Done for You Phonics Preschool Lesson Plans

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Reading and language skills are some of the most important foundations for success in life. If you’re looking for ways to ensure that the children in your care have strong reading and language skills, these phonics lesson plans for preschool are the best place to start.

No More Guess Work in How to Teach Phonics

phonics lesson plans for preschoolers, preschool phonics curriculum
Get a free sample of our Daily Lessons in Preschool Phonics Lesson Plans pdf at the end of this post.

It’s difficult to overstate how important reading and language are. These skills are the foundation for a lifetime of success, so it’s only natural if you’re seeking out ways to make sure the little ones in your care are on solid ground.

But the internet is conflicted with ways to teach phonics to preschoolers. This post will show you a method of teaching letters or groups of letters without drilling flashcards and printable alphabet worksheets.

By the end of this 40 week program, your preschooler will be ready for learning to read, if she isn’t reading words already. It will be the foundation to your literacy based preschool program.

These preschool phonics lesson plans are just one component of our trusted and effective Daily Lessons in Preschool Literacy Curriculum. The full curriculum of lesson plans include:

How to Teach Phonics to Preschoolers

What does phonics mean?

Phonics is the method of teaching reading and writing through explicit instruction of the code between speech sounds and written symbols. Individual speech sounds are called phonemes and the written symbols that represent those sounds are called phonograms. Together they make up the text we read aloud.

What is the most effective way to teach children phonics?

By far, the best way to teach phonics is systematically. In reading instruction, phonics is the understanding that there is a relationship between the letters of written language and the sounds of spoken language. Children who are taught phonics understand that letters are represented by specific sounds, and they can use this knowledge to sound out words.

There are many different systematic approaches that teachers can use, but they all share the same core focus on building and using the relationship between sounds and letter symbols. This relationship is essential for helping students decode new words, and it forms the foundation for all future reading instruction.

By deliberately and systematically focusing on this relationship, teachers can help their students become more proficient readers. In turn, these students will be better equipped to handle the challenges of reading comprehension.

Should phonics be taught in preschool?

It’s important for your preschooler to learn phonics in the early years for two main reasons.
1. Your child will know which letters to use when writing words.
2. Your child will be able to decode words never seen before.
The biggest advantage of using a systematic phonics program for preschool is that your child won’t need to memorize words in order to read them — not even so-called “sight words”.

Related Reading

Preschool Literacy Lesson Plans

The Daily Lessons in Phonics Preschool Lesson Plans Curriculum

Here’s the step-by-step overview of the learning sequence for teaching phonics to your preschoolers using my Daily Lessons in Preschool Phonics Curriculum.

You’ll get daily lesson plans that explain in detail exactly what to teach, when to teach, and how to teach these phonics skills to your preschoolers. It’s not an addition to any literacy program. It IS a systematic phonics program for preschoolers.

free preschool literacy lesson plans sample
Take the guesswork out of how to teach preschool phonics.

Alphabet Routine

The daily alphabet routine reviews each letter that has already been introduced, so your preschooler gets a little bit of review every single day. This is a quick, catchy routine that preschoolers love because it is so fast-paced.

Introduction of a New Letter

This is new addition to our phonics lesson plans for preschoolers.

Introducing: Alphabet Friends!

These are large scale alphabet cards with an animal on each card that corresponds with the letter of the alphabet. On the backside of these cards is a quick story about the animal and a song featuring the new letter sound set to the tune of a familiar song. Additionally, Alphabet Friends also include hand motions, making learning new letters and sounds even more fun.

phonics lesson plans for preschoolers, preschool phonics curriculum, alphabet friends in phonics lesson plans
Each letter of the alphabet has an Alphabet Friend to introduce the new letter-sound relationship.

Practice the New Letter Using “And-Or” Daily Activities

Next in the lesson plans are different ways to practice the new letters. These activities require very little prep work and are designed to be taught using direct instruction in whole group, small group, or individual settings.

Each day of the week offers two activities that meet specific phonics learning targets. Teachers can choose to do both activities, or just select one activity. The activities vary slightly in difficulty so that teachers can choose the phonics activities for their preschoolers that will best target their instructional needs.

And every day of the week features two new and unique activities, thus offering teachers a total of thirteen teaching activities outside of the included printable phonics preschool centers.

Free phonics lesson plans sample
These phonics lesson plans are systematic, but also allow the flexibility for teachers to choose which activities will be the most beneficial to their students.

Independent Practice with Weekly Supportive Literacy Centers

This preschool phonics curriculum includes forty weeks of no-prep phonics preschool lesson plans, which also include printable alphabet centers so preschoolers can independently practice their new skills.

These literacy centers are designed to be prepped once and then used again and again each week throughout the year.

bonus alphabet centers for preschoolers
Each week is supported by eleven printable literacy centers that teach both upper and lowercase letters while targeting various phonemic awareness skills.

Bonus! Review Week Activities!

With any curriculum that is designed to prepare a child to read, and lesson plans which offer systematic phonics instruction for preschool, it’s important to also have worksheets of informal assessments to gauge your preschooler’s learning throughout the year.

The Daily Lessons in Preschool Phonics Curriculum includes five pdf files to be used exclusively for review weeks, which are built into the curriculum every four weeks. Some items are games for preschoolers, and others are more worksheet-based so that they can also be used in preschool portfolios.

phonics lesson plans for preschoolers, preschool phonics curriculum
Review weeks are every four weeks, so teachers always know how well their preschoolers are learning new content.

Get Your Free Preschool Curriculum Sample Here

Think your preschoolers will benefit from the Daily Lessons in Preschool Phonics Curriculum? Download a free sample below. But you won’t just get phonics. You’ll also get the following in the sample:

8 Comments

  1. I purchased the bundle lesson plans but for some reason the link for phonics plans is not working. I have the cards, chants and picture cards but not the actual lessons. Any ideas?

    1. I’ve never had that happen before. Everything looks good on my end. Maybe try again in a little while, or restart your computer and try again? I could be that your pdf reader needs updating. If that still doesn’t work, let me know and I can E-mail you a copy.

          1. I have one more question…the phonic pics ….I don’t have any after the letter n. Any reasons? Could you resend those any way?

          2. Yes, there absolutely should be all the letters of the alphabet. Try making sure your computers hasn’t missed any scheduled updates, and then download them again from Teachers Pay Teachers. If it still does not work, let me know and I’ll send you another file.

  2. I follow you religiously. I purchased your bundle and have a question about the phonics. Was there a reason why you chose the order of the letters? Would that be a good order for the students to also learn to write as well? I have used Handwriting Without Tears for a few years, and have followed their order for developmental writing. I’m open to some new ideas. Thank you for all of your great ideas. You make teaching preschool a little easier. Phyllis Feulner

    1. There are several ways to order the letters, and each curriculum follows their own. I chose this order simply because this order seems to work well in giving kids usable sounds so they can begin decoding (for those older preschoolers who are ready). For example, by the time letter A is introduced in the phonics lesson plans, a student who is ready to start decoding can read words with the following endings: -at, -ap, -an, and -am, which is very empowering to a beginning reader. As of right now, I do not offer handwriting or letter formation printables. If you really love Handwriting Without Tears, I’m sure there would be a way to combine the two.

      I’m glad to hear you are enjoying the lesson plans and the blog, and so, so happy that teaching preschool is made a little easier! 😀

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