Start Here!
Start with the Alfie letter page.
You will find our teaching guide below. It is also available for download.
Watch an Alfie video to begin letter recognition. Introduce Alfie as the “wordy birdy” that helps us learn letters and words.
Initial Options
You may choose to print and laminate the pages yourself. All the downloads are available at no cost. Everything can be printed in black and white from the website for cost savings.
You may also choose to order the three literacy learning sections from the website. They are in color and laminated.
If your students are at the beginning of letter recognition you may choose to start here.
If they are more advanced, you may choose to start with Sections 2 or 3.
See, Say, & Move
SECTION 1: Letter Recognition
Start with Letter A. After introducing Alfie and watching the letter A video, introduce the Moving Through the Alphabet poster and the companion I Can page. Explain that as children learn letters, they will also learn animals and an animal move to go with every letter.
You may choose to add some of the songs and phonics pages in Part 2 and 3. They are designed to be used together as children progress.
See, Say, & Move
SECTION 1: Letter Recognition
Part 1 is an introduction to letters. It is called See, Say and Move.
See the letter. Say the letter. Say the animal and do the Move.
There are several activity pages for each letter to mix and match throughout the week to bolster early educational curriculum.
Here is an example for Letter C:
- Begin with Alfie’s Letter C video. Kids should stand and move to all the videos. March in place, dance, or follow along to the moves.
- Letter Recognition Moving Through the Alphabet poster in color. Print this on an 8.5”x 11” piece of paper. If possible, print it in color and laminate it for durability.
We also sell these pages on the website to make things easier.
With each letter poster there is an animal and an action to do.
The Letter: C The Animal: Cat–cheetah cat. The Move: Cheetah stalk and charge. Get down low on all fours and imagine silently and slowly moving through the tall African grass. Hold still, and then, stand and charge as fast as you can. This move is called a Cheetah Charge and it is loads of fun to do again and again. If space is limited, you can pretend to run super-fast in place. Pick your knees up high and swing your arms.
For Letter C the animal is a Cat. Cheetah Cat. The movement is to run in place super-fast. We’ll keep adding letters and movements as we go through the alphabet. With 26 letters, you’ll have 26 moves. This is a great way to start the day and move through the alphabet.
- “I Can” pages are the companion activity pages that go along with Moving Through the Alphabet posters. Building confidence is an important tool to help navigate life and it begins in childhood. The “I Can” pages reinforce a child’s ability to accomplish a letter and a move. Print Letter C page for every child to color, trace the letters, and do the move. Say the words, “I CAN run like that cat!” See the letter. Color it. Say the letter, letter sound and word “cat” while moving like a cheetah cat.
- Alfie’s letter page to color in class or send home for more letter recognition fun.
- Group Time. Pretend play–Act it Out page. Have children color all the letter Cs on the page and then color the cheetah cat mask. Offer help to cut out the mask if children need it, especially the eye holes. The children can incorporate the mask using their imaginations as they pretend to be cheetahs.
Thought starters: How would it feel to be a cheetah? How would you move? Can you move fast? Can you move slow? Who would you make friends with? What would you do for fun? What sounds would you make?
Using their imaginations children can move around like cheetahs making
friends, sounds, and gestures while they experience the joy that comes from pretend play.
Discussion: How are all cats alike? Include both physical similarities and behavioral similarities.
- Animal Letter Wall Card. Print out the Animal Letter Wall Card for letter C. If possible, print it in color and laminate it for durability. We also sell these cards on the website to make things easier.
- C Card for Personal Letter Wall. Print the children’s matching letter C for them to trace, color and do the movement. The movement for letter C is running in place. The word is cat. The children glue their letter C card on their own personal Animal Letter Wall. Be sure to print a personal letter wall for each child.
Personal Letter Sound Wall. Print a Personal Letter Wall for each child. Each time they learn a new letter they color their personal card and glue it to their personal letter wall.
Alfie’s Animal Action Alphabet
The animal list, animal move, and a short sentence to reinforce the letter sound.
A is for Anteater Long tongue slurp using arm
“Ate, ate, ate an ant.”
B is for Butterfly Short, fast arm flaps moving up, down, and around in a circle.
“Busy, busy, butterfly. Flutter up flutter down, fly there and turn around.”
C is for Cat-cheetah cat Stalk and Run in place or across the room or playground.
“Can’t, can’t catch me!”
D is for Duck Waddle- one-leg balance-pretend to dive with a quack
“Dipsey-doodle duck dive.”
E is for Elephant Trunk swing, reach high to grab with fingers and curl arm to mouth to eat.
“Elephant is excited to enjoy her eats.
F is for Fox Fox pounce and half head stand
Fetch, fetch, fetch. Friendly, furry fox fetch.”
G is for Gorilla Knuckle walk and baby log roll
“ Go, go gorilla roll!”
H is for Hermit Crab Three-legged walk and shell changing
“Hidey-hidey-hide, happy hermit crab.”
I is for Impala Long leaps side to side.
“I can leap, leap, leap, like an Impala.”
J is for Jackrabbit Fast hops–front back, side to side.
”Jump, jump in a jiffy jackrabbit.”
K is for Kinkajou Twist and turn laying on back with legs in the air.
Kinkajou, the king of twisty turns.”
L is for Lion Roar and cat stretch
“Leader, leader lion with a loud, long roar.”
M is for Meerkat March and pretend to dig
“Many, many meerkats marching
on the mound, digging underground.”
N is for Nudibranch Swim on back, twist and roll
“Never, have I ever seen a nudibranch.”
O is for Orangutan Swing, swing swing. Arms in air swinging overhead.
“Oh, oh, oh orangutan-go!”
P is for Polar bear Walk on all fours shake back end
“Power, power, polar bear.”
Q is for Queen angelfish Shake body, pretend to swim.
“Quiet, shy, shimmer-swimmer.”
R is for Rhino Lay on back. Pretend to wiggle in mud.
“Romp, romp, romp and roll Rhino”.
S is for Seahorse Wiggle body up tall and down low.
“Swim, swim seahorse, swirling in the salty sea.”
T is for Tree frog Pretend to climb up a tree.
“Tip-toe, tip-toe stickie tiny toes.”
U is for Umbrella bird Pretend to hop to and from branches, arms held overhead on one foot.
“Up, up. Up on top. Under her umbrella.” V is for Vine snake Slither-wiggle forward and in a circle.
“Very vibrant, not a viper-vine snake.”
W is for Woodpecker Clap hands up high and fly
“Whack, whack, woodpecker. Whack, whack, whackadoodle.”
X is for X-ray fish Holding arms close to body, flap hands, move forward and backward fast.
“Swish, swish, tiny X-ray Tetra fish.”
Y is Yak Stand and trot in a circle.
“Yippee, yippee Yak trot.”
Z is for Zebra Gallop fast and slow.
“Zip, zip, zippy zebra!”