A New Kind of Song by: Heidi Starr

   You know how sometimes you have these really random memories that you just can’t get out of your head?  Well one of my unforgettable memories is from my college class, Methods of Teaching Language.  My professor always had these great ideas about getting children interested in reading and language development.  One particular topic that she discussed with us a lot was the use of phonetics to aid in the reading process.  She said she wished there was a phonetic alphabet song.  Every time she would say this, which was often, she would start singing “Ă ă apple, b b ball, k k cat, and d d doll,” to the tune of “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.” Then she would abruptly stop and move on to another topic.  One day a fellow classmate asked her to sing the rest of the song.  She replied “There is no rest of the song.  That’s just an example.”  From that day on I have not been able to get that little ditty out of my head.  I’ve always vowed I would finish the song someday, and since my daughter is starting to become curious about reading, I thought now was a good time to fulfill my promise!  Maybe now I can put this memory to rest!!  Here’s hoping this will be a fun way for the children in your life to learn their letter sounds!

Phonetic Alphabet Song

(Tune: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star) 

 

ă ă- apple, b b –ball, k k – cat and d d – doll

 

ĕ ĕ – elephant,  f f – fan, g g – grapes and  h h – hand

 

ĭ ĭ– igloo, j j –jam, k k- kite and l l –lamp

 

m m –mushroom, n n –nest, ŏ ŏ –octopus, p p –pants

 

kw kw –queen, and r r –rock, s s –sun, and t t –talk

 

ŭ ŭ –umbrella, v v –van, w w –wagon, ks-ray man

 

y y –yo-yo, z z –zoo, That’s the end, and now we’re through!

 

To go along with the song, here are flashcards you can print off on 3x5 index cards to help reinforce the song with words, letters and pictures.  You can also add holes to the top of the index cards and place them on rings to turn it into a little book!