In this article I will go through five simple ways to help you to help your child to learn their alphabet quickly and easily. The five tips involve planning, making sessions fun, teaching both cases of the alphabet, involving your child in the learning process and seeking help if you need it!
Firstly you will need to plan your sessions. Make your goal to get hold of some great resources so that you know where you are going before you begin. There are loads of wonderful materials out there so start searching the web and your local library and make yourself a simple plan. Schools usually encourage children to get to know their alphabet as a precursor to reading. So a great place to start is to get hold of the whole alphabet. And if you are really stuck you can do it yourself. Draw the letters with your child and make it a lovely five minutes together each day. Organize a schedule for yourself so you and your child can see your child's progress.
Secondly, make your sessions fun. This is probably the most important factor of all. Children can be really helped in anything if they are having fun, and learning their letters is no exception to this idea. Make teaching your child a happy time that only lasts a few minutes a day, or only for as long as your child seems interested.
Thirdly, teach both the upper case and the lower case alphabet. In your planning make sure you find an alphabet that shows the lower case or little letters, as well as the upper case or capital letters. This will ensure your child has access to every form of the letter they could need. So as you are researching the information out there keep an eye open for alphabets that show both cases if you possibly can.
Fourthly, involve your child in the learning process. People seem to learn more efficiently and effectively if more than just the visual sense is used. So why not take advantage of this and get your child to experience learning their alphabet through using as many of the senses as you can? The visual element is involved through seeing the letters. Hearing is naturally involved as you sound out each letter. If you can, go one step further and find an activity that your child can easily do that brings in motor skills, such as coloring in. You can get alphabets that are an activity at the same time, such as coloring pages showing the alphabet with objects that start with the letter. As your child colors in the letter and the object you can help them by sounding out the letter and even sing or whisper the letters to them. Another fun thing you can do is to repeat letters, making the whole learning process into a game.
For my final and fifth tip I would suggest that if you are struggling, get help. You are not on your own in wanting your child to learn their alphabet and if you are finding it difficult or you need any help with teaching your child their alphabet or have any queries about their learning, you can always talk with a suitably qualified professional, such as your Health Visitor or your child's teacher or the playgroup or nursery. Talking with others can also open up new ways of helping your child to learn their alphabet letters which you may not have thought about!
So, helping your child to learn their alphabet is best done with the above five tips in mind. Plan what you are going to do. Make it a fun time. Get hold of the capital and the little letters. Use not just the visual sense (e.g. looking at the letters), but the aural (hearing) and physical (motor) skills to help the child to really remember the letters and become involved with their learning. Finally, if you need help, seek it out. Learning the alphabet is vital for your child to start to learn to read!