At our last Discovery Hour, we talked about teaching young children their letters. So this week we have some alphabet fun!
On Thursday, October 11 we will:
- Hop/walk/crawl the alphabet.
- Go on a hunt for letters and match the letters we find.
- Sing our ABC's with rhythm sticks.
- Create some name art.
I believe children will learn their letters through our everyday interactions with them, play and games.
- Everyday interactions would be:
- Pointing out the letter of their name when at the store, reading, and playing.
- Make/buy a place mat with their names on it. Talk about the letters every time every time you eat at the place mat.
- Tell them a story about seeing certain letters while driving home.
- When pointing out letters, tell what sound or sounds that letter makes.
- When a child recognizes a letter, ask them what sound it makes.
- Answer children's questions and encourage them to look at things and ask questions.
- I keep a deck of alphabet cards in the kitchen to play with before and after meals. Can you find the...L? The ...T? and so on. Can you find the letter that says "ssssss?"
- Read, read and read some more to your child. Ask younger children to point out things in the story. "Can you find the cat?" Ask older children who, what, where, when and why questions about the story.
- Even if your little ones have no interest in reading, read to them while they are playing. (Not all the time, they need uninterrupted playtime too!) Talk about what you see in the pictures, laugh out loud at funny pictures and ask them to come see it. Choose books based on their interests.
- Make reading a part of your everyday routine. The whole family will benefit from it!!!
- Play and games:
- Have alphabet cards, magnetic letters, and blocks available for play. Play with them and name the letters as they touch them.
- Create a rich print environment at home. Have family members names posted on the walls. Have an alphabet poster hung on the wall at children's eye level.
- Make letter posters/signs with pictures and words that start with that letter sound.
- Hide letter cards around the house and have children find them and then match the letter they found to the letter on their alphabet poster. And then have children say the sound for that letter.
- Sing your ABC's every day. Sing any songs every day!! Make up songs that spell their names.
- Learning should be an enjoyable experience for children and parents. If it feels forced or frustrating, then one of you isn't ready for learning letters, and it's best to wait until you or they are ready!
- Matching games.
- Over the big Moon has some great Pre-K packs available for down load. I use these a lot at home with my children.
- I know there are a lot of electronic gadgets available that advertise they help with letter recognition. I am sure they do, but I am concerned about human interaction being replaced with electronics. Children benefit much more from time with you. So I would say use electronics for young children with caution and be sure it isn't replacing time spent interacting with others, playing, and using their imaginations.
Helpful Info:
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