5 Ways To Teach The ABC’s

5 Ways To Teach The ABC’s

If you’re like most preschool moms, you are starting to freak out a little that your child might not know his or her ABC’s yet. Have no fear because most Kindergarteners are not one hundred percent familiar with their alphabet by the time they reach their first year of school.

If the 3 year old is ready and so are you, then it’s wise to go ahead and get started on the alphabet learning process. Don’t know where to start? Well, here are a few great activities to get you started:

One Letter at a Time

The understanding of reading comes when a child has learned the alphabet and can recognize and sound out each letter. Please note that this is an ongoing process. Your child will probably learn a few letters and then forget a few letters. Every child learns at his or her own pace as well. Teaching your child the ABC song is a great first move, but you want to move onto each letter.

Start by sitting down with your three year old from the beginning of the alphabet. Have several different resources to show your child the letter as well. You may want to write down the letter “A” for them so they can visually see it, but you will also want to have several tangible ways they can learn each letter.

Sign Language

There is a reason many parents use sign language to communicate. It is fun and o so very easy. Even if you do not know the alphabet through sign language, it can be a great learning opportunity for both of you. Keep in mind that the sign language version and the paper version of the alphabet do not always coincide, so you will have to reinforce both quite frequently. Here is a printable for the sign language alphabet.

Flash Cards

Flash cards are FUN. You may not remember how much fun they are because your last memory of flash cards was writing down chemistry notes J. Flash cards are incredibly fun for children. Plus, it’s a free and easy way to write out letters for your child to memorize. If you do not feel like making your own, there are 101 ways you can buy or borrow from someone else. Consider using animal flash cards, or any other theme of flash cards that will get your child excited about learning the alphabet.

Theme Learning

Does your child love Barbie, Thomas, or some other popular cartoon? This next activity may take some work but it’s so much fun. For example—if your child loves Thomas, create a Thomas themed alphabet.

This example is for Barbie though—

A is for Anna the Barbie

B is for Brush to keep the hair soft

C is for Cruising in the Barbie Mobile

This doesn’t have to be perfect, but it makes learning the alphabet fun.

ABC Staircase

Part of learning the alphabet is incorporating it into their everyday lives. Since the alphabet is the basis of all learning, this is really important. If you have a staircase, consider placing a letter at each step.

You can do a few letters at a time (because no one probably has 26 stairs in their home). If you have 13 stairs, you can place half of the alphabet on one side and then down the other side. (For some kids this might be confusing). If you do not have a staircase, get a little creative elsewhere. Take letters and place them on objects throughout your home.

Don’t be afraid to change things up and see what works for your child. The 3 year old of your home is well on his/her way to learning the alphabet with these great ABC’s activities.

What activities have you had success with to teach the ABC’s to your little ones?