Lowercase Letter ‘a’: The Way We Write “ɑ” and the Way We Read “a”

In books, the lowercase ‘a’ usually appears as “a”, a form that is quite distinct from the way children are often taught to write it, which looks more like “ɑ”. This difference can make it challenging for kids to recognize that these two symbols represent the same letter.

Through engaging activities and games, 5yearoldreading.com and the 5 Year Old Reading app help children recognize the printed form “a” in books and connect it to the handwritten form “ɑ” that they practice.

Here are some screenshots of our activities designed to help kids identify both forms of the letter ‘a’:

In addition to recognition, we also provide tracing exercises where kids can practice writing the letter as “ɑ”. Here are some screenshots of tracing activities:

If your child is struggling with recognizing or writing the letter ‘a,’ give our app a try. Together, we can help them master both forms and set them on the path to reading and writing success.