{"id":424,"date":"2017-11-22T11:04:18","date_gmt":"2017-11-22T18:04:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/preschool.utahdanceartists.com\/blog\/?p=424"},"modified":"2017-11-22T11:04:18","modified_gmt":"2017-11-22T18:04:18","slug":"8-fun-activities-teach-alphabet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/preschool.utahdanceartists.com\/blog\/8-fun-activities-teach-alphabet\/","title":{"rendered":"8 Ways to Lose the Flashcards: Make Alphabet Learning Fun!"},"content":{"rendered":"

We’ve all been singing the ABC song for longer than we can remember.\u00a0 Thanks to Mozart\u00a0 and Charles Bradlee<\/a>, we have a fabulous tune for all our language learners.\u00a0 But the Alphabet song is just the beginning of making those letters into useful language.\u00a0 At UDA Creative Arts Preschool<\/a>, we believe Charles had the right idea.\u00a0 Let’s lose the flashcards and make learning the alphabet fun!<\/p>\n

Making It Fun and Keeping It Real<\/h2>\n

\"alphabet<\/a><\/p>\n

Learning the alphabet and the alphabet sounds is a process over a few years, not an event from a few lessons.\u00a0 We believe that in order for those sounds to really sink in, we need to reach the whole child.\u00a0 So no stress Mom and Dad!\u00a0 No “language lesson” needed.\u00a0 Here are some fun ways you can make alphabet learning a part of your every day life.\u00a0 Fun for you!\u00a0 Fun for them!<\/p>\n

1- Integrated Learning<\/h2>\n

First, we asked some of our UDA Creative Arts Preschool<\/a> teachers what advice they have for pre-readers, and what we can do as parents to help children recognize letters and their sounds.<\/p>\n

Melissa Giraldi, our three-year-old teacher, recommends encouraging your preschooler to notice the letters all around them.\u00a0 You’ll be surprised how quickly your daily life becomes a lesson in language!\u00a0 Keep them interested by just adding your alphabet conversation to the things you are already doing.<\/p>\n

\"alphabet<\/a><\/p>\n

For example, while giving a bath, you could discuss the letter “W.”\u00a0 Draw it with soap on the shower wall, or by make it with your thumbs and pointer fingers.\u00a0 Then you can make the “w” sound in “water,” “wash,” “washcloth,” or a toy “whale.”\u00a0 You can also find some fun, inexpensive alphabet bath toys.\u00a0 Spell words in the tub!<\/p>\n

2- Sign Search<\/h2>\n

Amber Blackburn, one of our four-year-old teachers, suggests watching for letters while you’re driving.\u00a0 For older children, you can play the alphabet game, searching for the letters in alphabetical order.\u00a0 You can even make it a habit and do it while driving to and from preschool!<\/p>\n

Younger children can simply identify the letters on the signs they see and then discuss their sound.<\/p>\n

\"alphabet<\/a><\/p>\n

Stop sign!\u00a0 “S”!\u00a0 What sound does “S” make?<\/p>\n

3- Shopping Hunt<\/h2>\n

\"alphabet<\/a><\/p>\n

The grocery store is a place Miss Melissa suggests to find lots of letter discussion.\u00a0 Encourage your child to look at the letters on the packaging.\u00a0 When you are looking at a jar of peanut butter, encourage them to find the “P”.\u00a0 Then make the “P” sound together as you say “peanut butter.”\u00a0 Easy Peasy!<\/p>\n

Besides packaging, you can find letters on the item descriptions on the shelves, on the aisle signs, and at the cash register.\u00a0 When they are getting a grasp on sound\/letter connections, you can say things like: “There are the oranges.\u00a0 What letter does ‘O’range start with?”<\/p>\n

4- Snack Time<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

While we’re on the subject of food, who doesn’t love alphabet food?\u00a0 Of course you have your traditional alphabet soup, but now there are a plethora of crackers and other snacks with alphabet shapes.\u00a0 \u00a0Miss Amber recommends pointing out the letters to them as they eat them.<\/p>\n

