Teach Your Preschooler the Alphabet at Home

Preschoolers are often eager to learn new things and the alphabet is no exception. They will quickly learn that letters make sounds which make up words. Once they learn these letters and their magical sounds they will be on their way to reading. Learning the alphabet at home should be fun and relaxed for you and your child. You can encourage them, but if your child just isn't ready don't push. They will come around and will pick it up much faster when they are ready to learn.

Preschoolers learn by repetition. It's best to have a letter of the week rather than a letter of the day. One week gives the child time to learn and master each letter and it's sound. Some parents like to have theme weeks where A is for animals and each week has a theme. This can be fun for your child to have animal crackers for a snack during A week and wear clothes with the theme. This isn't necessary, but can be fun and creative for both of you.

Some teachers prefer to teach the alphabet out of order, but for learning at home I suggest going in alphabetical order. It will make it simpler for you to remember what letter is next and what is left. If you want to go out of order, then by all means do it. The important thing is that you're teaching your child and your child is learning important skills.

If your preschooler doesn't know how to sing the alphabet, now's the time to learn. You don't have to sit your child down and get his full attention to learn the alphabet. Sing it while you're cleaning or riding in the car. Soon your child will start picking it up and singing it by themselves.

If it's possible, having a poster of the alphabet hanging where the child can see it and point to it really helps. You can usually find a poster at the dollar store or look for a place mat with the alphabet on it. If you can't find one, you can make one with a word processor at home. Just remember to use both the capital and lower case for each letter. This poster can be hung anywhere, but a central location such as the kitchen or dining area is a good choice. After lunch you can point to the letter of the week, and later review past letters, and talk about what sound the letter makes. This is a good time because your child is relaxed from enjoying a meal and it helps you get into a routine.

Use flashcards or even draw the letter on a piece of paper. Then give your child a magazine or book and have the child find and identify that letter a few times. This really helps preschoolers with identification and helps them focus on one letter at a time.

Rhyming games also help your child learn his alphabet. Try giving clues such as rhymes with bat, but starts with an h. See if your child can use the clues to remember what sound h makes.

Go on a letter adventure and look through the house for things that starts with your letter. Active children that won't sit to be taught will most likely love this activity!

Read to your child often and especially books about the alphabet such as Chicka Chicka Boom Boom or the ABC Book by Dr. Seuss. Reading any book will help your child learn that letters make sounds which make words. If he's not interested in alphabet books, that's fine read what he does like.

Learning the alphabet at a young age should be fun and relaxed for both you and your child. If your child won't sit down to allow you to teach him, sneak in learning while doing other things. Children this young don't have long attention spans, so learning should be done often throughout the day for short periods. Let your child lead, he will tell you what he is ready for.