Free Letter of the Week Curriculum: Letter A Lesson Plan & Worksheets
- Learning Made Easy
- Feb 12
- 7 min read
Updated: Mar 5
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I remember the first time I sat down to teach my second child the the letter A.
I had the perfectly printed sheets and a fresh box of crayons, a newborn on my hip, and my little learner was more interested in trying to break crayons than in tracing an alligator.
That’s when I realized: early reading shouldn't be a chore; it should be an adventure.
There is no race in early reading.
When children learn to read, the biggest "wins" don't come from rushing to the next worksheet or pushing harder; they come from building the right foundation and repeating it until it feels easy.
That's why I created this FREE Letter A bundle (with a simple 3-day lesson plan): to help parents and teachers build a strong early phonics base, starting with the two skills that matter most in the beginning:
Letter recognition (seeing A and knowing it's A)
Letter-sound connection (knowing A can say /ă/ as in apple)
These are the first building blocks in Step 1 of our 8-step reading program, because when letter recognition and sounds become fluid, everything that follows (blending, decoding, early reading) becomes so much easier.
Why Letter Mastery Matters in phonics
If you're new to phonics (or you've tried other methods and your child still feels stuck), here's the simplest truth:
Phonics is built on letter–sound connections.
Kids have to know what letters are and what sounds they represent before reading can really take off.
Research backs this up strongly:
Children's letter-name and letter-sound knowledge are among the strongest predictors of later reading and spelling success.
Phonics instruction is specifically about teaching children how letters link to sounds and how to use those connections to read and spell.
Fluent reading develops when children form solid connections between a word's letters and sounds in memory (this is part of how "sight word reading" actually happens).
That's exactly what this Letter A bundle supports.
What's inside this FREE Letter of the week (letter A) bundle
This free bundle is designed to be open-and-go, with a rhythm that works for homeschool and classroom settings:
songs + quick videos (available online)
hands-on activity pages
interactive games (available online)
tracing + writing practice
beginning sounds practice
review worksheets
a quiz + completion certificate (so kids feel proud of what they learned!)
And most importantly, it's built around repetition without boredom because children need multiple "touch points" to truly learn a letter.
Letter A: 3-Day Lesson Plan (Unit 1: Lessons 1–3)
📌 What You’ll Need (Supplies Checklist)- Crayons or markers
Child-safe scissors
Glue stick
Colored pencils or crayons
Printer and paper (for your free bundle printables!)
A quick note before you start:
You don't have to finish every page. If your child is engaged and learning, that's the goal. If they need more time, stay on Letter A longer. Repetition is not failure—it's how mastery forms. If you need additional pages, download the bonus Letter of the Week worksheets for more practice.
Day 1 — Letter A recognition (seeing and identifying)
Focus: recognizing A + building familiarity
Listen to "Letter A Adventure" (song)
Complete the Letter A coloring pages
Watch/read the Alphabet Character Story (Meet Andy / Letter A story)
Talk about the story using simple prompts:
What made people misunderstand Andy?
Why is it not okay to judge someone by how they look?
What does kindness look like?
Do the hands-on Alligator activity
Play Letter Aa recognition games
Review Flashcards (A–E)
Trace Letter A pages (light, short practice)
Day 2 — Letter A sound + beginning phonics
Focus: /ă/ sound practice + matching beginning sounds
Listen again to "Letter A Adventure."
Complete the cut-and-paste apple activity
Watch the Letter A sounds video
Play Letter Aa games
Beginning Sounds: Letter A worksheets
Fill in the Missing Letter worksheet
Trace Letter A + Write Letter A pages
Quick review: Flashcards (A–E) + Letter Pop (alphabet song)
Tip: casually point out /ă/ words during the day (apple, ant, alligator) and ask:
"Do you hear /ă/ at the beginning?"
Day 3 — Review + confidence day (mastery + celebrate!)
Focus: review, strengthen, and celebrate progress
Song + quick review (Letter A Adventure / Letter Pop)
Flashcards (A–E)
Games (Letter Aa)
Complete the review set:
"I know about the Letter A."
Color by Letter
Writing practice pages
Beginning sounds + Find the letters pages
Finish with the Unit 1 Quiz
Celebrate with the Letter A Completion Certificate
There will be days when the '3-day plan' takes two weeks. There will be days when the glue stick ends up in the carpet. That is okay. You aren't just teaching a letter; you’re building a bond. If the only thing they learn this week is that reading time means 'cuddle time with Mom,' you’ve already won.
Download the FREE Letter A bundle (printables)
Love these Letter A printables? Get the full Volume 1, A-E Mega Bundle sent to your inbox FREE so you're ready for the whole month!
