Evidence-based curriculum for ages 2-8

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A young girl looking at a brightly colored ABC poster that is hanging on the wall.

What Are Consonants and Fun Ways to Teach Them 

Help your child understand consonant letters and get great tips and activities for teaching them. 

As your child becomes comfortable with the letters of the alphabet, the next step is helping them learn the differences between vowels and consonants. Here’s everything you need to know about consonants and ways to help your child understand how they differ from vowels. 

What Are Consonant Letters? 

In English, vowels are the letters a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes y. Consonants are all the other letters in the alphabet. Fourteen consonants have only one sound: B, F, H, J, K, L M, N, P, R, T, V, W, and Z. However, seven consonants can have more than one sound: C, G, D, S, Y, and X.

Consonant sounds are made by blocking air using your teeth, tongue, or lips. For example, say the word “pad” and emphasize the beginning consonant sound “puh” while holding your hand in front of your mouth. Notice how you make the sound by bringing your lips together to block air.  

For other consonants, you use the positions of your teeth or tongue to block the air. To see this in action, begin to say the letter /k/ and freeze your mouth in position. The back of your tongue is now touching the top of your mouth (known as the “palate”), blocking the airflow. 

Vowel sounds don’t block the air flow. Try saying the various vowel sounds (like “ah” or “oo”) with your hand in front of your mouth. The air continues to flow no matter what vowel sound you make. 

A black chalkboard with consonants listed on the left side and vowels on the right side, separated into two distinct groups.

*What About Y? 

Y is a tricky letter, because while it’s technically a consonant, it can also be used to stand for a vowel sound in certain situations. Generally, when Y is at the beginning of a word, it stands for a consonant sound and makes the “yuh” sound, as in yellow. If it’s in the middle of a word, or at the end of a syllable or word, it usually stands for a vowel sound, such as a long /e/, long /i/, or short /i/ sound, as in happy or system

Voiced Consonants vs. Unvoiced Consonants 

We can break consonants down further into two groups: voiced and unvoiced. When speaking, you use your vocal cords to make a voiced consonant sound. An unvoiced consonant sound doesn’t need your vocal cords.  

Here’s an example: Say the word “pat,” breaking it into its individual sounds: /p/ /a/ /t/. When you say /p/ and /t/, your throat will not vibrate. It will vibrate when you say /a/. Now try this again, with the sounds of the word “bad” – /b/ /a/ /d/. All three of these make your throat vibrate, so they’re all voiced. 


Another easy way to tell the difference? Try singing! You can sing voiced consonants and vowels, but not unvoiced consonants. Try singing a scale using “la-la-la,” and then “ta-ta-ta.” You can connect the la-la-las, but not the ta-ta-tas. 

Do Any Consonants Stand for More Than One Sound? 

You probably know that vowels can stand for more than one sound (long and short sounds, among others), and some consonants stand for multiple sounds too. We’ve already mentioned the letter Y, which stands for a consonant sound and a vowel sound. Here are other consonants that stand for multiple sounds. 

A teacher helps a young boy pronounce the letter 'S' while they both look at a poster of a snake.

How Can I Help My Child Pronounce Consonant Letters Accurately? 

Learning the different sounds of some consonants takes practice and can feel tricky for children. However, it’s an essential skill to master. In order to spell, children must hear the sounds in words clearly and, in order to read, children must recognize then blend together the sounds that consonants stand for. That’s why it’s important to spend time helping them grow a true understanding of these letters and all the different sounds they can make. Try the following tips as you teach and practice with consonants: 

Use visuals to sort consonants from vowels 

Look for alphabet letter magnet sets in which the vowels are a different color from the consonants. Sort these letters with your child and use them to talk about the differences. After they have more experience, have them practice sorting letter tiles or cards that aren’t color-coded to show their mastery. 

A young girl looking at and sorting colorful magnetic letters on a flat surface.

Focus on individual sounds 

As you work with consonant sounds, be sure you’re separating them from vowel sounds. For instance, if you’re working with the letter b, be sure you’re saying /b/ and not “bee” or “bah.” 

Break words down into their constituent sounds with your child. Together, say /m/ /e/ /t/ or /s/ /t/ /o/ /p/. This builds a skill known as phonemic awareness, which is the ability to hear and identify individual sounds in words. 

Feel the differences 

Have your child do the exercises shown above while holding their hand in front of their mouth or while holding their hand on their throat to feel vibrations. As they say different letter sounds, ask them to think about the positions of their lips, teeth, or tongue for each one. Play around with moving your tongue or lips as you make sounds to see how they change. 

Use a mirror 

Look into a mirror with your child as you make different sounds to see what you notice. Is your mouth open or closed? Does your tongue touch your teeth or the roof of your mouth? Try to notice the very small differences that make various vowel or consonant sounds. 

A young girl looks into a hand mirror while pointing at her tongue, observing her mouth or practicing speech.

Start with the most common sounds 

Although multiple consonants make more than one sound, it’s best to start with the most common sounds as you teach your child. For instance, when you teach the letter t, just focus on the /t/ sound first.  

The exceptions are c and g, which kids will encounter very early in their reading journey. Teach your child both the hard and soft sounds of each of these consonants fairly early on. 

What Order Should You Introduce Consonant Letters? 

There are a variety of opinions on the best order for teaching consonants. Some prefer to group them by voiced and unvoiced types, while others arrange them by how easy or difficult they are to say or learn. 

