Teaching the alphabet

Letter recognition

Recognizing the letters of the alphabet is the foundation of reading skill. Research has shown that

children who can recognize letters of the alphabet have an easier time learning to make connections

between the letters and the sounds they stand for.

Children need to memorize the letter names, and you can help them do this through direct instruction

along with many exposures to the letters in print. Practise with writing the letters is a proven method

for building and reinforcing letter recognition. Here are some activities for helping children develop their

alphabet recognition skills.

Teach the children the alphabet song (provided in the Rhymes VCD) and sing it daily. Point to the

letters of the alphabet as you sing the song with the children. Let them also watch and listen to the

letters being read aloud (on the course VCD that is included in the package). Let them point to the

letters of the alphabet as they listen to the audio.

Point to the letters on an alphabet chart or on the black/whiteboard read them aloud. Let the

children repeat after you.

Provide the letters in different forms: printed on cards or cut out from pieces of cloth. Have the

children trace the letter with her or his finger as she or he says the letter name.

Teach the children the letters of her or his name.

Provide practice in writing the letters. Let the child write the letters on unlined paper first. Students

can use paint or finger paint or pencils.

Write a series of words on a piece of paper, for example, box, ran, back, fan, boy. Ask the child to

circle all the words that begin with a letter, in this case, the letter b .

Use the letter flash cards to spell the childs name.

Spread out letter cards or blocks with capital and small letters on the table. Ask the children to pair

the capital letters with the small letters.

Give the children letter cards or blocks and have them place the cards in alphabetical order.

Make two sets of a selection of different letter cards (about 16 to 20 cards or 8 to 10 different

letters). Spread them face down on the table. Have the children turn over two cards and say the

letter names.

How to make flashcards

1. Cut a clean sheet of paper into half the size of a normal size book.

2. Make 32 pieces.

3. Using a clear marker, write one capital letter of the alphabet in one sheet.

4. When you are finished writing all the capital letters start writing the small letters of the alphabet.

5. All the sheets should be of the same size and all the letters should be big enough for all the students

in the classroom to see.

A sample of a flashcard (Note: this is not the actual size)

Writing the alphabet

Children need lots of fun and creative ways to write the alphabet. You will need to prepare your children

writing by engaging them in prewriting activities.

Prewriting skills involve the skills a child needs in order to learn to write. These skills include sensor

motor skills which enable a child to hold and use a pencil which gives them the ability to copy, trace,

draw and colour. One of the fundamentals of prewriting skills is pattern writing. Pattern writing is

specific strokes that comprise in all letters and numbers. As a child practises pattern writing through

copying and tracing, this will give them the confidence and ability to write letters and numbers correctly.

A prewriting book is included in the Nursery package. It contains all the requisite activities for

developing prewriting skills. They include:

Pattern writing

Tracing shapes and patterns

Dot to dots

Colouring

Drawing

Copying lines

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