LETTER L and Love and Friendship
Happy Thanksgiving
Letter L brings us into a theme that strengthens every community: Love & Friendship. Children learn love through connection—sharing, comforting, laughing together, solving problems, and belonging.
This week we are focusing on the letter L, and our theme is one that children understand through experience: Love & Friendship. Preschool friendships are tender, joyful, and often very humorous. Children learn how to take turns, repair misunderstandings, comfort a friend who is sad, and celebrate one another’s successes. These early connections help shape the way children see themselves and the world.
Letter Sounds and Our Zoo-Phonics Friend
Our Zoo-Phonics friend for L is Lizzy Lizard. Children place their tongues lightly behind their teeth and make the gentle /l/ sound: “l-l-l,” sometimes with a playful lizard tongue movement. We explore L in words like love, laugh, ladybug, leaf, and look.
A sweet phonics song to reinforce the sound at home can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXFHJvVsgK0
How We Form the Letter L
Learning Without Tears introduces uppercase L as “big line down, little line across.” Lowercase l is “little line down.” Because the shape is simple, children often feel successful writing L early on, which builds confidence for more complex letters later.
Practicing L outdoors with chalk, tracing it in sand, or forming it with nature materials (sticks, leaves) helps strengthen fine motor control.
Theme Connection: Love & Friendship
Throughout the week, we explore what love and friendship look like in our classroom community. We read stories such as The Invisible String by Patrice Karst or Stick and Stone by Beth Ferry, which gently show how connection helps us grow.
Children may draw pictures of someone they love, create a friendship chain with paper links, or write simple “love notes” using invented spelling and expressive art.
At home, families might enjoy a conversation about what makes a good friend or look through photos together to remember times of connection.
For more ideas that support friendship skills, The Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (CSEFEL) has family tools here: http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/resources/family.html
Kindergarten Readiness Skill: Building Relationships (WaKIDS/GOLD Objective 2a)
This week’s readiness focus is relationships—forming healthy attachments with peers and adults. Children develop relational skills when they practice taking turns, solving small conflicts, and expressing care for one another.
You might ask your child at home, “Who did you enjoy playing with today?” or “How did you show love or kindness at school?” These simple reflections nurture social awareness and empathy.
Continuing the Learning at Home
L is a fun letter to spot in everyday life—love, light, lemon, leaf, library. Children might enjoy taking a “love walk,” noticing things that make them feel peaceful or joyful. Learning the letter L reminds us that we grow through connection, affection, and shared experiences.
