How to Teach the Alphabet to Young Children More Effectively

Whether you are an already seasonedteacherwho teaches young kids or you are a parent trying your best to be the effective teacher to your child; teaching the alphabet is not always easy. Young children are still starting their formal education and they are still adjusting to their new experience whether it is at home or in school. To make teaching the alphabet easier for the kids, you have to provide for the good learning tools and resources in order for you to be effective in teaching the child. Teaching the alphabet is not just only letting the child read the letters and memorizing them.

As a teacher for little kids for almost thirty years, I have noted some important points to share. Since I have been with the little kids for a long time, I thought I should be writing more about kids and their early years of education.

Tip #1

Kids love visual aids. They will participate better in class activities if you use colorful pictures, flash cards and other materials that involve their sense of sight. Children love to watch things and appreciate them. If you are teaching letter A for example; you should be ready to show them real objects with names that begin with letter A. You should also emphasize on the sound of the letter because this is the basic step in learning to read. The more the child is versed with the sound of the letter, the better for him to be able to read. The basic way to teach reading to kids is to teach the sound, so integrating this method is best for the child.

Tip #2

Understand individual differences. Children are different from each other. They could never be the same in their level of understanding and assimilating the lessons you teach them. You should be prepared to tackle these problems when you are dealing with a group of little kids. You should not expect to be able to teach the alphabet to the children once they are seated. The hard part here is that even the idea of letting them sit on their chair and behave is very hard. So start with a good motivating activity. In my class, I always start the class with a short prayer and greetings to the teachers and their classmates. After that I let them sing and recite nursery rhymes. This should be done for about ten minutes before starting the main lesson.

Tip #3

If you truly want the kids to learn the alphabet; let the children know that they should learn the alphabet. There are children who go to school only to sleep or play but this should not be tolerated. Unless the child is not feeling well or he is really very sleepy, there are solutions to these problems but as much as possible, make the children sit on their chair and listen to you. Children will enjoy learning and participating in classroom activities if you make teaching and learning fun. The best way to address this is to give many activities that will not only enhance proper learning but also provide fun learning for the little kids. Use different techniques like arts and crafts. You can also let the children watch a video of objects that begin with the letter you are teaching.

Tip #4

Give rewards and incentives for deserving kids. I always give stars to the kids who could recite the alphabet. If a child did not recite, I often tell the child to recite first and get also a star. This is not only encouraging the child to work and participate in class activities but also developing the child’s ability to react and respond properly to tasks given. If the child refuses to talk then he will not get a star. Kids react to circumstances differently; some kids may cry or complain and some will just look at you but it is important that the child will understand why he is in school.

Tip $5

Socialize with all the kids in a loving and caring way. Suppose you are teaching the letter D and you are using a doll as an example so that the kids will understand the lesson better; do not give the doll to a particular kid to play while others will look in envy. If the kids want to touch the doll;; go around and let all the kids touch it while saying the word doll. The worst thing that a teacher or a parent could do to kids is to play favorites. It is normal for people to have their favorite but never show that you are favoring a child from another. Be considerate to the children. While favoritism cannot be avoided because there are children who are just so lovable; you should have control of how you feel. Always treat the kids in the same manner. If you gave John a big star for reciting the alphabet properly, do the same to his classmates who have recited the alphabet.

Tip #6

Encourage all the children to participate in class activities so that they will learn the alphabet better. Young children often have their own world. They are sometimes bored and they refuse to listen so that is what you should tackle as a teacher. If there are kids who refuse to participate, try holding their hands and touching them lovingly so that they will feel welcomed and join their classmates. There are children who are difficult to handle but if you discover the trick you will be able to handle every type of kid.

Teaching young kids is perhaps the hardest thing to do but there are always ways to handle things in the most appropriate way.

Teaching kids is quite cumbersome so you should know the art of teaching the kids. Here are some articles about teaching young kids:

http://hubpages.com/hub/how-to-teach-letter-S-to-young-kids