Alpha Friends...Alpha Friends...Everybody loves....Alpha Friends!!!

As many of you already know, we use Alpha Friends in our class to help students with letter naming fluency and letter sound recognition.  It helps having the songs and gestures to call upon when trying to remember the name of a letter and the sound that letter makes.  Below is a brief list of the Alpha Friends.  I would suggest writing down various letters, and having them practice by singing the chant/doing the gestures to recall the letter name and letter sound. 

This is the list, and an example of how we say it: Andy Apple /a/ /a/ /a/ (sound) Andy Apple "a" "a" "a" (letter name)

Andy Apple (pretending to eat apple)
Bennie Bear (pat belly)
Callie Cat (make c and claw the air)
Dudley Duck (flap your wing)
Edna Elephant (use arm as a swinging trunk)
Fifi Fish (make hand swim forward)
Gertie Goose (hold arm out and pretend to fly)
Hattie Horse (gesture like you are putting on a hat)
Iggy Iguana (walk your finger)
Jumping Jill (pretend to jump rope)
Keely Kangaroo (put hands at chest and pretend to hop)
Larry Lion (sit up straight, chest out, look "proud")
Mimi Mouse (scrunch up face and say in squeaky voice)
Nyle Noodle (pretend to eat noodels from a bowl with a spoon)
Ozzy Octopus (hold up arm and make an o with hand)
Pippa Pig (push up nose with your finger to look like a pig)
Queenie Queen (bow down like you would to a queen)
Reggie Rooster (hook pointer finger and move up and down)
Sammy Seal (air write the letter s)
Tiggy Tiger (pretend to lift weights in the air-look tough)
Umbie Umbrella (gesture big smile with finger, ear to ear)
Vinny Volcano (make mountain above head with both arms)
Willie Worm (put arms out and wiggle from on side to the other)
Mr. X Ray (chop at arm to make an x sign)
Yetta Yo-yo ( pretend to be playing with a yo-yo)
Zelda Zebra (air write the letter z)

Here are a few fun ideas that might help your child if he/she has not mastered letter naming or sound recognition:
*letter detective- have them search for letters in books, on signs, or write a bunch of different letters on a paper and have them circle letters as you call them out one at a time...
*sensory activity- use finger to write a letter in sand, flour, shaving cream, water, ect.
*build/create- choose a letter and have them work on making it with legos, toy cars, play doh, pipe cleaners, pennies, ect.
*write- rainbow write/have them say the letter as they write it in different colors, use an expo on a sheet protector, adult write letter in yellow highlighter and have child trace