What is the best way to teach a child the alphabet?

1. 81

   milleramanda53posted 12 years ago

   I am homeschooling my children and I am trying to find new ways to teach my child her alphabet.

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   1. 59

      MelissaBarrettposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      How do your kids learn best?
      
      My youngest is an audio/manual learner so we found some apps for the galaxy to teach her with... If yours is an audio/visual learner youtube has some great videos....
      
      http://www.youtube.com/user/HookedOnPhonicsTV
      
      The alphabet songs tab (the bottom choice on my page) is exceptionally cool.  Remember to screen ANY video on youtube before you let your kids watch them.  They aren't always what they say they are.
      
      Other than that lots and lots of reading.

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2. 60

   Lemuel Martinposted 12 years ago

   When I was very young, my mother used alphabet soup. Of course, this was just to supplement a more formal exercises.

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3. 60

   JakeFrostposted 12 years ago

   I remember learning with phonics
   
   Don't teach her A B C D...
   
   Teach her (hmm how do I write this) a b c d, as in the way it sounds. a for apple.
   
   
   Okay I didn't think writing an example would be very successful but do you get what I'm trying to say?

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4. 77

   Aficionadaposted 12 years ago

   When you are teaching your child to associate sounds with letters, it usually helps to first teach the consonants that are pronounced with the same sound their name makes at the beginning (B, D, J, K, P, T, V, Z), but postponing the ones that have multiple sounds like C and G. Only teach one at a time.
   
   For the vowel sounds, start with the short sounds because the "rules" are simpler than for the long sounds, even though the long sounds are the same as their name.
   
   Next with the consonants, teach the ones whose names are pronounced with their sound at the end (F, L, M, N, R, S, X). (S might jump ahead to be taught earlier, because its sound can be associated with its snaky shape.) And save the other consonants for last (C, G, H, Q, W, Y).  The long vowel sounds can be taught when the child is secure with the short sounds.
   
   A lot of the choice of the best method(s) to use depends on the age of the child and, as Melissa said, their learning style. Use Play-Doh or clay to make the shapes (better, help the child to make them), or make cookies or pancakes in the shape of the letters you are teaching. When your child sees and comments on an object, you can say "What's that sound?" to draw attention to  the initial sound of the word. You can spend a morning noticing all the objects you see that start with a sound you are teaching.
   
   When you read aloud, point to the dominant letters at the same time you are making those sounds.
   
   Most of all, make it enjoyable rather than a chore or a way for the child to show off. One of the best ways to do that is to read a lot to your child and cuddle with them while doing so.

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5. 87

   rebekahELLEposted 12 years ago

   Great responses above!  I couldn't agree more.  There really is no best way.  It's learning how your child best responds to different methods.  I encourage a lot of reading out loud and hearing the sounds of language.  Have a print rich learning environment where your child sees words associated with objects.
   And have fun with music!  It's a great way to learn.   Once a child begins to associate sounds and letters with words and language,  they make that connection of what the alphabet actually is.
   
   I like, and kids love Jack Hartman cds.  3 and 4 year olds can begin to understand and learn through his music.  But don't rely on one method.  Use as many of the 5 senses as you can.  That's how we learn.
   
   You can hear samples on one of his pages.
   https://admin.jackhartmann.com/lyrics/index.html

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