How Early Should Children Learn Their ABCs?

As parents struggle with the demands of career and family life many parents are wondering when they should start preparing their young child for school. This school age preparation can be started at a fairly young age but there are certain considerations that should be made by the parent before beginning any academic centered skill training. Since the most basic of concepts for most preschoolers is learning their ABC’s parents often wonder how early should children they should begin teaching the alphabet. Here are some guidelines to help you decide if your child is ready to being learning their ABC’s and some simple ideas for helping them.

• Is your child showing interest in learning letters? Many times the best guide you have is if your child wants to learn more then he or she will let you know. However do not be discouraged if your preschool age child is showing no interest in learning about letters development happens for each child at their own rate.
• Is your child interested in the type of play that can be used for educational purposes? At a certain age (usually around three years old) most children will begin to show interest in writing, painting, flashcards (educational related activities) which then opens the door for you to begin teaching them the alphabet.

When is the best time to start teaching ABCs?

• Can you child focus on this type of play? Many times children are unable to focus long enough to begin learning a concept. This is simply due to brain development. If your child cannot be asked to concentrate for a period of time wait a few months and you may be surprised to see that suddenly they can do it.

Alphabet-learning materials include classic toys such as a basic set of ABC blocks. Look for a well-made, durable set (they can become a family heirloom for your grandchildren)! ABC blocks with animal pictures can also be interesting for your child and a set of blocks that has numbers and math symbols as well as letters will help with math learning when your child plays “school”. As your child begins to learn the letters by sight you can play spelling games with the blocks. Ask your child what word she would like you to spell (such as “Mama” or her own name) and then have her help you find the letters.

Alphabet puzzles can assist your preschooler in learning the sequence of the letters. Many alphabet puzzles now have a picture under each letter, such as an apple under the letter “A”. ABC puzzles for older children will often have the lowercase letters as well as the capitals; unless both versions of the letter are on the same puzzle piece. Keep in mind that this kind of puzzle may be overly confusing for a young child just learning the capitals.

Once your child has learned the ABC song and knows what most of the letters look like, you may wish to make or purchase ABC flash cards. You and your child can take turns quizzing each other and your child will have fun “helping” you guess the correct letter.

The key to learning effectively is not to be too heavy-handed and to primarily focus on the quality of the time you spend together. Do not continue with any given activity when your child becomes tired of it or show that he or she is not in the mood for it; instead, you may want to draw pictures together with your child providing the art and with you writing captions, so the child sees how the alphabet is used in daily life. And remember it is perfectly fine to sometimes build a tower with the ABC blocks without looking at the letters at all.