The Letter D
The Letter D
D is an easy letter to say, and the d sound is one of the very first sounds that babies make as they learn to imitate speech. As children learn to speak, they use D to say and write “Daddy” and “dog”. These are some of the same words they’re most motivated to write. As children learn to identify and write words, the fourth letter in the alphabet can prove a little bit tricky. In writing, children must learn to orient the straight part of the letter. For a capital D the straight side is on the left, but for a lowercase D, the straight side is on the right. Many children struggle with letter recognition and distinguishing lowercase “d” from lowercase “b”. With practice reading and writing most children learn the difference between D and B. If the confusion continues into the later grades, it may be a sign of a learning difference. Some students will need extra help and supports to be able to distinguish the two letters. Alphabet games can help children learn the ABCs. As students play and have fun, they’ll get needed practice identifying letters of the alphabet and spelling words that contain the letter D. And working with words and letters helps build phonemic awareness that will them build reading fluency.
