to Write Uppercase and Lowercase Letters from Kids Academy. Despite its title, use this viewing to see and name each capital-and-small pair. Pause whenever you need time to point and say the names aloud.
How to Write Uppercase and Lowercase Letters - Kids Academy
Kids Academy shows the capital and small forms of every letter from A to Z. Watch so you can connect two shapes with one letter name.
Watch all letter pairs. As each pair appears, point to the capital, point to the small letter, and repeat the letter name twice.
Here is your alphabet chart. Read each row from left to right. A a means “capital A, small a”; both are called “A.”
A–F: A a · B b · C c · D d · E e · F f
G–M: G g · H h · I i · J j · K k · L l · M m
N–T: N n · O o · P p · Q q · R r · S s · T t
U–Z: U u · V v · W w · X x · Y y · Z z
Some pairs need an extra-close look. B b and D d are different letters, even though their small forms, b and d, can be easy to mix up. Small i and j both have dots; j has a hook below. When I i and L l appear close together, ask your teacher to point to each one as you say its name. For Z, you may hear “zee” or “zed”; follow the name your teacher uses.
A caterpillar full of letters
This caterpillar carries the small letters. The colorful circles below it show the capital letters. Zoom in with your teacher if the letters look tiny.
Start with the capital A in the colored circles. Find small a on the caterpillar and say, “A and a: A.” Do the same for B b and C c. Then keep going until you have matched every capital from A to Z with its small letter.
The colored capitals are in ABC order, but the caterpillar bends around the page. Look carefully for each match rather than guessing where the next small letter will be. If you lose your place, return to the four rows of the alphabet chart.
Take a short stretch when you reach M m. Your eyes will be ready to find the rest!
Say it and write it
Now give the letters a place on your paper. Copy the four rows of pairs from the chart, leaving a little space between pairs:
A a · B b · C c ...
For each pair, say the letter name while you write the capital, and say it again while you write the small letter. Your teacher can point to the next pair if you need help. Aim to finish all 26 pairs, ending with Z z. These are letter shapes for now; in the next lesson, you will listen to the sounds letters can make.
When your rows are finished, play a quick letter hunt. Your teacher points to letters on the caterpillar or your paper in a mixed-up order. Say each letter’s name, whether it is capital or small. Then choose a few letters for your teacher to find!
What you can do now
You have seen, said, matched, and written A–Z in capital and small forms. Remember: two forms can share one letter name, as in R r. Next time, you will begin to learn the sounds that English letters can make.