Baby alphabet learning

How To Teach Toddlers The Alphabet (9 Effective Ways)

It’s essential to know the alphabet, so toddlers/preschoolers can start recognizing letters and learning phonetics.

Trust me; I know first hand how challenging it can be! But I promise if you stick with it and work with your toddler every day, you will see progress!  Below you will see a video of my son working on his skills! 

#1.

Did you know that there are FOUR ways that people learn?  (Visual, auditory, reading/writing, and kinesthetic)

When children are exposed to alphabet toys like puzzles, magnetic letters, or foam letters, it is an excellent opportunity to begin teaching them.

Children can look at the letters, hear you say the name of the letter, and physically touch them, which almost hits all of the ways that we learn best (reading and writing will come at a later date for these kiddos).

I have used a variety of different alphabet toys with my kids to help them learn their letters at such a young age.

A. Melissa and Doug See-Inside Alphabet Puzzle

I can honestly say that my son learned his ABC’s with this puzzle!

At the time this short video was taken, he was 16 months old. Below you will find a video of how you can play with this toy to help your toddler learn! 

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B. Melissa and Doug Alphabet Sound Puzzle

Do you have time to sit and play with your toddler all day?

Most likely, the answer is no, we all wish we could, but dishes need washing and laundry needs folded. This puzzle is fantastic because not only does it have the letters but it also makes the phonetic sound for each of the letters!

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They can still be learning even when you are not right next to them!

It’s suitable for toddlers and preschoolers so they can start connecting the sounds that each letter makes.

C. Sesame Street Elmo’s On the Go Letters

Who doesn’t love Elmo?

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This alphabet toy has the letters that children can manipulate and also includes some of their favorite Sesame Street characters inside once they lift the letter!

*TIP*  It is a little harder for younger ones to try to get the letters in and out, so you may need to be there to help them with this toy until they can pull them out themselves. 

D. LeapFrog Fridge Phonics Magnetic Letter Set

My husband collects magnets from everywhere we travel, and our kids can’t get enough of pulling them off of the refrigerator!

That’s why I knew this toy was going to be a hit for both my kids!

These magnets can stick to the refrigerator, which is fun and engaging for toddlers. It comes with a magnetic bus that kids can press the letter into, and it tells them what letter it is and the sound it makes.  

It also says words that begin with each letter and uses the word in a sentence, which is great for preschoolers or kindergartners, which makes this toy worthwhile since it can be used for a couple of years! 

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E. Leapfrog My Own LeapTop

My FAVORITE on the go toy! I had to get two because both my kids wanted their own. 

I keep both of them in the car because it’s a fun toy for them to play with for a few minutes while we are in the car, and they get to be learning at the same time! 

There are four functions on the computer for kids to interact with (letters, messages, animal games, and music). You can also personalize the computer by adding your child’s name in it! 

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#2. Repetition is Key!

Remember that time when you told your toddler something once, and they remembered it correctly, and you never had to say it to them again?

Yeah, me neither.

When you are trying to teach anyone something new, especially toddlers, repeating the information is crucial. Even though my son knows the alphabet, I still spend at least 10 minutes a day going over it with him, so he remembers the information.

It is engaging for your kids also to present the alphabet in different ways, so they don’t get bored with the same toy, which I will explain in the next section.

#3. Alphabet Learning Activities

There are so many creative and fun ways to help a child learn the alphabet! 

Does your child love blocks? Try writing the letters of the alphabet on the Mega Bloks to get them interested in learning them. Use a dry-erase marker, and it comes right off with a baby wipe! 

Does the child enjoy painting?  Paint letters on a piece of paper and ask the child which letter is which.  

Does the child like to play in the bathtub? Get foam letters that are made to go in the tub and review the letters when it’s bath time!

No matter what the child enjoys, you can use their interests as an opportunity to help them learn. 

In the meantime, here are THREE easy activities you can use today!

