fostering learning independence

While I still haven't made any decisions on introducing a second language to Braeden, we have started working on the phonetical sounds of letters.  Braeden knows all of his letters thanks to Dr. Seuss, and I have grown really bored with hearing what letter is what all day long.  Does it make me a bad parent, to say I got bored with my child? I'm digressing.  Anyway, I was bored so I started telling him the sounds of the letters.   He'd bring me a fridge magnet letter, tell me which one it was and if it was big or little.  I would then tell him the sound, which he would repeat.  Then he'd run off to get a new letter.  This left a pile of letters in my lap, and a pile of knowledge in his brain!
He also is very into coloring, and telling me what letter he has scribbled.  Some times they look just like a letter, and sometimes it takes a little imagination to see what he's seeing.  I started thinking about getting him some sort of letter tracing 'thing' so he could self-learn letter writing.  I'm very into kids doing things themselves.  Feeding, dressing, bathroom. You name it, I'm all for them doing it themselves. 
On an unrelated shopping trip I was waiting for a friend in the Target entrance, and wandered over to $1 bins.  I totally scored! I got several different letter tracing items, and phonics cards! He hasn't retained any of the sounds yet, or done more than scribble over the tracing letters but it will come.  I pull those out occasionally when he's having trouble self-occupying while I cook or clean.