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ABC Chart: Printable Alphabet Charts

6 free PDFsUS Letter or A4Answer key includedNo login

A printable alphabet chart with a picture for every letter, a letter sound chart, a big uppercase and lowercase chart, desk strips and fill-in charts.

Download the abc chart worksheets

Print at 100% (actual size) for the cleanest tracing lines.

About these abc chart worksheets

An ABC chart puts the whole alphabet in front of a child at once: every uppercase and lowercase letter, in order, with a picture that starts with it. Children use it to find a letter they cannot remember, to check which way b faces, and to work out how to spell the first sound of a word.

The main ABC chart shows Aa to Zz with a clear black-and-white picture and its word: apple, bus, cat, dog and so on, with the letter in bold. The letter sound chart adds each letter's sound, both sounds for the vowels, so it doubles as a phonics chart. The uppercase and lowercase letters chart shows big letter pairs with no pictures, for children who are matching capitals to small letters.

For the classroom, the desk strips print four small alphabet charts on one page to cut apart and tape to desks or folders. Two charts are for children to finish: one asks them to draw something for each letter, and the fill-in chart asks them to write each lowercase letter next to its uppercase partner (answer key included). Every chart prints on US Letter or A4.

Standards

  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.K.1.DRecognize and name all upper- and lowercase letters of the alphabet.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.K.3.ADemonstrate basic knowledge of one-to-one letter-sound correspondences by producing the primary sound or many of the most frequent sounds for each consonant.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.K.3.BAssociate the long and short sounds with the common spellings (graphemes) for the five major vowels.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.K.1.APrint many upper- and lowercase letters.

How to use them

  1. Hang the ABC chart at children's eye level, not above the board. A chart they can touch gets used.
  2. Sing or chant through the chart while pointing to each letter: "A, /ă/, apple. B, /b/, bus." A minute a day builds letter names and sounds together.
  3. When a child asks how to write a sound, send them to the chart first: "What sound do you hear? Find the picture that starts that way."
  4. Tape a desk strip at each seat so every child has the alphabet in reach when writing.
  5. Use the draw-your-own chart over a week or two as a center activity. Children remember pictures they chose themselves.

Teaching tips

  • Lowercase letters matter more than capitals for reading, because most of the letters in books are lowercase. Point to the small letter as often as the big one.
  • If a child mixes up b and d, show them the bus and dog pictures on the chart and say the sounds together.
  • The x picture is a box because x says /ks/ at the end of the word. That is where children hear it.
  • Print the chart at 100% for a full page, or ask your copier for a larger size (11 by 17 inches) for a wall poster.
  • Black and white saves ink. Children can color the pictures, which also helps them remember them.

Questions teachers and parents ask

What is an ABC chart?

An ABC chart, or alphabet chart, shows all 26 letters in order, usually as uppercase and lowercase pairs with a picture for each letter. Children use it as a reference while they learn letter names, sounds and how to write them.

What is the difference between an ABC chart and a letter sound chart?

An ABC chart shows each letter with a picture. A letter sound chart, sometimes called a phonics chart, also shows the sound each letter makes, such as /b/ for b and both the short and long sounds for each vowel.

Which ABC chart is best for kindergarten?

Start with the picture chart for the wall and a desk strip at each seat. Add the letter sound chart once children are working on sounds, and use the fill-in and draw-your-own charts for practice.

Can I print the ABC chart as a poster?

Yes. Print it at actual size on US Letter or A4, or use a copier to enlarge it to 11 by 17 inches. The lines are black and white, so they stay sharp when enlarged.