What's The Best Way To Teach My Child The Alphabet? - BabyCenter

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What's the best way to teach my child the alphabet? Judith Hudson, Ph.D.

Written by Judith Hudson, Ph.D. wooden blocks saying A, B, C

Most children begin recognizing some letters between the ages of 2 and 3 and can identify most letters between 4 and 5. This means that you can start teaching your child the alphabet when they're around 2 – but don't expect full mastery for some time.

What's more, toddlers learn differently from older children, so don't pull out the flashcards and audiotapes just yet. Instead, rely on visual aids such as colorful alphabet picture books – your child will have a great time pointing out the letters they know, as well as colors, shapes, animals, and other objects in the book.

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The first step in teaching the alphabet is getting your child interested in listening to stories. At around age 2 or 3, children who are frequently read to get the idea that books contain print, which is made up of letters.

There are lots of fun ways to introduce your child to individual letters. Sign their name to their artwork, then point out each letter one by one. Eventually they'll get the idea that those letters, put together, stand for their name. You can reinforce this identification in many ways: Alphabet letters forming their name on the door of their room, perhaps, or a toy or puzzle personalized with their name. Or help them play with alphabet puzzles or refrigerator magnets that they can manipulate.

Once they recognize a letter, play word games – "What words start with 'B'? Ball, baby, boy ..." or use the first letter of their name as the starting point – "Your special letter is 'P,' for Peter; can you think of any other 'P' words?" (Your child won't be able to write letters until they're about 4, so don't focus on teaching them to write until then.)

If they seem interested, feel free to continue helping your child learn more letters. But if they're under 4 and show no interest, it's best to let it go for a while. No evidence suggests that very early alphabet learning is related to more advanced reading skills later on.

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Sources

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American Academy of Pediatrics. 2013. How to Share Books with Your 12- to 14-Month-Old. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/toddler/Pages/How-to-Share-Books-with-Your-12-to-14-Month-Old.aspxOpens a new window [Accessed May 2022]

American Academy of Pediatrics. 2013. How to Share books with Your 15- to 17-Month-Old. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/toddler/Pages/How-to-Share-Books-with-Your-15-to-17-Month-Old.aspxOpens a new window [Accessed May 2022]

American Academy of Pediatrics. 2013. How to Share books with Your 18- to 23-Month-Old. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/toddler/Pages/How-to-Share-Books-with-Your-18-to-23-Month-Old.aspxOpens a new window [Accessed May 2022]

Zero to Three. 2004. Learning to Read the World: Literacy in the First 3 Years. https://www.zerotothree.org/resources/1103-learning-to-read-the-world-literacy-in-the-first-3-yearsOpens a new window [Accessed May 2022]