Letter families
A short captioned lesson on which letters are written the same way, for children. Free, with a full transcript and teaching notes.
Read the whole lesson
Letter families Hello! I am Bramble the hedgehog. Letters have families, just like us. Letters in the same family begin in the same way. Let us meet them.
Curly caterpillars First, the curly caterpillar family. These letters begin by curling round, like a caterpillar. C, o, a, d, g, q, e and s.
Long ladders Next, the long ladder family. These letters begin at the top and go straight down. L, i, t, u, j and y.
One-armed robots Then the one-armed robot family. Start at the top, go down, then go back up and make an arm. R, n, m, h, b, p and k.
Zig zag monsters And the zig zag family. These letters have straight, sharp lines. V, w, x and z. Zig, zag, zig, zag!
Write in the air Let us write in the air. Draw a curly caterpillar letter with your finger. Round and round. Now a long ladder. Down, down, down.
Start at the top Always start in the right place. Starting at the top is one of the best habits for neat writing. Take your time and follow the path.
Four letter families Brilliant! Four families, lots of letters. Practise one family at a time, with sand, paint or pencil. Bye from Bramble!
For grown-ups Teaching notes
- Letter families group letters that start with the same movement: curly caterpillar (c, a, d, g, o, q, s, e, f), long ladder (l, i, t, u, j, y), one-armed robot (r, b, n, m, h, p, k) and zig zag (v, w, x, z).
- Family names differ between schools. Use your school's names if it has them, so children are not confused.
- Practise each family in sand, paint or air before pencil.
- Check the start point of every letter. Starting in the wrong place causes most later habits.
Tip: pause the video after each picture, ask the child to say the answer, then press play.