Learning the alphabet can be a bit of a challenge for many children. In order to learn how to read, parents need to spend time teaching their children the alphabet so they can have the building blocks of reading at hand as they begin reading. Learning the alphabet doesn’t have to be a hard. You can easily teach your children the alphabet by following some of these tips:
Tip # 1 – Search for teaching opportunities
Instead of just going about your daily activities, create a teaching moment by taking some time to sit down with your child and teach them different letters of the alphabet. For example, when you are at the grocery store, ask them to find the oranges, apples and blueberries. Then you can ask them what letter each object starts with. This will give your child a chance to think about an apple and how it relates to the letter “A”.
Tip # 2 – Sing with your children
A great way to teach your children the alphabet is to sing with them. The alphabet song is a great way to teach them the alphabet. Once your child is able to sing the alphabet song, they will be able to learn how to identify letters. After they are at this point, make an alphabet book. When you sing the song, pull out the book and flip through each letter as you are saying it in the song. This will help your children recognize what the letter looks like as they are saying it. To help them understand it, take their hand to trace the letter and to point it out. Over time, they will be able to point to the letter and say it’s name.
Tip # 3 – Make a collage
Making an alphabet collage is a fun craft activity. If your child is doing well learning their letters and words, enlist their help as you search for images that start with each letter. Use your alphabet song book and have your child cut and paste pictures around those letters in the book. Now when you sing the song, allow a few extra seconds on each page for your child to point to the different images and say their names.
Tip # 4 – Finger paint
Finger painting is a great way to help your children understand the different letters in the alphabet while letting them get dirty. Print out the different letters and then have your children finger paint them. You can even use blank sheets of paper to have them paint the letter along with a few images that relate to that letter. Children love to get dirty and finger painting is one of the best ways to allow them to get dirty and have some fun while they are learning.
Tip # 5 – The name game
To teach your child the letters of the alphabet, have them identify the letters that relate to the people they know. A lot of children can quickly identify characters like Winnie the Pooh and Elmo, which makes it easier for you to find pictures of these characters and glue it to a sheet of paper that has the letter on it. Try using pictures of their friends and aunts and uncles as well as this is easy for them to understand. To help them understand their name, write down their name on several sheets of paper and place them in different areas of the home to say things like, “Where does Tyler’s coat go?”, and over time he will understand where his coat goes. Using his name to help him find things that belong to him like his toothbrush and crayons will make it easy for him to identify his own name.