\"alphabet<\/a><\/p>\n

Miss Melissa suggests using celery, carrot, or pretzel sticks to make an “I,” “T,” “H,” “L,” etc.\u00a0 You can even use smaller pieces in the middle for an “A” or “R.”\u00a0 \u00a0Or, just notice the random letters like an “O” shaped Cheerio.<\/p>\n

Whatever it is, don’t drill it into them, just make it into a game and have fun with it!<\/p>\n

5- Get a Little Messy<\/h2>\n

\"alphabet<\/a><\/p>\n

We all know it’s the\u00a0extraordinary<\/i> that we remember.\u00a0 You can make learning the alphabet stick (and sticky) by creating different experiences.\u00a0 Amber says, if you’re not afraid of getting a little messy, let your preschooler write letters in her pudding.\u00a0 We happen to know from experience that shaving cream is also the perfect medium for writing letters and also makes your preschooler smell nice and musky.<\/p>\n

6- Make Name Connections<\/h2>\n

\"alphabet<\/a><\/p>\n

Making connections is an essential part of memory.\u00a0 You can help your preschooler make connections<\/a> by helping them to recognize what is the same and what is different between two things being compared.<\/p>\n

Children love making connections to their name, or the names of people they know.\u00a0 As you point out letters, Miss Melissa advises to help them recognize whose name that letter connects to.\u00a0 \u00a0You’ll begin to hear phrases like, “Mom!\u00a0 That’s your letter!”\u00a0 \u00a0Connection made.<\/p>\n

7- Read! Read! Read!<\/h2>\n

\"alphabet<\/a><\/p>\n

There is no better way to see those alphabet letters in action than in a book.\u00a0 As your bookworm develops a love for books, your child will develop a love for language.<\/p>\n

Get silly!\u00a0 Miss Melissa suggests turning the book upside down and see what your child does.\u00a0 Help your child understand the mechanics of a book as you joke around with turning the pages the wrong way.\u00a0 Once in a while, track the lines with your finger.\u00a0 Your child will begin to understand the mechanics of a book.<\/p>\n

8- Follow Their Lead<\/h2>\n

Again, we recommend incorporating learning the alphabet into daily activities.\u00a0 So what does your child love?\u00a0 Miss Amber advises following their lead on what interests them.<\/p>\n

\"alphabet<\/a><\/p>\n

If your child loves trucks, find an alphabet book about trucks.\u00a0 If your child enjoys insects, connect letters to bugs.\u00a0 Encourage your dancer to make letters with her body.\u00a0 And if your child likes food…well, who doesn’t like food?\u00a0 As suggested before, use snack and meal time to your alphabet learning advantage!<\/p>\n

For learning the alphabet on a computer, we like Starfall.com<\/a>.\u00a0 This is a great website for preschool-aged children to practice learning math and early reading skills.<\/p>\n

If you’d like to come see how Melissa and Amber integrate alphabet learning into the classroom, or if you’d like a tour of our Utah facility, we’d love to have you visit us at UDA Creative Arts Preschool<\/a>!\u00a0 Just call (801) 523-5930.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We’ve all been singing the ABC song for longer than we can remember.\u00a0 Thanks to Mozart\u00a0 and Charles Bradlee, we have a fabulous tune for all our language learners.\u00a0 But the Alphabet song is just the beginning of making those letters into useful language.\u00a0 At UDA Creative Arts Preschool, we believe Charles had the right … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “8 Ways to Lose the Flashcards: Make Alphabet Learning Fun!”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":433,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/preschool.utahdanceartists.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/424"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/preschool.utahdanceartists.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/preschool.utahdanceartists.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/preschool.utahdanceartists.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/preschool.utahdanceartists.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=424"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/preschool.utahdanceartists.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/424\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":442,"href":"https:\/\/preschool.utahdanceartists.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/424\/revisions\/442"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/preschool.utahdanceartists.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/433"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/preschool.utahdanceartists.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=424"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/preschool.utahdanceartists.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=424"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/preschool.utahdanceartists.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=424"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}