As lockdown eases and schools begin to reopen, nurseries still remain closed. Alphabet activities can be a fun and easy way to help your toddler become more familiar with letters, develop their sound recognition and boost their literacy learning. Playing with a set of alphabet cards is a great way to introduce a little one to reading, encourage them to learn new words and help them to feel more confident when they go back to nursery or school in September.
For these activities, all you need is some floor space, a comfy blanket or rug to sit on and a printed set of our adorable alphabet activity cards.
Top tip: to deepen your child’s learning and understanding of each letter, these cards can also be coloured in – perfect if your little one is a visual learner!
Our 5 favourite alphabet activities
1. Say the letter
Sit your toddler with each card laid out in a circle around them in alphabetical order, letters facing down. Ask your child to turn over each card in order and say the name of the letter. If they get it right, keep that card facing up; if they’re having trouble with a particular card, calmly say the answer, turn the letter back over and continue on to the next one. After you’ve completed the circle, return to the cards that remain face down and try each one again.
2. Say the sound
Similar to the previous activity, ask your toddler if they can tell you the sound that each letter makes in a word. Repeat the steps above and remember to be excited every time they answer correctly and to be supportive and relaxed if your child is having trouble.
3. What’s the word?
Using the sweet illustration on each card as a prompt, ask your little one to say a word that starts with the letter on each card. Depending on their age and stage of development, there is space on each card where either you or your child can write the word down. If your little one is beginning to learn to read, ask them to read back the word and encourage them to focus on the initial letter sound as an introduction to phonetic learning.
4. Order the alphabet
This activity is particularly good for active, more kinetic learners. Sat on the floor with plenty of space, present your little one with the alphabet cards in a jumble. Invite them to pick each card up one at a time and ask whether they think this letter comes at the beginning, middle or end of the alphabet and to arrange the cards accordingly. If you think your toddler may be a little unsure about the order of the alphabet, start the activity by singing the alphabet song together to give them a little more confidence.
5. Find the letter
Sat in the same circle as the first activity, arrange each card in alphabetical order with the letters facing up. Say a letter as either the letter name, sound or word beginning with that letter and ask your little one to find and give you that card. This is a great way to consolidate what they’ve learned from the previous activities and get them moving and thinking about each letter as a whole rather than just a sound.
As with any learning activity, the most important thing is that your little one is having fun. After all, teaching through play is a great way to bond with your child; let their own interest and skill level guide you with each activity. If you use these cards, don’t forget to tag us on Instagram and share your favourite alphabet activities so we can see how you’re getting on.
With love,
My 1st Years x