Doodle just turned three and is starting to comprehend how it is we read. And while we are far from starting any kind if homeschooling program with him, I have started working more deliberately on teaching the ABCs to him.
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Here’s a few things I’ve used with him, the girls and as a preschool teacher to help with teaching the ABCs:
Sing the song.
It seems simple enough but this is really the basis for letter learning and reading later on. Though, just because a child knows the ABC song, it does not mean they know the alphabet, letters or how to use them. Often children just memorize the ABC song just as they do Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and other songs (as was demonstrated to me when Honeybun thought “elemenopee” was one letter at 3!) But knowing the song does make learning individual latter shapes and sounds much easier.
Find times throughout the day to sing the song: in the car; as a timer for brushing teeth or washing hands; while waiting in line; when making meals. Burst into song pretty much anytime you aren’t doing something else that requires your child’s attention.
Make a picture alphabet.
Whether at home or in the classroom, a picture alphabet is a super easy way for teaching the ABCs. Simply take a picture of something in your home or school for each letter and then post it up for the kids to see (more on how I make our picture alphabet at home).
Use the alphabet for teaching the ABCs by pointing to the letter while singing the song and talking about each picture and it’s starting letter/sound.
Play the ABC game
We started playing the ABC game a few years ago when I was first teaching the ABCs to Sugarplum. You can read more about how we do it here but basically, we take turns naming things that begin with each letter. Sometimes we choose a theme like places, animals or food and sometimes we just say anything we can think of. Since restarting the game with Doodle, though, we’ve started saying the ABCs each turn so that he can hear the repetition of the sequence.
Read ABC Books
Read books that cover the ABCs. There are so many options out there, with an ABC book available for every theme that we could easily spend all day just reading ABC books.
These are a few of the classics and some of my favorites (affiliate links):