Use the links below to download and print everything you need for Unit 1 (Lessons 1–3).
(Tip: print only what you need for the day, and keep the rest in a "Letter A" folder.)
A Proven Kindergarten Homeschool Reading Path
At Learning Made Easy, we follow a proven 8-step phonics program designed to help children progress from their first letter sounds to confident, independent reading.
The Ready-to-Learn Letters series serves as the Step 1 Foundational Pillar of this journey. Before a child can blend or decode, they must have a rock-solid grasp of letter recognition and sound awareness. By mastering this first pillar, your child builds the skills needed for the next seven steps of our phonics-first curriculum.
Step 1 isn't "just the alphabet." It's the start of reading confidence!
Your student should be able to recognize all letters of the alphabet and all initial letter sounds before moving on to our next stage: the Reading Made Easy program. This upcoming series builds on the skills learned here. The next levels transition children from recognizing letters to confidently reading their first books.
Reading Made Easy Levels 1 & 2 are designed to follow naturally after the Ready-to-Learn Letters Program. They guide children from letter mastery to reading and decoding more complex words and stories.
Ready to move on to Letter B? You can find the full curriculum, including 31 units and over 1,000 free worksheets, on the Ready-to-Learn Letters Hub.
Explore more FREE Lessons:
Want to skip the printing? Visit our store and explore offline workbooks and skill builders.
Play FREE Mobile Games
Click to Play FREE Games on Desktop
Final encouragement
If you take nothing else from this post, take this:
A strong phonics foundation starts with fluency in letters and sounds.
Not perfection. Not speed. Fluency.
You're doing important work—one letter at a time.
Happy homeschooling (and happy teaching).
Ready to keep the momentum going?
If your little learner loved exploring the Letter A, they are going to have a blast with our next adventure! Click here to jump into the Letter B Worksheets & Lesson Plan and keep building those early reading skills.
💌 Don’t Miss a Single Letter!
Join our Learning Made Easy community here to get the next FREE bundle delivered straight to your inbox, plus exclusive teaching tips and early access to our new "Ready-to-Learn Numbers" curriculum and much, more!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How do I know if my child is ready for the Letter A curriculum?
If your child is showing interest in signs, books, or letters, they are ready to start! This curriculum is designed for a "gentle entry" into phonics, focusing on recognition and sounds through play.
What if we can't finish all the activities in three days?
That is perfectly okay! The 3-day plan is a guide, not a rule. Mastery is more important than speed. If your child needs a full week to explore the Letter A, feel free to repeat the songs and games until they feel confident. Also, use the FREE extra practice Letter of the Week bonus bundles for more games and worksheet support.
Do I need to print every page in the bundle?
No. You can choose the worksheets that best fit your child’s current level. For example, if they aren't ready for heavy writing yet, focus on the coloring, sensory activities, and digital games instead.
What is "Step 1" of the 8-Step Reading Program?
Step 1 focuses on Ready-to-Learn Letters, which builds the foundation of fluent letter recognition and sound connection. This ensures that when children move on to blending words, they aren't struggling to remember what sounds the letters make.
Are the games safe for my preschooler to play alone?
Yes! All games at Learning Made Easy are 100% ad-free and vetted for safety. We recommend "co-playing" for the first few sessions to help your child learn how to navigate the digital tools. Try FREE GAMES on Desktop and Mobile.
Note for parents: The desktop version is the most "app-like" and easiest for children to navigate. On mobile devices, games open in a new browser tab; you may need to show your child how to tap between tabs to return to the lesson or play new games.
Sources
National Reading Panel summary on phonics (evidence that systematic phonics improves early reading by linking letters to sounds).
Report of the National Reading Panel. (n.d.). https://www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/pubs/nrp/findings
Meta-analysis on alphabet instruction (showing that letter name and sound knowledge are the strongest predictors of later reading success).
Piasta, S. B., & Wagner, R. K. (2010). Developing Early Literacy Skills: A Meta‐Analysis of Alphabet Learning and Instruction. Reading Research Quarterly, 45(1), 8–38. https://doi.org/10.1598/rrq.45.1.2
Research on alphabet knowledge trajectories (large-scale 2025 study on how letter knowledge impacts long-term spelling and reading).
Piasta, S. B., Hudson, A. K., Logan, J. a. R., Lewis, K., & Zettler-Greeley, C. M. (2025). Alphabet Knowledge Trajectories and U.S. children’s later reading and spelling. Scientific Studies of Reading, 29(3), 303–327. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888438.2025.2481064
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