Before your baby begins speaking in complete sentences, you spend time singing to them and wondering when it’ll be time to start teaching them the alphabet. Learning starts at home, and you’re the perfect person to teach the alphabet to your child.

Want to know when and how to introduce letters to your toddler without things becoming overly challenging? We’ve created a guide for you that will make it easy, and before you know it, your child will be wowing you with all the words they learn.

When to Teach the Alphabet?

Learning the alphabet and letters sets the foundation for your child as they begin to read and write. Reciting and identifying letters will help your child begin to string words together. 

It’s ideal for your child to start learning the alphabet when they turn two years old. Remember that every child is different and will learn at their own pace.

Therefore if your child doesn’t show any interest in learning the alphabet at three years old, it’s okay to wait until they turn three to begin introducing the alphabet. While your child is a toddler, they will start to recognize letters as you teach them, and when they are of age to go to school, it will be an easier transition for them.

It’s important to read to your children when they’re young because as they grow into toddlers, they’ll begin to show interest in much more than the pictures, which is a key sign it’s time to start introducing letters to a child.

If you’ve decided it’s time for your child to begin learning the alphabet, you might be wondering what type of activities can help you accomplish this. Read on below for some activities you can use to help your child learn and recognize alphabet letters.

Alphabet Toys

Children love to build things, and what better way to construct their next tower than with a set of alphabet blocks. Alphabet blocks are a perfect tool for teaching your children the alphabet because they can see the letters and learn which one is which.

Another benefit of having alphabet blocks is it helps your child learn the different letter sounds. As they become more familiar with each letter, you can begin to show them how to spell different words, and they can use the letter blocks to do so.

Using letter blocks touches several of your child’s senses, including sight, touch, and sound. This increases the number of times your child is being exposed to alphabet letters at one time, which increases the chances of them remembering what you’re teaching them.

If you don’t want to purchase alphabet blocks, there are several other toys you could choose from, including:

• Magnetic letters
• Alphabet puzzle
• Wooden letters

While each toy is slightly different, they all accomplish the same goal, and that’s to teach your child their letters.

Start With Uppercase First

We understand it is easy to believe that neither uppercase nor lowercase is more important than the other. However, we urge you to teach your child the uppercase letters first, and it will make it easier for them to learn their lowercase letters afterwards.

You want to teach them to identify uppercase letters because things become confusing when they look at lowercase letters. This is because lowercase letters often don’t look anything like the uppercase letters.

However, when your child starts school, their teacher may first focus on teaching them the lower case letters. The reason they’ll do this is that when your child reads, they’ll look at lower case letters more than uppercase ones.

If they’ve never been exposed to lowercase letters, understanding what they’re reading becomes challenging.

Repetition Is the Key

Remember when you told your toddler not to run through the house, or they would get hurt? For a moment, they listen and then within a matter of minutes, they’re running around the house again, and you find yourself reminding them not to run again.

Just like you have to remind your child to slow down, or they could get hurt is the same way you should approach teaching them the alphabet. The more you repeat it to them, the better off they’ll be and the easier it’ll be for them to remember the letters and their sounds. 

It doesn’t matter how you present the information to your child, but the key is to continue repeating it. For example, one day, you could point to each letter of the alphabet and repeat the sounds for your child to hear.

You could sing the alphabet to them the next day while pointing to each letter. The more they hear and see you showing them which letter is which, the better they’ll remember them.

Even after your child learns the alphabet, they’ll still benefit from reviewing the alphabet and the new words they learn. It will help your child continue to build their vocabulary and become better readers and writers.

Play Games

What child doesn’t enjoy playing games? When you’re teaching your child the alphabet, it can be easy for them to become bored and direct their attention elsewhere, which is why you should incorporate games as you teach them the alphabet.

Letter matching games are a great way to teach your child the alphabet, and it’s easy to set up for your child to play. In the beginning stages of your child learning the alphabet keep things simple and only put a few letters down for them to match. 

You can have your child put the uppercase letters in order and then find the lowercase letter that matches with each one. Another way to play this game is by creating an alphabet arc.

At one end, you put the A, and on the other end, you put the Z. From there, your child will fill in the other letters until there are no more letters left.

Use Flashcards

We mentioned that repetition is key, and if you don’t want to purchase blocks for your child, the next best thing is flashcards. Flashcards are a great tool for memorization.

If you’re going to use flashcards to teach your child the alphabet, ensure you take the time to review them before you begin using them. The reason for this is some cards have the letter A on them, but the picture isn’t something that starts with the letter A.

When this happens, your child will become confused, and it can cause future issues when they begin associating sounds with each letter. Remember that you’re focused on teaching your child to recognize the letters at this stage.

Before you can move on to anything else, they first need to be able to identify each letter. It sets the foundation for everything else your child will do as they continue to develop.

Don’t Go Overboard

When teaching alphabets to toddlers, you’ll want to tackle everything in one day because it seems as if they’re on a roll. But, we encourage you not to overdo it.

It’s easy to see when your child has lost interest in something, and it never turns out well when you attempt to force them to continue doing what you want them to do. Keep alphabet learning lessons short and reserve the rest of the lesson for another day.

Doing this ensures your child is excited and looking forward to learning more of the alphabet versus associating learning with something negative. 

Be Patient & Don’t Make Comparisons

We’ve all been a part of conversations where one parent praises their child. Because of this, it can be easy to determine your child is behind because of another child, but you should never compare your child to anyone else.

As we mentioned earlier, every child is different, which means they’ll pick up different concepts at their own speed. Your child doesn’t learn the same as others.

Ensure you take your time to teach your child and help them make the correct letter associations.

Teaching your child can be stressful because you want them to grasp concepts as quickly as you do. But, it might take your child longer to recognize letters than you wanted.

As you begin teaching them, remain patient throughout the entire experience. When your child identifies a letter correctly, let them know you’re proud of them.

If they don’t recognize the letter, gently tell them the correct letter and move forward. Before you know it, your little one will be reciting their ABC’s while they drink their milk.

Teach the Alphabet One Sound at a Time

When it’s time to teach the alphabet, rest assured there are several resources on your side. You can use and variety of toys to help your child identify the letters, and don’t forget that repetition is key to your child remembering everything they’re learning.

Here at Nutura Organic, we understand it takes a village to raise little ones. If you’re looking for more information to help you raise your little one or want to check out our range of organic products, keep browsing the site.

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