Pre Reading

Alphabet Charts

What does the alphabet mean to a pre-school child?

At first it is probably just another song, and this is the best way to introduce it. Learn the song first, and learn 'I Spy' next. These are both done without books or print. They are language and listening skills.

The 'I Spy' game helps to isolate and identify initial sounds for the child. When the child understands what the alphabet sounds are (by attaching them to name of objects such as c=cat), then learning to recognise the alphabet letters will begin in earnest.

But 'knowing the alphabet' can mean a variety of things. The following activities will help to sort out many of the skills to be learned, in order of acquisition.

Note the difference between recognition and recall. Recognition is the earlier skill and easier skill, while recalling a letter requires that it be written, and therefore it's more difficult.

The following alphabet charts are available for you to use. Click the link below to go to a chart.

Chart 1, Pictures with lower case letters,
letter names, and song
Chart 2, Pictures with upper and lower case letters
and song
Chart 3. Picture chart only, with sounds to click
Chart 4. Letters only, with song

Click the chart to hear
the alphabet song

	Things to do
1	Singing the alphabet song	Teach you child to sing the alphabet. Do this as young as possible using a video or tape recorded version if possible so that it can be replayed at will. It is just a song, so don't try to teach any letters at this stage. You have to expect that it will be learned approximately at first, but will become more exact with practice. The final test will be whether the child can separate the l,m,n,o,p! (Isn't elemenoh-pee a real word?)
2	'I Spy' game	Playing 'I Spy' is a great way to teach that every word starts with an alphabet sound. (cat starts with a c sound, toast starts with a t sound and so does telephone and television!) Don't try to teach recognition of letters until your child knows what sounds are. That is, how to separate initial sounds from words.
3	Learning to recognise letters using a chart to point and sing Click here to go to an Alphabet Chart with lower case letters and a song	Use a chart to show your child how to point as he/she sings the alphabet song. I know that you are going to see a problem here immediately, because children have to learn how to match their voice with the object they are pointing at and this takes a little time to learn. Its called 1:1 CORRESPONDENCE. You can practice the skill in a variety of ways, by counting and touching any objects, playing board games where you count and move objects one space at a time, putting objects into an egg tray one at a time and counting them, and so on. The 1:1 correspondence skill is usually mastered by the age of 5, and it may take many months to learn, depending on the experience of the child. You can't force it, but you can play games and activities using the skill in order to learn it. Expect your child to say the alphabet by pointing to each object, but sometimes losing their place and keeping on going, saying the right letter for the wrong picture (because I am relying on my memory!)
4	Learning the alphabet by matching letters and voice	Once the child can match their voice with the objects they touch (1:1 correspondence) they will be able to teach themselves all the letters of the alphabet, both upper and lower case. If they lose their place show them how to go back and start again each time. Let your children play with the charts here to teach themselves.
5	Matching letter and picture games and activities Click here for the Picture Chart Click here for the Letter Chart	Print out the picture and letter charts and cut them up and make two sets of matching cards, one set with pictures and one with letters. There are many games and activities to play. Here are a few to get you started: Select (say) five letters and matching picture cards. Shuffle them but leave them face up. Ask the child to match the letters and pictures. Put out all the letters and pictures and get the child to match the pairs that are known. Teach the rest using an appropriate activity. Select up to ten pairs. Turn them face down and shuffle them. Play the Concentration game. Place all letter or picture cards in order.
6	Recalling and writing letters	Print out the picture chart. Ask your child to write the letters that are known on each picture. This is a key assessment activity which can be repeated at intervals to assess progress.
7	Letter only chart for recognition without pic clues	Print out the letter chart. Check which letters are recognised by asking your child to give the names or sounds for the letters you indicate at random. Note that you cannot do it in order because the child may use the alphabet song to identify the letters.
8	Chart for use on desk when writing	Print out the Alphabet chart and tape it to your child's desk so that it can be used when writing. Show the child how to find a letter by using the 'I Spy' game skill. Eg. I need to write 'house'. It starts with a 'h'. a,b,c,d,e,f,g,h,...... there it is!
9	Letter sounds and names Click here for an alphabet chart with both upper and lower case letters and the song	As you notice that your child is becoming aware that letters have sounds and names it becomes appropriate to teach or rehearse these. Use the charts to go through using all sounds, and then using all names. Check this out! Make sure that both upper and lower case letters are pronounced the same. Many children think that the capital letters are the names and the lower case letters are the sounds!!!! (Some refer to these as 'long' and 'short' sounds). Don't refer to the lower case sounds as 'baby sounds' or children will try to graduate to the letter names as they mature, and be embarrassed to use 'sounds' in class. For spelling, reading and writing we need to know both names and sounds, even when we are adults. Discuss this with your children.