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Ideas
for
Teaching
Letter Recognition |
I've collected these ideas from parents over the years.
Please email me additional ideas any time!
Practicing with your child for a few minutes every day
is far more helpful than an hour one day a week.
The real trick is that more frequently you review letters,
the faster your child will learn.
Don't show your child too many "new" letters -
practice the ones s/he already knows and add a couple more.
Remember that letters look like hieroglyphics to a child!
Sincere praise is the most effective tool you have.
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~~~The List~~~ |
· Look for letters in print while driving: Business signs, License plates, Street signs
· Look for letters in stores and restaurants: Menus, Signs, Packaging
· Look for letters at home: Books, Packaging, Appliances, TV, Mail, Toys, Cookie cutters, T-shirts
· Cut out letters from old catalogs and magazines.
· Play with refrigerator magnets.
· Play with alphabet puzzles and games.
· Paint letters on fingernails with a nailpolish marker.
· Make an ABC photo album using plastic sleeves - one pocket for each letter.
· Fish for magnetic letters out of a tissue box using a paperclip on a string.
· Sing the ABC song while child points to letters.
· In the car, waiting room or home, play I spy with my little eye something that starts with _.
· Guide older siblings on how to play school.
· Use the library's books on tapes.
· Draw letters in mashed potatoes, applesauce, pudding, etc.
· Make letters out of green beans, rice, corn, play dough, etc.
· Have your child say the name of the letter while tracing it.
· Write the letter down and have the child say the letter. Then have him write a line of the letter saying the letter every time. Helps handwriting skills also!
· Read alphabet books. Point to letters in simple words.
· Play with a MagnaDoodle, Talk and Learn, spelling machines, computer games, etc.
· Make or buy a large letter rug or bedspread for your child's bedroom.
· Use sports jerseys to practice reading numbers as you watch & play games together.
· Have place name cards at the table with everyone's name. Change places often.
· Play flash card games. Start with the letters your child already knows then add new ones one at a time. Use the letters in child` s name as a basis to build on.
~~~1. Let your child keep the ones s/he knows. Count them, study a few more, then reshuffle all the cards and play again. Make a big deal out of the new amount of keepers.
~~~2. Start with the ones your child already knows and add the corresponding upper or lowercase letter (If your child knows B add b and add E if your child knows e.) Turn the cards over and play memory by matching the upper with the lowercase.
~~~3. Match upper and lower case letters on 3x5 cards.
~~~4. Use cards with corresponding pictures that identify with each letter in the alphabet.
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| And as long as I'm going on about all this... |
| The more often you practice the better the results! 10 minutes every day will help tremendously. Once a week does not help very much! The children who have mastered letter recognition already (that means all 52!) may be able to use some of the techniques to learn letter sounds. Kindergartners should know all of the letters before winter break. That's 52 letters out of order (no fair using cards that show uppercase A and lowercase a together). Kindergartners should be able to produce the correct sound for each letter by spring break. The sooner a child learns all the letters and sounds, the sooner he or she will learn to read! Please ask your child how s/he gets good at something or how s/he learns something new. I'm hoping you'll hear: Practice, practice, practice and try your best. |
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