Three Keys To Teaching Your Child The Alphabet
1644
Home & Family > Parenting
Mar 1, 2007
Deanna Mascle -
Three Keys To Teaching Your Child The Alphabet
Learning the alphabet is a key part of your child's education especially when it comes to learning to read and write. It is important that children learn not only to recite the letters in order, but also to recognize letters out of sequence. In addition, after mastering basic recognition, children will need to learn the sounds each letter represents and how to write it.
While many parents recognize how important learning the alphabet is to their child they are not always sure how to go about teaching the alphabet to their child. Many parents spend a lot of money on expensive products and programs designed to teach the alphabet but that really isn't necessary and in fact may well be counterproductive.
As a literate adult you don't need any tools, programs or books to help you in your quest to teach the ABCs to your child. You already possess all you need in your head (your own knowledge of the alphabet) and in your house. There are three simple keys to teaching your child the alphabet:
* Make it fun
* Make it real
* Make it regular
The most important rule to remember when teaching young children is to make sure that learning is fun. If you can make lessons into a game, a craft, or a song then your child will be a willing and eager participant. If you make learning into something boring or something that looks like work then you will have to fight your child every step of the way. Your child wants to spend time having fun with you so why not make lessons into fun time that you spend together so you both look forward to the experience? Just because a lesson was fun enough to make your child want to do it again-and-again does not lessen its value. Learning can be fun and something that was learned in an enjoyable way is much more likely to stick with your child in the long term than a lesson that was forced. If you can make learning the alphabet fun for your child then you will have accomplished two very important steps toward your child's long-term success -- knowledge of the alphabet and an eagerness to learn.
Young children need to experience their world through their senses. They do learn in the more traditional ways -- seeing and hearing -- but often prefer a more tactile approach that includes touching, smelling, and tasting. The more you can make the letters of the alphabet come alive for your child and give your child access to those letters in a way that utilizes their senses then the easier it will be to learn. Also, utilizing the real world for your lessons will not only save you money but will also help you teach your child the value of literacy.
Preschoolers learn at an incredibly fast rate but because they are learning and experiencing so many new things they can forget what they have learned just as quickly. That is why it is important to make lessons a regular part of your child's day. It doesn't mean that you have to set aside a separate part of the day because often alphabet lessons can take place at the grocery store, in the car, or at the kitchen table. What is important is that you consistently introduce the letters to your child in various forms and consistently reinforce the acquisition of the alphabetic principle. Even after your child has mastered the alphabet make sure you periodically review the letters so they don't lose the knowledge.
If you make learning the alphabet fun, real, and consistent then your preschooler will definitely have a head start when the time comes to learn to read. Deanna Mascle shares more tips about teaching your child the alphabet in her blog Teach Your Child The Alphabet at TeachYourChildTheAlphabet.com
While many parents recognize how important learning the alphabet is to their child they are not always sure how to go about teaching the alphabet to their child. Many parents spend a lot of money on expensive products and programs designed to teach the alphabet but that really isn't necessary and in fact may well be counterproductive.
As a literate adult you don't need any tools, programs or books to help you in your quest to teach the ABCs to your child. You already possess all you need in your head (your own knowledge of the alphabet) and in your house. There are three simple keys to teaching your child the alphabet:
* Make it fun
* Make it real
* Make it regular
The most important rule to remember when teaching young children is to make sure that learning is fun. If you can make lessons into a game, a craft, or a song then your child will be a willing and eager participant. If you make learning into something boring or something that looks like work then you will have to fight your child every step of the way. Your child wants to spend time having fun with you so why not make lessons into fun time that you spend together so you both look forward to the experience? Just because a lesson was fun enough to make your child want to do it again-and-again does not lessen its value. Learning can be fun and something that was learned in an enjoyable way is much more likely to stick with your child in the long term than a lesson that was forced. If you can make learning the alphabet fun for your child then you will have accomplished two very important steps toward your child's long-term success -- knowledge of the alphabet and an eagerness to learn.
Young children need to experience their world through their senses. They do learn in the more traditional ways -- seeing and hearing -- but often prefer a more tactile approach that includes touching, smelling, and tasting. The more you can make the letters of the alphabet come alive for your child and give your child access to those letters in a way that utilizes their senses then the easier it will be to learn. Also, utilizing the real world for your lessons will not only save you money but will also help you teach your child the value of literacy.