I think it’s easiest to do activities with supplies that you already have at home!

Write down an upper/lower case letter on each post-it note. Mix up the letters and ask your child to find a letter. Or, if they are really excited about pulling the post-it notes off the wall, when they pull them off, ask them what letter they have in their hands!

B. Do-A-Dot Painters

Who doesn’t love paint that doesn’t cause a mess?

Do-A-Dot Painters are so much fun, and the clean-up is so much easier than traditional painting.

All you need to do this activity is Do-A-Dot Painters and my FREE Do-A-Dot Letters

How to help your kids learn with this activity:

1.  For early learners, identify the letter to them. Have them try to look around the worksheet to see if they can see at least one or two matches to the letter you are working on. If they are struggling to use the Do-A-Dot painter on their own, try to help them by having them hold your hand while you both do it!

2. Older children should try to do this activity on their own. Ask them what letter it is that you are focusing on and have them try to use the Do-A-Dot painters on their own to see how many they can match correctly.

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C. Sand Letter Search

This activity was a hit! Both kids continued to do this activity for a half-hour after they found the first round of letters!

You need kinetic sand and magnetic letters to do this activity.

• The link for magnetic letters above has uppercase, lowercase, and numbers in the container, which I thought was the best deal because you could do this activity for each of these.

Ask your kids to search through the container of sand to find letters. They will love it because the sand feels SO cool! Once they find a letter, they can find it on the below worksheet that I created for you.

#4. Begin With Uppercase Letters

I have noticed that almost all alphabet toys, learning videos, and books use uppercase letters.

Because of this, starting with uppercase letters is the best way to teach your child the alphabet!

Make sure before moving onto lower case letters that your child knows each uppercase letter. I promise it’ll make it easier for them to learn!

We have these uppercase and lowercase learning locks that are so much fun to play with and work on fine motor skills!

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It can be confusing for kids to hear that a lowercase letter is the same as an uppercase letter, especially if they look nothing alike. It’s essential to help them with this activity, so you can explain that they are the same letter!

#5. Read Letter Books

Each night, we have a routine to at least read 2-3 books with our kids before bedtime.

I don’t know about you, but I feel like each time I am at the pediatrician, they always ask me if I am reading to my kids. That shows me it’s pretty important!

There are SO MANY books to choose from out there that focus on the alphabet and letter recognition. It’s challenging to make a choice!

A. My Best Ever: ABC Alphabet Book

B. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

C. LMNO Peas

D. Sesame Street: Elmo’s Word Book

• This book is my favorite! It has flaps that kids can pick up to see pictures underneath, so it’s interactive, which makes it more memorable for them.

#6. Watch Educational Videos

Yes, I know you think I’m crazy for recommending screentime for toddlers!

We try to limit the amount of screen time that we have at our house.

But there are times when I have to change the laundry or clean up the giant mess created in the kitchen from painting. Utilizing an educational video for these times can be extremely helpful, and I don’t feel that guilty.

The current favorites at our house are Super Simple Songs, Bob the Train, or Little Baby Bum. These songs/shows are catchy, and they help aid in the learning process.

I’m not saying I allow my kids to watch hours of TV each day, but I do let them watch some.

#7. Focus On A Few Letters

Wow, I messed this step up when I was first teaching my kids the alphabet!

I started out showing them all the letters of the alphabet and trying to tell them all the letters at one time. I was wrong!

After realizing they weren’t picking up what I was trying to teach them, I tried focusing on only 2-3 letters a day.

This way, it wasn’t so overwhelming.

If you use one of the alphabet toys that I mentioned above or you have your own that works for you, start by showing them A, B, and C.

For a few days, go over just those letters then add two more to that list. Always go over the letters you began with as well to keep that repetition going!

#8. Don’t Overdo It

Have you ever tried to sit down and teach your toddler something, and all they want to do is play with other toys? 

This happens to all of us! Toddlers don’t have a very long attention span. There are times throughout the day that are better than others to try to teach them.

