One of my daughter's favorite nighttime rituals is singing the ABC song. First, she asks us to sing it the "normal" way, and then she wants to sing it the "special" way — where we add the names of everyone we know after their letters. The more friends she makes, the longer and more complicated this song gets! She loves figuring out where each person's name belongs in the alphabet: "What is Luna's letter? What is Sawyer's letter?" Sometimes, she'll mix it up and ask to sing the song with her favorite cartoon characters, animals, or even objects in her room.

This month, why not take that ABC song a step further by helping your child create their very own "My Favorites" ABC book? It's a wonderful way to reinforce letter recognition and phonemic awareness while allowing them to make personal connections to the alphabet.

1. Gather Materials:
   • Notecards or paper cut into quarters.
   • Markers, crayons, or colored pencils for drawing and writing.
   • Scissors (if cutting out pictures) and glue or tape (for collages).
   • Stickers or magazine cutouts for decoration (optional).
2. Create Each Page:
   • Letter and Sound: have your child write or trace each letter's uppercase letter on the page. If they are ready for more of a challenge, encourage them to write the lowercase version as well.
   • Favorite Thing: Help your child think of a favorite person, place, thing, or character that starts with the letter. For example, for "A," she might choose "Apple," "Ava," or "Art class." If needed, prompt with suggestions based on what they love.
   • Illustrate: Let your child draw the object or person, cut out pictures from a magazine, or find images online representing that letter. You can print pictures together if you're doing this digitally.
   • Sentence Writing (for a challenge): If your child is ready to write more, encourage them to add a sentence under the picture. For example, for "B," they might write, "My best friend is Bella," or "I like playing with blocks."
3. Compiling the Book:
   • After each letter page is finished, help your child bind the pages together in order. You could staple the pages together or use a ribbon or string to tie them into a booklet.
   • Add a cover page with a title like "My Favorites ABC Book."
4. Sharing the Book:
   • Once the book is complete, ask your child to share it with a family member, friend, or sibling. They can even bring it to their next LP meeting to share with their HST! This not only builds confidence in their work but also allows them to practice speaking and presenting their ideas clearly.