Q: Should I teach lowercase letters in Pre-K?
A: Yes—but only if your Pre-K children are ready. Make sure children know all of their capitals first. Capital letters are easy:

• All start at the top.
• All are the same height.
• All occupy the same vertical space.
• All are easy to recognize and identify.
• All are big, bold, and familiar.

For lowercase instruction, begin by teaching lowercase recognition and the capital-lowercase association. Use your wall cards, ABC Touch & Flip Cards, Word Time activities, and My First School Book (pp. 72–75). Teach lowercase writing with a pencil only when children are ready.

Remember to keep the following in mind before you start teaching lowercase: 

• Lowercase letters start in four different places (a, b, e, f).
• Lowercase letters are not all the same size:
  • 14 letters are half the size of capitals.
  • 12 are the same size as capitals.
• Lowercase letters occupy three different vertical positions: small, tall, descending.
• Lowercase letters are more difficult to recognize because of subtle differences (a, b, d, g, p, q ).