A great foundation skill for reading is the ability to hear and say the sounds of letters, or phonemes, "in isolation," that is, separated from the rest of the word. Remembering a sound for each of the 26 letters allows the beginning reader to "sound and blend" words, to decode words that the student doesn't "already know." Just listening to the letter sound songs gives a big head start to reading. Dancing around to the songs is highly recommended.
Alphabet Song to the Tune of Twinkle
Letter sounds, tune of "Brother John"
Letter sounds to the tune of "99 Bottles"