Beginning Sounds with Accessories — Letter U

Tune the ear to U. Across a scene of accessories, this Kindergarten worksheet has the child say each picture and circle the ones that begin with the sound U makes — umbrella. Hearing how umbrella opens and matching that sound to the letter U is beginning-sound phonics; the printed letter shape never comes into it. The hats, belts and a scarf give a rich mix of first sounds to listen through.

Hearing the opening sound of a spoken word and tying it to a letter is exactly the letter-sound correspondence Kindergarten readers build. Marking the accessories that begin with U rehearses it many times: say umbrella, listen to its start, match U. Because the child works from pictures and their own voice, no reading is needed — just the ear and the growing sense that U stands for one particular sound.

Children who enjoy hunting the accessories settle into saying each picture and listening for the U sound, and every match is a small win. When U feels easy, try the beginning sounds in the A-sound pictures in accessories, or the B-sound pictures in accessories. You can also browse every beginning-sounds worksheet or the whole accessories collection for kindergarten — each sheet prints cleanly or plays online for free, and the more first sounds a child hunts, the quicker the link between a sound and its letter becomes automatic.