Introducing…The Alphabet!
Review the alphabet during bath time!
Teaching your child the alphabet should be fun and easy. Children can begin becoming familiar with the shapes and names of the letters at a very early age. Here are some ideas to get you started!
First, teach the names…
The Alphabet Song is a great place to start. It is an excellent way to teach the names of the letters. Be careful about how you sing the song. Many people say “Y and Z” at the end of the song. Research has shown that children confuse the word ‘and’ for a letter of the alphabet. So, while you’re singing, leave out the ‘and’.
Read alphabet books. Reading to your child is always beneficial. There are a couple of suggested alphabet books at the bottom of this memo.
Then, identify the letters…
Talk about one letter a day. Begin with the most important letters: the letters in your child’s name. Write your child’s name whenever you have a chance. Say each letter as you write it down.
Use magnetic letters. Hang a magnet board at your child’s height and put the letter for that day on the board. Point out words that begin with that letter all day long!
Use soft bathtub letters. Practice naming the letters while your child takes a bath. Identify the letters together and think of words that begin with them. It is a great way to review new vocabulary your child has learned that day!
Don’t become discouraged if your child is unable to identify all the letters after you have introduced them one at a time. Keep talking about them. Repeating a concept is a tool that will lead to mastery and success!
Suggested items for teaching the alphabet:
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Tags: Activities for Kids, Alphabet, Child Development, Children, Education, Ideas, Kinesthetic, Language, Reading, Skills, Verbal, Vocabulary, Words, Writing
Children are all different. They can learn visually, verbally, or kinesthetically (please see my memo “How Does Your Child Learn?”). They also learn at different rates. Perhaps your 4 year old is a visual learner. You should keep that in mind while she goes through school.
Nothing worked for my 4 y/o. Every letter, to her, was A. Someone suggested the Leapfrog Letter Factory DVD, and she knew the entire alphabet after watching it a few times. The best was that 2 y/o was watching it with her and can now identify all the letters and sounds.
One technique that worked well for all of my kids was to pour some sugar, flour, or sand onto a rimmed cookie sheet. Using your index finder draw the alphabet letters you are working on. Have your child repeat your motions. This works really well for teaching how to write their name. Its much easier to use the index finger thatn to wrry about grasping a pencil, felt, or crayon. Its a kinaestetic learning experience and so is highly reinforced through the senses.