Learning the ABC of a child involves remembering both the correct sequence of the names of letters and the styles of characters, and the ability to correlate styles with names. The alphabet for children should be easy to read and constantly in sight of the child. It is important that the letters are printed in clear print, preferably with serifs. However, the plastic alphabet and comic images can be involved in the process of learning letters.
Memorizing a sequence of letters
One of the easiest ways to learn the sequence of names is to repeatedly listen to a song, which is based on the alphabet. For children, learning, listening and singing is almost the same thing, and the sequence of names is usually very easy to remember. Parents can come up with a melody for the song on their own and sing this song for the child, however, there are many ready-to-listen songs. Especially often the English alphabet is performed for children.
The nuance is to help the child relate what he hears to what he sees. To do this, point to the letters while singing or listening to a song. Gradually, the child will point to the signs on his own and learn to do it even before he will sing. It is only necessary to ensure that the baby draws the right boundary between the words-names. For example, “ope” (“Oh, pe”) children often understand as the name of one letter. Especially often this error occurs when remembering the English alphabet, where the boundaries of the words are less clear by ear. First of all, this concerns the joints between the names of the letters Q, R, S, T. For example, a child can understand “res” as one word (connect the end of the name of the letter R with the name S).
Gradually, the alphabet for children becomes an ordinary song, which is remembered very strongly. This will be required for teaching reading and for using paper dictionaries, and when studying English literacy, the names of vowels will be a good support for reading open and closed syllables.
Outline letters
Both the English and Russian alphabet for children can be painted before their eyes, paying attention to the elements of letters. Almost every child likes to circle and color with colored crayons or felt-tip pens what their parents draw for them, and letters and numbers are no exception. This game will not be difficult for the child, and at the same time the characters will be unobtrusively remembered.
It is important that the letters are very large, for example, in the entire notebook or album sheet. Small and subtle movements for a preschooler are either inaccessible or difficult for him, so drawing small letters will distract him from the signs themselves and focus on the process of control over coordination of movements.
Drawing letters
When drawing with crayons, finger paints or felt-tip pens, it will be easier for the child to focus on the elements of signs.
A good exercise would be to draw the letters “with character”: “thick”, “thin”, “angry”. This will teach the child to determine which elements in the mark are random and which are decisive.
Matching alphabets in different fonts
A great exercise for the child will be matching letters in different fonts. You can print the English or Russian alphabet for children several times on thick paper, cut into cards and ask the child to find the same letters.
This exercise is aimed at the formation of solid images of letters, the exclusion of random elements from these images (for example, serifs, bending shapes, aspect ratios, etc.).
Plastic alphabet
It is very important to strive so that games with a plastic alphabet are not formal, but developmental. The alphabet for children, which is a set of large and voluminous parts, may at first simply serve as a designer. From the details you can add patterns, build houses. This lesson will not be in vain: the child will get used to the whole image of letters.
However, the most fascinating thing is to look at the alphabet. For children from the age of four, it is quite simple to complete the contours of objects and present random graphic signs in the form of objects familiar to them. You need to ask the child to pick up one of the plastic letters and imagine what it looks like.
So, the letter T often reminds the children of a person with their arms spread apart; English letter W - teeth; the letter J is the handle of the umbrella; The Russian letter D seems to children similar to a face with a mustache. Children are very interested in this game, and they especially like this activity when they have the opportunity to compete in their associations, no matter with adults or with children.
Pretty quickly you can see the result of this game and see its fruitfulness. Very often, when experimenting with the first letters, it is difficult for a child to understand the task, to present the letter as an object. After a while, the baby has an ease in associations, he begins to boldly fantasize. As for the study of the alphabet itself, the successful association of each letter with a particular subject greatly facilitates the child’s path to remembering letters. They cease to be for him a set of random elements and turn into self-contained complete images.
Everything is like letters
A kind of signal that the game in comparing letters with the outside world is paying off is usually the appearance of inverse comparisons. In his associations, the child is no longer repelled by the sign, but by the object that he sees. For example, two pencils inserted in a glass will suddenly remind him of the letter V, and the traffic light on the side - the letter B. These associations are very important to maintain.
In short, the alphabet for children can be a wonderful game that develops observation and imaginative thinking.