In Bozeman, B is for Bridgers! Explore an alphabet filled with hometown favorites — making learning letters fun while getting your child ready for school and ready to read.

For families with young children, the ABC song is a familiar favorite and a fun way to start learning. But knowing the song doesn’t always mean a child knows their letters.

About

Learning the ABCs takes all three:
letter name, letter shape, and letter sound.
True alphabet knowledge means being able to recognize letter names (in any order), letter shapes, and letter sounds. Research shows that children who master these skills early are much more likely to become strong readers. Yet many parents and caregivers aren’t aware of just how important this milestone is.

Learning the ABCs takes all three: letter name, letter shape, and letter sound.
True alphabet knowledge means being able to recognize letter names (in any order), letter shapes, and letter sounds. Research shows that children who master these skills early are much more likely to become strong readers. Yet many parents and caregivers aren’t aware of just how important this milestone is.

This campaign was created in collaboration with partners across the Bozeman Reads Community Coalition, all working together to ensure more children enter kindergarten confident, curious, and ready to read.

That’s why Bozeman Reads is launching the Bozeman ABCs — a new campaign designed to raise awareness about alphabet knowledge and share simple, practical tips families can use at home and around town to make learning letters part of everyday life.

Name Games: The easiest letters for a child to learn are the ones in their name.

Spell your child's name to a familiar tune. Repeat it regularly so they learn the letters in their name. For example, 5-letter names work well to the tune of B-I-N-G-O.
Skip to the letters in your child's name!
Introduce your child to their name in print –– Have them sing their name song while they touch each letter in their name.
Put your child's written name in multiple places in your home –– Help your child recognize their name.

The ABC Song! It is important for children to know letters in order and out of order. The best way to learn the order of the alphabet is the old standby... the ABC song!

Teach your child the ABC song! Make sure to slow down for "L, M, N, O, P" so your child learns that it isn't all one big letter name!
Practice the song in funny voices throughout your day. (Loud, soft, fancy, slow, etc.)

Play I Spy! Learning to hear parts of spoken language is incredibly important in learning to read! Play with the sounds in words with "I Spy." You can use the first sounds in words, rhyming words, or stretching words.

I Spy something that starts with /B/
I Spy something that rhymes with "log"
I Spy something that is called /C/-/A/-/T/

TALK, TALK, and TALK SOME MORE! Oral Language is the foundation for reading! Incorporate conversation into your daily routines with your child.

Tune In: Notice what your child is interested in and talk about it
Take Turns: Give your child plenty of time and opportunity to participate in the conversation!
Talk More: The amount of language your child hears MATTERS! Keep talking!!!