Are you looking for letter Mm activities to use with your preschooler or kindergartner? Maybe you’re a classroom teacher browsing for more ideas.
Research tells us that a direct, explicit approach to teaching the alphabet is more effective than indirect teaching. Enjoy the crafts, art ideas, and book list, but know that using a scripted routine like the one below is the most efficient way to teach letters and sounds. Make it your own!
How to introduce letter Mm
- Say words that begin with Mm: Say each word after me. (Emphasize the /m/ at the beginning of each word as you say it.) Moon. Milk. Mug. Mop. Math. What sound begins each word? The sound is /m/.
- Talk about what your mouth is doing as you say the sound: Look at what my mouth is doing as I say /m/. Now you try. What are your lips doing? Put your hand on your throat as you say /m/. Is it a quiet or noisy sound? (noisy)
- Introduce the letter on a flash card: (Hold up the letter M card in uppercase or lowercase.) This is the letter M. When we see this card, we say “M spells /m/.” Your turn. (Students: “M spells /m/.”)
How to practice writing uppercase letter M
- Sky-write the letter: To make the letter M, we start at the top and pull down. Then we go back to the top, slant down, slant up, and pull down. Watch me put my hand in the air and write an M in the sky. I start at the top and pull down. Then I go back to the top, slant down, slant up, and pull down. Now you try. Put your finger in the air. Start at the top and pull down. Then go back to the top, slant down, slant up, and pull down.
- Have students finger-write the letter: Make an M by moving your finger on the table. Start at the top and pull down. Go back to the top, slant down, slant up, and pull down. (Other options: sand or salt tray, shaving cream, etc.) Now do the same thing while saying, “M spells /m/.” Remember to underline the M when you say /m/. (Practice multiple times.)
How to practice writing lowercase letter m
- Sky-write the letter: To make the letter m, we start in the middle, pull down, up, over, down, up, over, and down. Watch me put my hand in the air and write an m in the sky. I start in the middle, pull down, up, over, down, up, over, and down. Now you try. Put your finger in the air. Start in the middle, pull down, up, over, down, up, over, and down.
- Have students finger-write the letter: Make an m by moving your finger on the table. Start in the middle, pull down, up, over, down, up, over, and down. (Other options: sand or salt tray, shaving cream, etc.) Now do the same thing while saying, “m spells /m/.” Remember to underline the m when you say /m/. (Practice multiple times.)
Other letter Mm activities
Free Printables
- Monster Count & Clip Cards #1-20
- Monster Dice Match
- Monster Memory Game #1-10
- Monster Missing Addend Flip Cards
- Little Letter M Book (rhymes and songs)
- M is for Monster (dot sticker page)
More alphabet resources
- Alphabet picture cards from A-Z
- Beginning sound clip cards
- Beginning sound coloring pages
- Beginning sound match mats
- Letter hunt & find worksheets
Find the rest of the alphabet HERE.
Looking for a done-for-you alphabet curriculum?
Alphabet Curriculum for Preschool
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Our curriculum includes lessons for teaching both upper and lowercase letter names and sounds. You’ll get three lessons per letter, built-in review, simple handwriting practice, rhyming, syllable counting, phonemic awareness, and a whole lot more!
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Raudha
Hello. Greetings from Singapore.
Chanced upon your blog/website when I was searching for activities for letter m. Lots of useful ideas here. Thanks for sharing.
Cheers!
Raudha
Anna Geiger
You’re very welcome, Raudha, and I hope you keep finding things you can use here!
Chris
Anna, I also teach older 3’s, young 4’s. I LOVE your handwriting tips and practice sheets (the multiple sizes one). Between you and thisreadingmama.com this year has been great! I also use Heidi songs (letters and sounds, numbers and shapes, and sight words) as well as zoophonics, so my kids are set!
Thank you so much for seeing this as a ‘mission field’ and helping those of us who didn’t get a M.Ed. My daughter claims she wants to homeschool (we’ll see–she may follow in your footsteps and use the parochial schools for K on up when the time comes, as she wants lots of kids!). I have already told her about your website.
Thanks so much!
Chris
Anna Geiger
Hello, Chris! I’m so glad you’re finding things here to help you. It’s always great to find new ideas as a teacher – I’m always on the hunt for them myself! This is a joy for me, and I get to do it from my home, which is a true gift! Thank you for sharing my website with your daughter. 🙂
`hOLLY B.
I LOVE your site!!! There is so much valuable information here! I, too, am a former teacher, turned stay at home, homeschooling mom. However, I never had to teach the alphabet. When teaching the alphabet to littles, do I teach capital letters, then lower case or both together? My little guy turns 3 this summer. As with most teachers/homeschooling moms, I am planning, planning, planning! Thank you for all your AWESOME work! P.S. I hope you are able to get around to the rest of the alphabet. I hope you are enjoying a healthy baby and self!
Anna Geiger
Hi Holly! So glad you found my site, and hope you keep finding stuff you can use! As for teaching the alphabet, I prefer to teach uppercase first because they’re easier to write. Some people do lowercase first because that’s mostly what you see in books. However, I think if you start early enough (as in 2 or 3 years old) you’ll have plenty of time to teach lowercase before they are reading. If your little guy is a quick learner, there’s nothing wrong with teaching both together either. The only reason I’d caution against that is if it causes confusion. This is all my experience as a mom by the way… I taught first grade and above in the classroom. And yes I am absolutely planning to do the rest. We are finishing up letter O this week and then it’s on to letter G… hopefully sometime this fall we’ll be done!
Ashley
Your site is amazing! I cannot believe how much you do. It is definitely my go to site for the 3 yr old preschool class I teach. Thank you so much for all of you hard work, it sure makes my life a lot easier. Just wanted you to know. 🙂
Anna Geiger
Thank you so much, Ashley! That has been my exact goal, to be a “go to site” for preschool teachers and parents teaching their kids at home. Of course I’ll be much more of that when I finally get the whole alphabet done… just welcomed a new bundle to our house (a week old tomorrow!), but hoping to still complete the alphabet by the fall. Thanks so much for your encouraging words!