Tips For Teaching The Alphabet

by Stephanie Henderson Snyder

Lucy learned to sing the alphabet, and now she sings the song all day long. It’s like the song that never ends. I love her to death, but I would not be upset if she gave it a rest. She even wants us to sing it before she goes to bed. Some lullaby! She can’t get enough of it, but honestly, I can.

I can because I know that she is only singing it for its catchy tune. I’m sure of this because she remixes it with “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” every so often. See, Lucy was able to identify her letters long before she was even singing the ABC song. So while I can appreciate the reinforcement (to a degree), I don’t find her singing of the song to be a real academic accomplishment unless she’s doing so while identifying the letters.

What’s more important than knowing how to sing the alphabet is that littlebits are able to identify each letter and eventually identify the sounds that go along with each letter. This way, they will one day be able to identify and build words. Most important in my eyes is that littlebits become invested in letters as the building blocks of language. Singing a song may not do that for them, but the tips below can help. Keep reading for tips on how to teach the alphabet to littlebits, starting around age 2. 

There is a vast array of ABC books, covering a variety of themes, topics, and illustration styles. Some ABC books are about animals, while others are about moods. Some feature an illustrator’s style and portray a montage of items and images. Others feature a popular character and objects that relate. Because of this, letters are displayed in a wide variety of fonts. Letters look different from font to font, especially for littlebits who are just learning them or who may still mix them up. When studying letters, use more than one book to show your littlebit what each letter looks like. Take time to point out slight differences between straighter fonts, curvier fonts, and even your own handwriting so that they can identify each letter no matter how they are presented.

As you use various books to demonstrate the slight nuances in letter fonts, you can use them to discuss the various words that begin with each letter, too. When we study the alphabet at our house, we grab every ABC book off of Lucy’s bookshelf, and open them up to the same letter. This way, she learns that A is for ant, airplane, acorn, and aardvark. For older littlebits, you can even discuss how some letters have more than one sound. For example, C may be for “crocodile” in one book but for “ceiling” in another. For younger littlebits, just hearing the repetition of the sounds in the words will help develop phonemic awareness, a cornerstone of reading readiness.

Most ABC books only focus on the capital letter. One day, while we were reading an ABC book that featured both the uppercase and lowercase letters, Lucy pointed to the lowercase A and asked me what it was. I realized that we had spent all of our time on the uppercase letters, completely neglecting the lowercase letters. In hindsight, I think it would be easier to teach the letters together instead of going back to teach the lowercase letters after the uppercase letters were already mastered. When we did do this, I taught them as “Mommy A” and “Lucy a”. Get creative in how you distinguish between uppercase and lowercase letters; just be sure not to disregard one set.

Lucy first became familiar with letters during her obsession with an old wooden letter puzzle we bought at a garage sale. She mastered this puzzle before she turned 2, and it helped her identify all of the capital letters before she could sing the ABC song. Puzzles are a great way to teach the alphabet, as they help littlebits get familiar with the order of the letters. Some puzzles feature pictures so that littlebits can associate letters with sounds and build their vocabularies. An added bonus? Fine motor skills practice comes along with puzzle play.

Flashcards also make a great resource, since they are a great size for littlebits to handle on their own. If you don’t have any on hand, you can create your own using pictures, supplies, or objects in your home. As you look for other resources to get your littlebit accustomed to the alphabet, don’t discount screen time. Sesame Street always features a Letter of the Day, and there are tons of apps to help your littlebit learn letters.

Have fun as you study letters! We want to make the alphabet come alive for our littlebits; after all, letters are an access code to words, sentences, stories, information and an understanding of them all.

If you’re not tired of singing the alphabet song at your house, then sing! Belt it out, use a funny accent, or put a funky beat to remix the traditional song. 

Try acting out what each letter stands for in your favorite ABC book. If “L” is for “lion” in the animal ABC book, then show off your best roars. If “L” is for “loving” in the mood ABC book, then give hugs and kisses. This is a great way to teach other content and information while covering letters.

Our Littlebit Letter Cards not only feature the uppercase and lowercase versions of each letter; they feature images from each of the board books in our series. While discussing letters, you can also have a scavenger hunt to find which book each image comes from. Ask your littlebit questions to guide them through the scavenger hunt.  For example, you might say, “A is for Apple. In which book was Lucy eating?” When he or she answers, “Dining!” then find the picture of the apple in the book.

There are so many ways to teach letter recognition to our littlebits, and there are tons more resources to mix it up and to help you along the way. Have fun, for your sake and your littlebit’s. Looking for more ideas?  Check out Pinterest, Teachers Pay Teachers, or a simple Google search. Know someone who is frustrated with teaching the alphabet or is tired of singing the traditional ABC song? Share this post with them!

Let’s Talk Lit!

How do you teach or reinforce the alphabet with your littlebits?

Let us know in the comments section.