There will be times I attempt to work with both my son and daughter, and I can tell they are not interested whatsoever.

If you make them learn when they are not ready, they will not be eager to do it the next time. It’s better to wait until your kids are prepared to concentrate for a few minutes so you can get the most out of that time.

#9. Don’t Compare Your Child To Others.

Do you have friends on social media that brag about how their children are geniuses?

So many parents use social media as a place where they can brag how well their kids are doing at school and how smart they are!

It’s easy to compare what your child is doing with other children their age.

Every child has a unique learning process, and they will learn the information when they are ready!

There is no need to get frustrated or worried that the child is behind if they don’t know their alphabet at 16 months.

Take your time when you are teaching your child and stay positive with them! If you show them that you are frustrated, they will see your frustration and maybe not be as interested in learning.

Final Thoughts and Conclusion

My most important tips for teaching the alphabet are repetition and don’t get frustrated! If you follow these 9 ways to teach your child the alphabet, you are off to a great start on your child’s education!

I would love to help you on your journey to teaching your child the alphabet!

If you have any great ideas that you would like to share that helped you teach the letters of the alphabet to your child, please share them with us!

5 Ways to Teach the Alphabet

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links to Amazon. See my disclosure for details.

Teaching the alphabet is foundational for reading and writing. Around the age of 2, children begin showing interest in learning alphabet letters. While some kids learn letters very quickly, others need more repetition and time to learn letters. Today I’m going to share with you some of my favorite ways to teach the alphabet to little ones.

Here’s what a preschooler should know before kindergarten:

• Recite/sing the alphabet
• Identify uppercase letters
• Identify lowercase letters
• Match uppercase letters to lowercase letters
• Identify the sounds each letter makes
• Traces letters
• Write some alphabet letters

Here are my five favorite ways to teach the alphabet to children.

1. Read Alphabet Books

Read all sorts of alphabet books to your children, even starting as babies. The repetition will really help your child learn the alphabet at a young age. When my oldest was born, I was surprised at how many alphabet books we had been given as gifts. We loved reading all of them because they were different from each other. I found that around 18 months both my kids really started enjoyed reading alphabet books. Here are a few of our alphabet books:

Here are some of our favorite alphabet books.

The Three Bears ABCChicka Chicka Boom Boom (Board Book)Eating the AlphabetThe Farm Alphabet BookG is for GoatHarold’s ABC (Purple Crayon Book)I Stink! (Kate and Jim Mcmullan)Bad KittyThe Letters Are Lost!AlphaOops!: The Day Z Went FirstZ Is for Moose (Booklist Editor’s Choice. Books for Youth (Awards))Q Is for Duck: An Alphabet Guessing GameABC T-RexWork: An Occupational ABC

2. Sandpaper Letters

Using sandpaper letters is a great way to introduce letters to children. My favorite ones are Didax Sandpaper Tracing Letters or School Supply Tactile Letters Kit. This is a perfect pre-writing activity because children use their finger to trace the sandpaper letters. I love that the cards tell the child where to start and which direction to go.

Sandpaper letters are part of the Montessori approach to learning how to read. These letters provide a tactile and visual way to help children learn the alphabet. In the Montessori method, you teach letters to a child in the 3-period lesson.

1^st period is introducing the letter (“this is” period). Show your child the letters. Have them trace the sandpaper letters. The best way to teach children alphabet letters is by telling them their phonetic sound.   So each time they trace the letter, say the phonetic sound.

2^nd period is association (“show me” stage).  Ask your child to follow simple directions with the letters. For example, please pick up the /m/ and set it by the window. Continue to do this with each letter several times to reinforce this. If it is too difficult, return to the first period.

3^rd period is recall (“what is this?” period). Only go to this period when they’ve mastered the other two periods.  Put a letter in front of the child and say “Can you trace this and tell me what it is?” Continue with the other letters in the same way.

