Listen and notice
Hear rhyme, rhythm, syllables, and sounds inside spoken words.
Stage 1. Pre-Readers
Wonder before words
Land of Letters
Before learners read words, they need time to listen, notice, play, and connect sounds to letters. Land of Letters gives Pre-Readers a gentle path into the alphabet through short, playful activities designed for real childhood learning.
See the path to first words
Is this your child?
Signs your reader is right here
You may notice some of these. Your child does not need to do every one.
Brings you books and asks you to read.
Joins in with rhymes and repeated lines.
Notices letters in their name or out in the world.
Knows some letter names or sounds.
Hears the first sound in a familiar word.
Retells a story by looking at the pictures.
Sound comes first
The path to first words
Each stop grows from the one before it. There is no rushing and no skipping roots.
Play with sounds
Blend and pull apart words by ear before print gets involved.
Meet the letters
Connect the sounds we hear to the letters we see.
Step into first words
Slide sounds together when your child’s brain is ready.
Open the Land of Letters.
Find short lessons, Ms. Ashley teaching videos, stories to share, and a growing shelf of reading tools. Each invitation meets your child where they are and shows you what to do right now.
Built from 19 years in education. Grown one reader at a time.
Explore the Reading LibraryFind your child’s starting place.
The Reading Check takes about five minutes. It places your child by what they can do, not by grade level.
Take the Free Reading Check