Ever watched a four-year-old try to say the word "lollipop" while their tongue just kind of flops around? It’s adorable. But it’s also a massive developmental milestone. Most of the time, we treat phonics like a chore—a list of flashcards to get through before snack time. Honestly, that's why kids get bored. If you want to have fun teaching letter l, you have to stop thinking like a teacher and start thinking like a kid who just discovered their tongue can touch the roof of their mouth.
The letter L is a "liquid" consonant. Linguistically, it’s a bit of a weirdo. Unlike a "P" that pops or an "S" that hisses, the L sound flows around the sides of the tongue. It’s gentle. It’s also one of the later sounds to fully master, often not settling in until age five or six according to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). If you’re stressing because a preschooler says "yeyo" instead of "yellow," take a breath. It's totally normal. The goal here isn't drill-sergeant perfection; it's about making the letter "L" the most interesting thing in the room today.
The "L" Sound is Actually a Physical Stunt
Most people start with the shape. "Look, it’s a tall line!" That’s fine for writing, but for reading? You need the sound first. I like to call the L sound the "Licking Letter."
Think about it. To make the sound $l$, the tip of the tongue has to hit the alveolar ridge—that little bumpy spot right behind the upper front teeth. You can't see it easily, so kids have to feel it. Grab a mirror. Seriously. Have the kids look at their own mouths. Tell them to try and "lick" the ceiling of their mouth with just the tip of their tongue. It sounds silly, but that physical awareness is what makes the phonics stick.
A great trick is the "Lollipop Test." Give them a (sugar-free, if you’re being healthy) sucker. Have them lick it upwards. That upward motion is exactly what their tongue needs to practice for the letter L. Once they get the physical movement down, the sound follows naturally.
Ditch the Worksheets for Real L-Words
Worksheets are where fun goes to die. If you're trying to have fun teaching letter l, you need to get messy. Let’s talk about Lava.
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Kids are obsessed with "The Floor is Lava." It’s a universal constant. Use it. Create an "L" path across the room using pillows or construction paper Ls. To cross the room, they have to shout an "L" word every time they step. "Lion!" "Lamp!" "Lemonade!" If they miss a word, they’re toasted by the imaginary magma. It’s high stakes, high energy, and they’ll remember the sound way better than if they circled a picture of a leaf in a workbook.
Speaking of Leaves, take it outside. Depending on the season, you can go on a "Leaf Leap." Find as many different leaves as possible. Big ones, little ones, crunchy ones. This introduces the concept of adjectives—long leaves, light leaves, lustrous leaves. It builds vocabulary while anchoring the "L" sound in a sensory experience.
Why the "Luh" Habit is Hard to Break
Here is a mistake almost everyone makes: adding a "schwa" sound to the end of the letter. We say "Luh" instead of a clean, clipped $l$. When you teach a child "Luh-ion," they’ll eventually try to spell it "L-U-I-O-N." It’s a mess to untangle later.
Try to keep the sound "dry." Keep the tongue up. Hold the $l$ sound like a hum. Llll-ion. It feels weird at first, but it’s the "expert" way to do it. Phonological awareness experts like those at Reading Rockets emphasize that the clearer the initial phoneme, the faster the blending happens later on.
Lighting Up the Letter L
Lights are another "L" obsession for the tiny humans. Grab a flashlight. Turn off the big overhead lights. This instantly changes the mood of the room. You can do "Light Writing" on the wall. Move the beam in a straight line down and then across for a capital L.
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Then there’s the Lego factor. Most households are drowning in them. Use them to build giant Ls on the floor. It’s a spatial reasoning task disguised as a phonics lesson. If you want to get really fancy, have them build "L" things—a Ladder, a Laboratory, a Lighthouse.
Don't ignore the Lizards. If you have plastic toy lizards, hide them around the room. It’s a "Lizard Hunt." Every time they find one, they have to say, "I found a Little Lizard!" It’s simple. It’s cheap. It works every single time because it taps into the natural hunting instinct kids have for tiny plastic junk.
The Science of Why This Matters
Early literacy isn't just about memorizing symbols. It's about "orthographic mapping." This is a fancy term for how the brain turns a string of letters into a recognizable word. When we have fun teaching letter l through multi-sensory play, we’re helping the brain build those maps faster.
Dr. Louisa Moats, a titan in the world of reading research, has long advocated for "speech to print" instruction. This means we start with the spoken sound and then show the letter that represents it. By playing "The Floor is Lava" or doing "Light Writing," you're cementing the sound in their ears and their muscles before they even pick up a pencil.
A Quick Word on "Leveling"
Not every kid is at the same spot.
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- Toddlers: Just focus on the "L" sound and pointing out "L" things in books.
- Preschoolers: Start tracing the letter in salt trays or shaving cream (so messy, so fun).
- Kindergartners: Start looking at where the "L" is in a word. Is it at the beginning like Lamp or the end like Ball?
That "ending L" is tricky. It's called a "dark L." Think about the word "full." Your tongue does something slightly different there than it does in "leaf." You don't need to explain the linguistics to a five-year-old, but just being aware of it helps you guide them when they say, "Wait, that sounds different!"
The L-Library: Books That Actually Help
You can't talk about "L" without a good book. But skip the generic "A is for Apple" stuff. You want books that repeat the sound rhythmically.
- The Lorax by Dr. Seuss: It’s a classic for a reason. The "L" sounds are thick and heavy here.
- Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney: Great for emotional resonance and that repetitive "Ll" initial sound.
- Leo the Late Bloomer by Robert Kraus: This one is a double win. It uses the letter L constantly and teaches kids that it’s okay if they aren't the first ones to master a skill.
Read these aloud and exaggerate the Ls. Make them long. Make them silly. Let the kids chime in every time they hear a word that starts with L. It turns passive listening into an active "L" hunt.
Making Lemonade Out of Lessons
If you really want to end the "L" week with a bang, make Lemonade. It’s the ultimate "L" activity.
- Lemons (Sour! Yellow! Lumpy!)
- Ladle (A great "L" tool)
- Liquid
- Lots of sugar (maybe too much)
Have them squeeze the lemons. It’s great for fine motor skills. Talk about the "L" sound as you stir. "Llll-ook at the llll-emonade!" It’s a sensory explosion. They smell it, they taste the sourness, they feel the cold glass. That is how you create a "sticky" memory. Years later, they might not remember the worksheet, but they’ll remember the day the kitchen smelled like lemons and they finally figured out where their tongue goes to make that $l$ sound.
Actionable Steps for Tomorrow Morning
Stop planning and start doing. Pick one of these and just go for it:
- The L-Box: Find a shoebox. Go on a house-wide scavenger hunt and find 5 things that start with L. A Lego, a Lion (toy), a Lid, a Lemon, and a Lace. Put them in the box and let the child "present" them to you.
- The Sky-Write: Go outside. Point to the clouds. Use your whole arm to "draw" a giant L in the sky. Big movements help with "gross motor" memory which eventually translates to "fine motor" writing.
- L-Lunch: Serve a lunch that's all L-themed. Lettuce wraps, Lentils, Lollipop (as a treat), and Lasagna. It sounds ridiculous, but kids find "theme days" incredibly motivating.
- Mirror Work: Spend two minutes in front of the bathroom mirror. Make the $l$ sound. Watch the tongue. Try to make "L-faces."
Teaching doesn't have to be a formal event with a desk and a chair. In fact, for the letter L, it shouldn't be. The more movement, noise, and laughter you involve, the faster the learning happens. Focus on the feeling of the tongue, the brightness of the "L" words, and the joy of discovery. If they're laughing, they're learning.