When you use these sandpaper letters, you are teaching them 3 things: the shape of letters, the feel of its shape and how its written, and how you pronounce its sound.

3. Alphabet Puzzles

I think teaching letters with alphabet puzzles are an amazing tool for teaching the alphabet. This is my favorite puzzle, from Melissa and Doug. It’s a beautiful wooden puzzle with neat pictures. This is a great way to practice vocabulary and verbal skills, too.

4. Sensory Activities

While some kids learn letters very quickly, others need more repetition and time to learn letters. I’ve always said that children learn best when they have many multisensory experiences with letters.

I love to incorporate sensory play into learning alphabet letters. When children have meaningful activities with repeated exposure, they start to pick up on letter names. One way is this alphabet ice excavation activity.

You could also make a colorful sensory bin!

Or practice writing letters in the sand, like this sensory writing tray.

5. Alphabet Printables

I have quite a few alphabet printables on my blog, but here is a set that is easy and fun for preschoolers. You will need Do a Dot Markers or dot stickers to fill in the circles.

I love pulling printables out for a quick and easy activity. I’m always advocating for hands-on learning, but sometimes it’s nice to do a few paper activities. Using Do a Dot markers or dot stickers is great for hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills.

If you’d like to download this printable, just click the button below.

5 Ways to Learn the Alphabet Quickly and Easily with a 3-6 Year Old Child – Somersault

Before learning the alphabet with a child, it is important to understand what you are not going to do. Namely, learning to read. This is a more complex skill, so it is worth putting it off until the time when the child gets acquainted with all the letters and will confidently recognize them and write on their own. Until then, put off the alphabet and reading by syllables.

In this article, we have put together the basic principles to quickly learn the Russian alphabet with a 3-6 year old child in a playful way. For all games with letters, you can use plasticine, paints and any improvised means or magnetic letters - they will easily attract the attention of the child.

Contents:

1. Learn the Alphabet Easily: Basic Principles
2. 5 ways to learn the alphabet with your child
3. From alphabet to reading

How to Learn the Alphabet Easily: Basic Principles

Each child can find an easy way to learn the alphabet that suits him or her, but there are basic principles that are important for all children. If you do not follow them, study will turn into drill and the child is unlikely to ever love to read. Here are a few such principles on how to properly learn the alphabet for a child.

1. Learn sounds first, not letters . At the first stage of learning, it does not matter how the letters in the alphabet are called correctly. Now only sounds are important for the child - "d", and not the letter "De". The names of the letters will only confuse the child, who first needs to learn to recognize the shape of the letters and their sound.
2. Not learning the alphabet in the correct sequence . Until a child goes to school, it is of no use to him to know how the letters are arranged in the alphabet. This information will only distract him from what is really important: how the letters look and sound. The sequence of the alphabet can be learned later or even at school, where this knowledge will be tested by the teacher.
3. Do not turn learning into a lesson . Learning from call to call is difficult even for children at school, let alone a baby. Therefore, all learning should take place in a playful way and not for long: 5-7 minutes a day to get acquainted with the letters will be enough. Gradually, this time can be increased, especially if the child likes the proposed games with letters.
4. Use material objects . At the age of 3-6 years, the child learns the world by touch and taste. It is difficult for him to work with abstract letters spoken aloud. Therefore, it is better to stock up on plasticine and paints and create letters that are more understandable to the child and can be touched. Such a game for children will allow the child to learn the letters of the alphabet and he will recognize them in different forms regardless of what they are made of.
5. First vowels, then consonants . Vowel sounds are easier to pronounce, so it's worth starting with them.

The main thing is not to force anyone. If you see that the child is inquisitive, enjoys exploring the world and is ready to learn, you can move on to learning letters and the alphabet. So the child will be happy to learn the alphabet in a playful way and gradually learn to read. So that the game is not abstract, you can use the magnetic letters TUMBLING.

