A, B, C, D, E, F, G…the alphabet song is usually the method used to teach children their alphabet. Although the alphabet song does help, it usually causes children to memorize the melody of the song rather than the actual letter. Especially in the L, M, N, O, P part, it sounds more like “elemeno-pee” than the pronunciation of the letters! After a little research, and using my own creativity, I found a few ways that may help you teach your child the alphabet rather than using the traditional ABC song. The alphabet is the foundation of many important skills that your child will develop in the future; without it reading and writing will not be possible.

Knowing the letters is essential, but more important than that, is knowing the sounds of the letters. Reading is usually taught by sounding out the letters and making a word out of the sounds. If a child cannot match the letter A with its corresponding “aaah” sound, then reading is going to be a difficult task. It is important to begin preparing your child for reading at an early age, and exposing him/her to educational resources, it will help them in the long run.  Reading is not easy, and most children will have difficulties with it. Although it is tough, it is very rewarding when they tell you “mommy! Look what I can do” and they recite the entire alphabet, and even more exciting when they read their first word.

Fun & Free Online Games:
Here are some online games that are fun and interactive. I actually played these myself and I found them to be both entertaining and educational.

Alphabetical Wack-A-Mole!
This is a fun game to play with your child. It offers good practice of visual and memory skills. It requires the child to not only place the letters in alphabetical order but also to remember the last letter they wacked! Moles pop out of a hole while holding a paper with a letter of the alphabet on it. The goal of the game is to “wack” the moles in alphabetical order.
Below is a link that directly takes you to the game:
http://www.playkidsgames.com/games/wam/wam.htm

Alphabet Book Game
This game asks for you to put the alphabet letters in order. This game helps develop visual skills because it requires the child to look for the correct letter that is jumbled up within the books. This game is a little bit trickier, but still a good source for learning.
If you click on the link below, you can play the game:
http://www.playkidsgames.com/games/alphabetGame/alphabet.htm

ABC Zoo:
This one is not really a game, but more of an interactive website. Depending on your child’s age, you can choose “infant” or “toddler.” For infants, you can press any key on your keyboard and the letters of the alphabet will pop up and show you an animal that begins with that letter. For toddlers, the website is much more interactive. You can choose to sing the ABC song, as the letters of the alphabet pop up, and then, you can click on the different letters of the alphabet and it will show you an animal that begins with that letter.
Try the link below, to play the game:
http://www.fisher-price.com/us/fun/games/abczoo/default.asp

Other Fun Ways to Learn the ABC’s

ABC Album:
This will develop you child’s creative skills, as well as help them recognize the letters of the alphabet and match them to items.

Here is what you need:
•    A three ring binder
•    Construction Paper (or regular computer paper is fine)
•    Scissors
•    Glue Stick
•    Markers, Crayons, or Colored Pencils (your choice)
•    Three hole puncher
•    Optional: Magazines

You and your child are going to create an album of the letters of the alphabet with a picture to go along with the letter. On the front side of the paper, have the child write the letter, and on the backside, have them draw a picture of an object, or thing, that starts with that letter. Other ideas: rather than drawing it, you can look for objects in your house that start with the letter, take a picture of it, and then put it on the back of the paper, or you can also look for pictures in a magazine. This is a fun activity for both you and your child, and it will allow you to have some quality time with him/her!

Connect-the-Alphabet:
Remember playing “connect the dots?” Well, in this game, instead of using dots, we’re going to use the letters of the alphabet. Below, I will post a template that you can copy and paste into a word document and print for your child to use. You can make your own as well, just write the letters of the alphabet mixed up in 5 rows, and 6 columns (remember to include all the letters!), and then your child can connect the letters in the proper order. You can also use this with numbers.

A    C     F    U     T

D    B     V    S     O

E    F     R    W    A

H    G    A     Q    X

J     I     P     O     Y

K    L    M    N     Z

I personally love the Fischer Price website, it is very kid friendly, and it is appropriate for infants and toddlers as well. On that website, there are many other fun games and interactive sites, not only regarding reading, but also numbers, shapes, and colors.

I believe all these methods will be helpful in facilitating your child’s learning and understanding of the alphabet. You can always modify these ideas to your child’s needs. Also, you can modify them and use things your child is interested in. Creativity is essential; you can use almost anything to teach your child the alphabet.

Give your child the tools they need to succeed in their education, and begin prepping them early. The ABC’s and 123’s are just the beginning of the long road that lies ahead. And with your help and commitment, that long road may not be as bumpy as it could be.

Cristine R. Jimenez
Language Stimulation Specialist
Speech Therapy Center, Inc.