Materials:
- Large uppercase 'E' and lowercase 'e' cutouts
- Smaller letter E flashcards
- Pictures or small toy objects starting with E (e.g., egg, elephant, envelope, elbow, ear)
- Playdough
- Washable crayons or markers
- Paper
- Optional: "Elmo Loves You" or other E-focused book/song
Lesson Activities:
1. Exciting E Introduction (5 mins):
"Hello! Today we're going to meet a very exciting letter! It's the letter E!" Show the large uppercase 'E' cutout. "This is Big E! Can you say E?" Encourage repetition. Then show the lowercase 'e'. "And this is little e! They make the same sounds! E says /e/ like 'eh-eh-egg' and E says its name 'eeee' like in 'ear'." Make the sounds clearly and encourage the toddler to copy. Point to your ear when saying the long E sound.
2. E Sound Hunt (10 mins):
"Let's find things that start with E!" Hide the E pictures/objects around the room beforehand. "Can you find the EGG?" When the toddler finds it, say "Egg! Egg starts with E! /e/-/e/-egg!" Repeat with other items (Elephant, Envelope, Elbow). Point to your elbow when saying the word. Emphasize the starting sound each time.
3. Playdough E Fun (10 mins):
"Let's make the letter E with playdough!" Give the toddler playdough. Show them how to roll snakes. Guide them in making a Big E (one long snake, three short snakes) and a little e (a small snake curved around with a line through the middle, or a ball with a snake curved around it). Talk about the shapes as you make them.
4. E Tracing & Coloring (10 mins):
"Now let's draw the letter E!" Provide paper and crayons. Draw a large E and e for them. Encourage them to trace over your letters with their finger, then with a crayon. They can also color the pictures of E words you found earlier or just enjoy scribbling and making E shapes.
5. E Story/Song Time (5 mins):
(Optional) Read a simple book focusing on E or sing a song like "E is for Elephant" (to the tune of Twinkle Twinkle: "E is for Elephant, so big and grey. /e/-/e/-elephant, wants to play!"). Use the small flashcards to point out the letter E during the story/song.
Wrap-up:
"Wow! We learned all about the letter E today! Can you show me Big E? Little e? What sound does E make? /e/ /e/! Great job!" Give lots of praise.