5 ways to learn the alphabet with your child

1. Use an interesting topic to study

Use your child's interest to spur his motivation to learn. For example, if your kid is crazy about cars, let them be the topic in which you learn the alphabet. Use any words related to cars:

"A" - bus
"B" - trunk
"C" - driver, etc.

You can show cars and their parts, draw or sculpt from plasticine. It is important that the child's focus shifts from learning to doing what they love. Additionally, the method will help expand vocabulary and knowledge about the world.

2. Cross out a letter of the alphabet in the list

Fill in a small square with arbitrary letters. The task is to cross out only the letter that you are studying. This will help the child focus on one letter and not get distracted by the ones he doesn't remember or don't know.

3. Pulling the letters of the alphabet out of the pouch

The soft-touch magnetic letters are perfect for this method. Put the letters in a bag and give the child the task, without looking, to pull out only the letter that you thought of. Let there not be too many letters in the bag, otherwise the child will get confused. 6-7 pieces will be enough. To start, use letters that are very different in shape, such as "O" and "M". Gradually, the complexity can be increased and searched among similar letters, for example, "K" and "X". Don't forget to praise and encourage your child. You can alternate the learning process with desktops.

4. Recognize letters of the alphabet by ear

You pronounce a word, and if it contains a hidden letter, the child claps his hands.

With this game for kids, you can learn individual letters or the entire alphabet. For example, you name a word, and the child inserts its first letter into the insert frame. To stimulate your child's interest, you can use only words from his favorite topic, for example, the names of animals.

5. Guess words starting with the first letter

You choose one letter and think of a word that starts with that letter. For example, the letter "Z":

- What is this animal with big ears and loves carrots?
- Hare!

This game form is again suitable for learning individual letters or the entire alphabet. If you learn only one letter, the child gets used to quickly recognizing it in different words. And if you give words with different letters, the child as a whole learns to understand with which letter they begin. With the study of the account and the English language will also help TUMBLING.

From the alphabet to reading

When a child learns the Russian alphabet, confidently recognizes all the letters in different words and can draw or mold them on his own, it is worth moving on to reading. Because you need to learn the alphabet just so that the child can read. If knowledge is not used, it will hang as an extra burden, and by the time school will be forgotten. Therefore, you should not learn the alphabet too early: at 3-4 years old, a child is simply not interested in reading books in order to learn something new. He is more interested when his mother reads. Conversely, by the age of six, the child will be glad to have his own books to read them himself.

How to learn letters and the alphabet with a child aged 3-6

Do you want to know the most effective way to teach your child letters and learn the alphabet in the shortest possible time? With our recommendations, it will not be difficult for you to teach your child the alphabet at 3-6 years old. In just a month of short lessons, you can learn vowels and consonants with your child and start reading.

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Why teach your child the alphabet

Before introducing your child to the letters of the Russian alphabet, answer yourself the question WHY you want to do it right now. Is your child 5 or 6 years old and you want to prepare him for school? He is 2 years old and you want to show off the successes of the little genius to your friends and relatives? The kid is 3 years old and you want to "invest in him the maximum" in all ways available to you, so as not to miss the optimal moment for all-round development? What?

Of course, you can teach your child the alphabet at any age. You can show letter cards from the cradle, but... Let's put parental ambitions aside and focus on the object - the child. Why does he need to know letters? Right to read! Are you sure that right now he is READY to learn the basics of reading? Read what conditions are necessary in order to teach a child to read in our articles and only after that make the right decision:

• How to teach a child to read at 3 years old: pros and cons
• How to teach children 4 years to read
• How to teach a child to read in syllables
• How to teach a child to read well: methods of teaching reading

Any knowledge must be applied in practice. You must clearly understand that the study of letters and the alphabet is teaching the child to read. Otherwise, there is no point, there are a lot of other effective ways to develop memory, thinking, speech. It is not necessary for this to learn letters with a one and a half year old malupas, who is not yet able to pronounce them correctly. If you start learning the alphabet too early, there is a high chance that the child will simply forget the letters by the time he is ready to learn to read. Or the second, more "terrible" moment. Having learned “be”, “ve”, “de”, the child will not be able to read, because other rules work when reading. To merge syllables and turn them into words, you need to pronounce sounds completely different. Relearning is always harder. Be careful with the choice of talking toys and books: they do not always pronounce the letters correctly!