Research indicates it’s best to begin with the more commonly-used consonants, which gives new readers a boost and enables them to read simple sentences right away. Remember that all kids learn at their own pace, and there’s no need to rush. You can introduce two to four new letters a week, but don’t worry if your child needs to work at a slower pace. 

Once your child is fully comfortable with all of the individual consonants, you can move on to consonant blends. These include blends in which both letters say their sound (/tr/ or /pl/) or those that combine the letters to make a new sound (/ch/ or /th/). Use this order when teaching blends: 


Consonant Letter Activities 

With 21 consonants to learn (many of which make more than one sound), regular practice is incredibly important. Give these activities a try with your child!  

Vocal Exercises 

Singers often warm up by singing sounds like “mah, meh, mee, moh, moo.” These exercises combine beginning consonants with short vowel sounds, and they’re terrific for little learners too. They emphasize the combination of phonetic sounds and show the differences between the consonants. Try them with every consonant in the alphabet, singing or just saying them aloud.  

A group of children sitting on the classroom floor, singing and clapping along to a song.

Word Ladders 

Write a consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) word at the top of the page, like “bat.” Say the word out loud, emphasizing the consonant sounds. Then, change one consonant at the beginning or end of the new word (“cat”) and say the new word. Repeat (“cap,” “rap,” “ran,” etc.) and make new as many different words as you can. 

Stand Up/Sit Down 

Choose two consonants to work on and make one “stand up” and the other “sit down.” For instance, if you use D and T, your child would stand up when they hear “dog” or “hidden,” and sit down for “town” or “bite.” This active learning exercise is great for working out the wiggles. 

A young boy sitting on a bright green chair with a big smile on his face.

Consonant Scavenger Hunt 

Pick any consonant and hold a hunt to find as many items that use that letter sound as you can. Remember to look for things that include the sound in the middle or end of the word. For instance, if you choose the letter n, you could point to a nut, a banana, or a muffin. 

Tongue Twisters 

“Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.” These phrases aren’t just fun to say, they also help kids practice their consonant sounds! Challenge your child to make up their own tongue twisters for every consonant. 

Trace and Say 

Trace consonant sounds with your finger or a writing instrument, making their associated sound as you do. Be sure to grab our free printable alphabet coloring pages for younger learners, and our letter tracing worksheets for those learning to write. 

Free printable letter worksheets from ABCmouse.com.

Consonant Videos 

Ready for an alphabet adventure? We have one for each letter of the alphabet, including every consonant! Learn with a ladybug on a leaf, or join us for jam and juice! Visit our YouTube channel to watch them all. 

Color by Letter 

Who doesn’t love to color? ABCmouse has two options for consonant letter coloring pages: color by letter and alphabet pictures. As you and your child color together, come up with a list of words that use that consonant’s sounds. 

Free printable color by letter worksheets for kids from ABCmouse.com.

Consonant Song 

Singing makes learning more fun, and it also helps the learning stick! Check out the ABCmouse YouTube playlist of alphabet songs to find tunes for all the consonants.  

Online Consonant Games 

When kids play ABCmouse online games, they learn essential skills like consonant letters and sounds. Here are a few of our favorites. Note: These games may require an ABCmouse subscription to play. 

  • Alphabet Sounds on the Farm: Click the pictures to hear the sounds each farm item begins with, exploring beginning consonant sounds. 
  • Last Letter in Line: Modify CVC words to create new words with this simple game that focuses on ending consonant sounds. 
Screenshot of an ABCmouse game titled 'Alphabet Sounds on the Farm,' featuring farm-themed graphics and interactive activities to help children learn letter sounds.
Screenshot of an ABCmouse game titled 'Last Letter in Line,' where children identify and select the last letter in a word, with colorful graphics and interactive elements.
Screenshot of an ABCmouse game titled 'Goldie’s C and G Sounds,' featuring a character named Goldie and interactive activities to help children learn the different sounds of the letters 'C' and 'G.

How ABCmouse Helps Teach Consonants 

ABCmouse’s interactive games and activities can help kids practice all the phonics fundamentals that build the foundation for confident readers, including types of consonant sound.  

ABCmouse’s early childhood and elementary curriculum focuses on children in preschool through second and growing fundamental literacy and math skills. When specifically looking at consonants, our program contains activities and games designed to help your child practice proper mouth and tongue formation when working with consonant sounds.  

Screenshot of an ABCmouse game titled 'First Letter in Line,' where children identify and select the first letter in a word, with engaging visuals and interactive elements.

For example, activities such as “First Letter in Line,” help your child listen for and use beginning consonant sounds. The sounds are isolated and then blended to show how letters work to build sounds and words.

Screenshot of an ABCmouse game titled 'Ring the Bell,' featuring interactive gameplay where children must identify correct answers to ring the bell, with colorful and engaging visuals.

In addition, your child can listen to and practice voiced and unvoiced beginning consonant sounds and letter blends through learning games like “Ring the Bell.”  

ABCmouse aims to make learning consonants an engaging and fun experience for children, offering a variety of games, songs, puzzles, and activities that allow many opportunities for practice with consonant sounds.  

Additional Resources

ABCmouse offers resources for parents and activities to help children keep learning. Here are a few examples.

Preparing Your Preschooler for Reading

Tips and strategies to help get your preschooler ready to start reading.

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How to Teach Phonics to Kindergartners

Tips and activities to help make learning phonics fun for your kindergartener.

Browse

Free Printable Vowel Worksheets

Check out our collection of vowel worksheets for preschoolers and up.

Browse

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