Tips for Teaching ABCs

The best way to evaluate what age you should start teaching the ABCs is with your child. Pace yourself and don’t try to make your child into a genius by forcing too much on them, after all, they are still a toddler. If your child is saying a lot of words like “mama” and “dada”, etc. then you probably can start teaching them the ABCs. By this point they have learned the sounds of the letters and are ready to learn more. Let’s explore some popular tips for teaching ABCs.

Take a lesson from Sesame Street. There is a reason this popular television show has been on for so many years, it is one of the best educational programs out there. Sesame Street teaches the alphabet by focusing on one letter a day. So try this with your child, on Monday start from the beginning on the alphabet and continue working your way through the alphabet daily until you have completed the alphabet. Then, repeat this process until your child has their ABCs down!

Flash cards are a popular method for teaching the ABCs. Many children can correspond colors, shapes, or animals to letters. Have your child help you make flashcards with their favorite animals and have them write the letter on the card. You can purchase flash cards at the store or even download templates online.

Read. This is the best method for teaching the ABCs. You child will begin to learn memorization skills and be exposed to numerous words by reading different books. Make time each day to sit down with your child and read a book. You can read alphabet books that help teach the letters to them.

Walk outside and point out what letters correspond to. You can identify the letter T with a tree or F with a fence. This soon can become a fun game with your child as you encourage them to find letters that correspond to objects in nature.

Make an alphabet book. As you teach the alphabet, you should be having fun with your child. Don’t pressure them to memorize too many letters a day or they can become frustrated. Sit down with construction paper and cut out letters together and compile them into a book that they can flip through. This will help them learn the ABCs because they helped make the book and it will be easier to remember.

Be creative with how you teach the ABCs to your child. Not every child works at the same pace so take time to get to know your child’s strengths and weaknesses. Don’t overwhelm them with too much information at one time. Some other tips for teaching the ABC’s are as follows:

You can also purchase books at your local book store or rent them from the library that focuses on one word at a time. Some popular books are: Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown, Curious George by H.A. Ray, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault, or There’s A Monster Under My Bed by James Howe.

Another way to teach that ABCs that has been proven effective, is to make letters with your children. Pick a letter for the day and make cookies or letters in play-dough. Even going outside in the sandbox and drawing the letter in the sand is an easy way to learn the ABCs.

Taking the time to read with your child is always the best method, any parent or expert will tell you that. Not only does your child learn the ABCs, but the two of you have a chance to bond and learn together.