The Letter M
Alphabet Games
The letter M is the thirteenth letter in the alphabet. The M sound is a sound that babies learn to make at a young age. Because M is the first letter in many words that mean mother, words like “mommy” and “mama”, it is one of the first letters many children learn to identify and to write. A great visual connection for M is the word “mountains” because a capital M looks just like a couple of mountains. Though some different combinations of letters make the same sounds, there’s no way to be confused about M’s letter sound. That makes this letter great for practicing phonemes. Work with M words and sound them out. Start with simple consonant-vowel-consonant words like mom, mat, and sam. Once students have mastered their ABCs, practice reading words that contain the letter M to increase spelling fluency and reading fluency. Letter games and spelling games will make the practice fun. In preschool or kindergarten focus the learning on the letter M by hosting an M day. Eat muffins, mangoes, or macaroni for snack. Wear a paper mustache. March around the classroom. Have your students help you make a long list of words that start with or contain the letter M. They’ll be building language arts skills and having fun while they do!
