If you’re homeschooling a preschooler or kindergartener, you’ve probably wondered:
“Are we making progress? Is this working?”
So many of us are juggling phonics lessons, spilled snacks, sibling squabbles, and those never-ending “what’s for dinner?” questions. Without a teacher conference or formal report card, it’s easy to second-guess yourself—even when you’re showing up every day.
So how do you know if your child is truly learning their letter names, letter sounds, and recognizing lowercase and uppercase letters? That’s exactly why I created this free printable letter sound assessment—a simple, clear, mama-friendly tool.
This tool was born out of a real need in our homeschool. I needed something practical to track my daughter’s letter recognition and sound fluency. I also use it with small groups in our homeschool co-op, and it’s become one of my favorite ways to spot strengths and gaps without overcomplicating things.
It’s just a few easy-to-use pages that help you :
✅ Check uppercase and lowercase letter identification
✅ Monitor letter sound recognition
✅ Track letter sound fluency (how fast and accurately they respond)
✅ Notice growth over time
There’s even a clear, parent-friendly assessment form where you can mark answers and see where a little more review might help.
You can use it at the beginning of the school year, mid-year, or whenever you need a quick check-in.
And the best part? It’s super simple to use. Just print it, grab a pencil, and spend five (semi-quiet) minutes seeing where your child stands.
👉 Grab your FREE ASSESSMENT HERE!
Many parents start by focusing on letter names (I did too!). But when it comes to learning to read, letter sounds are just as—if not more—important.
Knowing that m says /m/ is far more useful for decoding than just knowing it’s called “em.”
And here’s the thing: speed matters, too. A child might recognize a letter eventually, but we want them to recall it quickly and automatically. That automaticity is what frees up cognitive energy for blending, decoding, and ultimately, reading fluently.
This assessment tool helps you assess both speed and accuracy—so you’re not just checking a box, but truly seeing what your child has mastered.
If you want to dig deeper into this topic, check out these helpful guides:
👉 How to Boost Letter Naming Fluency for Beginning Readers
👉 Letter Recognition Assessment: Start Here (Do Not Pass Go)
Let’s be honest—we don’t have time to reinvent the wheel. Here’s how to use this tool without disrupting your day:
Sit down with flash cards and ask your child:
If your child usually refers to a chart, that’s great during practice. But for this check-in, put it away so you can see what they’ve retained.
– Letter identification: Can your child name uppercase and lowercase letters?
– Letter sounds: Can they match letters with their corresponding sounds?
– Fluency: Can they respond quickly and accurately, or do they hesitate?
– Which letters are still tricky?
Those “not yet” answers are incredibly helpful for shaping what comes next.
Once you’ve done a quick check-in, here’s how to use that info without spiraling into curriculum panic:
🧡 Celebrate mastery! Highlight what your child already knows.
🧡 Review “not yet” letters that don’t quite have the fluency needed for instant recognition.
🧡 Reintroduce tricky letters through multi-sensory activities and repetition.
🧡 Use results to build your next phonics or handwriting routine.
Then, if your child already knows most of their letters but still hesitates, don’t miss this follow-up with lots of fun activities:
👉 How to Boost Letter Naming Fluency for Beginning Readers
Here’s what I’ve personally loved about using this assessment resource in our homeschool:
And if your state requires documentation or a homeschool portfolio, this printable letter sound assessment makes an excellent addition to your records.
Whether your child knows three letter sounds or all twenty-six, you’re doing the faithful work of teaching them to read. It doesn’t always feel fast or flashy—but when you track progress over time, you’ll see it show up in quiet ways: a word they read aloud, a smile of recognition, a sense of growing confidence.
You don’t need anything fancy. Just a pencil, a printout, and a few focused minutes.
👉 Grab the Free Letter Recognition and Sounds Assessment HERE