Preschoolers learn at an incredibly fast rate but because they are learning and experiencing so many new things they can forget what they have learned just as quickly. That is why it is important to make lessons a regular part of your child's day. It doesn't mean that you have to set aside a separate part of the day because often alphabet lessons can take place at the grocery store, in the car, or at the kitchen table. What is important is that you consistently introduce the letters to your child in various forms and consistently reinforce the acquisition of the alphabetic principle. Even after your child has mastered the alphabet make sure you periodically review the letters so they don't lose the knowledge.
If you make learning the alphabet fun, real, and consistent then your preschooler will definitely have a head start when the time comes to learn to read. Deanna Mascle shares more tips about teaching your child the alphabet in her blog Teach Your Child The Alphabet at TeachYourChildTheAlphabet.com
Write a Review
Add to My Favorite
Refer it to Friend
Report Article
Other links owned by this user
Learning the alphabet is a key part of your child's education especially when it comes to learning to read and write. It is important that children learn not only to recite the letters in order, but also to recognize letters out of sequence. In
Category:
How badly do you want your life change and improve? How much have you studied up on self-help, personal development and success? How many articles and publications have you read? While research, thought and planning are important ols on your path
Category:
Every writer dreams of the day when they can profit from their writing. While income opportunities abound for writers, each method has drawbacks. Newspaper and magazine reporters can make a good living but their subject matter is often
Category:
One common element whenever human beings gather is the need to talk and share experiences. Often that need turns into something a little more fun, a little more dangerous -- gossip. Gossip is often fun but it can also be dangerous because it spreads
Category:
An important part of success in life is the ability to lead. It is important that we not only be able to lead others but be willing to lead ourselves. No one succeeds in life by simply following others. Sometimes we simply must strike a bold new path for
Category:
Debt is a way of life for many Americans. We owe money on our homes, our cars, our possessions (from furniture to clos), and our education. Many Americans are so mired in debt y aren't even sure just how much y owe and to whom -- even worse
Category:
I have been writing professionally for more than two ecaes an teaching writing nearly that long. Every conference, every writing staff, an every class has always inclue some writer who asks: "How Can I Become A Better Writer?" They
Category:
Everyone agrees that the modern world is hectic and busy. Most of our days are packed full of tasks and challenges. We've all got places to go and people to meet. The more the pressure builds in our lives then the faster we rush, but rushing isn't the
Category:
Whenever you gather writers together they talk about writing. There are many different types of writers. Those who prefer to compose in long-hand or can only write on an old-fashioned manual typewriter. Those who write to music, demand complete silence,
Category:
Ayoe browsig the Iteret for iformatio quickly ecouters ebooks. Sometimes those electroic books are clearly idetified by ame ad itet but other ebooks are so cleverly disguised that a reader may ot eve realize they are actually a book ad
Category:
Many of us wish for more We want to lead happier, more fulfilling, lives, but the sad truth is that so many of us that wish for more happiness spend much more time tending the happiness of others than we do tending to our own
Category:
How many it cards do you have? If you are like most people it is probably too many. We've all been lured in by the siren call of better rates, special perks and rewards, or lower fees so that most Americans carry between five and 10
Category:
You have to give some to get some. The old adage is usually applied to money but it is also true of time. When we are very young or very old, time seems endless. But for the majority of our lives, time is something we always
Category:
1. What event do Americans celebrate with a national holiday on July 4th? A. George Washington?s birthday B. King George III?s ascension to the throne of England C. Formal adoption of the Declaration of Independence from
Category:
I am the mother of a preschooler and I have to admit that my child watches several hours of television each week. I am sure he watches more hours than any educator would recommend, but I've decided to dismiss the recommendation of the so-called
Category:
Other links at Home & Family > Parenting
Bringing a new baby into the world is an amazing experience. Joyful as this period in your life maybe it can also be one anxiety as becoming a parent for the first time brings with it a great deal of responsibility. Friends and family will probably offer
Category:
Raising a child is all about having good parenting skills and learning good parental techniques.
Category:
It's true creating your own birthday party invitation really is so much fun, and something you could do together with the birthday kid.
Category:
There's a lot of pressure in being a stay at home mom. You need to fight the urge to be perfect and just enjoy being a mother.
Category:
Are you looking for a fun, creative gift for a child? Sometimes finding the right gift for kids can be challenging.
Category:
Site Sponsor
Directory Statistics
Articles: 68228
Categories: 501
Yahoo Entertainment