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The knowledge of the alphabet alone will not give the baby anything. He will simply memorize it like a song or a rhyme, but this will not teach him to read. Therefore, leave the study of the alphabet for children 5-6 years old, who will need it at school, and with toddlers, just learn the letters without adhering to the alphabetical sequence.

• The alphabet is not just all the letters, it's the letters in a CERTAIN sequence.
• The alphabet is the base of any language.
• The alphabet is the key to all dictionaries, reference books, encyclopedias and other documents where order and systematization are important.
• Knowing the alphabet saves time.

Learning letters: where to start

In what order to learn letters? Do I need to learn the alphabet? Start with vowels or consonants?

Let's be clear, so:

1. No need to learn letters in alphabetical order.

2. Do not learn letters mixed up: either vowels or consonants.

3. First, learn the 10 vowel letters with your child.

We wrote in detail about how to learn 10 vowels in 5 lessons. The technique is really very effective and simple. Any mom will do.

4 . Consonants are best taught after vowels.

5. Name the sounds, not how the letter is pronounced in the alphabet.

Why is it important to learn 10 vowels well?

Practice shows that children who read poorly stumble because they forget how to read vowels. So that the child does not “stumble” while reading, take your time learning the letters. At the initial stage, pay attention to the vowels: how they are pronounced, how they look in writing. And only after that go to the consonants.

How to teach a child the alphabet at 3-4 years old

If you decide to teach your child the letters at 3 years old, remember that nothing can be done by force, only games, only entertaining exercises and NO FORCE. These recommendations are relevant for any age, because you do not want to develop a reluctance to study and go to school in the future.

• Don't expect your child to memorize many letters at once. Do not aim to learn the entire alphabet, it will take time.
• Twice a week give your child new material, and on other days repeat and reinforce what has been learned.
• With a child of 3-4 years old, it is enough to do 2-7 minutes a day.
• Learn vowels in pairs, so it will be easier for the child to remember: A - I, O - E, U-Yu, Y - I, E - E.
• Before introducing the child to consonants and starting to learn to read, make sure that the knowledge of all vowels is brought to automatism.

How to learn consonants: a game method

There are many more consonants than vowels. It will take more patience, effort and time to study them. But everything will work out if you strictly follow the recommendations and take your time.

Prepare a table. Each table has six rows. In the top line, write or print hard consonants in blue, soft consonants in green. In the rest of the lines, write short open syllables.

• Together with your child, sing songs of vowel sounds: in a rough low voice A, O, U, Y, E and a high thin voice Ya, Yo, Yu, I, E.
• Clearly pronounce the consonants in the top line of the table. In each lesson, work with 6 tables.

IMPORTANT! Make sure that the child and you yourself pronounce the consonants clearly, so that after them no extraneous vowels are heard Ы or I. E if the child gets used to speaking D s, C s instead of pure sounds D 9000, 50006 , then it will be incorrect to read.
The most difficult thing is to pronounce pure sounds B, C, D, D; B, B, G, D . The rest are easier, especially the deaf.
Teach a child to pronounce correctly Z and 3b, for example, very simple. Ask your child: “How big is a mosquito buzzing? Z-Z-Z. No, not Z s, but Z-Z-Z! Mosquito cannot speak Z s, he does Z-Z-Z . And how does a small mosquito buzz? 3-3-3 . Mosquito cannot speak Z and, he does 3-3-3 . This is how we call these letters: З-З-З and ЗЗ-ЗЗ-З ".