5 ways to easily and quickly learn the alphabet with a child 3-6 years old

Before you teach your child the alphabet, it's important to understand what you won't do. Namely, learn to read. This is a more complex skill, so it is worth postponing it until the child is familiar with all the letters and is confident in recognizing them and writing them independently. Until then, put aside the alphabet and reading syllables.

In this article, we have collected basic principles to quickly learn the Russian alphabet with a child 3–6 years old in a playful way. For all games with letters, you can use plasticine, paints and any available means or magnetic letters TUMPLING - they will easily attract the child’s attention.

Content:

• Learning letters: where to start? Is your child ready to learn the alphabet?
• Advice from psychologists

Learning letters: where to start?

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Before teaching your child letters, you need to decide: 1) whether he is ready to learn, and 2) what goal you are pursuing. If the reason lies in the parents’ desire for the child to know as much as possible in order to show off to others, it is better to leave this idea. The young student himself must show an interest in knowledge and want to learn the alphabet. You need to concentrate on his desires and abilities.

If parents see that their child is inquisitive and shows interest in new knowledge, this is a signal that they can start learning letters. It is important to remember that any theory must be supported by practice. Having learned the letters, proceed to syllables, and then gradually move on to reading.

The main task of parents is to be patient and convey information in an accessible form, and also not to force the child to study if he does not want to. It is better to conduct classes in the form of a game.

You need to start training only if the child himself wants it, or if he will soon go to school. According to the requirements of educational institutions, when entering school, children must know the basics - letters, numbers. Without these basic skills, studying will be much more difficult.

Is your child ready to learn the alphabet?

To determine how ready the baby is, there are psychological tests. Parents are asked to answer yes or no to the following questions:

Development of cognition

1. Does the child understand such judgments - right/left, much/little, big/small, low/high, near/far, under/above.
2. Can understand simple situations in which it is necessary to divide objects according to classification. For example, identify a group of green and red objects.
3. Is he able to think of the end of a fairy tale or story?
4. Does he consistently fulfill three requests, without reminding his parents?

Basic knowledge

1. Has the child ever been to a post office, a store, or a zoo? How broad his horizons are.
2. Have you visited the library?
3. Did his parents read fairy tales to him, starting from a very early age?

Speech development

1. Is it easy for the child to name the objects that surround him?
2. Is it easy to answer the questions asked?
3. Is he able to tell the purpose of household things - a vacuum cleaner, an iron, a refrigerator.
4. Can he determine the location of objects - on, under, inside, near.
5. How clearly does he pronounce words?
6. Can he conduct a dialogue?

Development of the emotional sphere

1. Is the child having fun with friends and communicating with family?
2. Can he adapt to new changes in his daily routine?
3. Knows how to compete and cooperate with friends.

Communication level

1. Can he share toys and communicate with other children?
2. Knows how to listen to others and not interrupt.

Level of physical development

1. Is the child diligent, is he able or not to sit quietly for a certain period of time?
2. Plays with the ball, jumps, goes down and up the stairs.
3. Gets enough sleep, has a good appetite, and knows how to extinguish emotional outbursts.

Development of visual abilities

1. Can a child distinguish between similar and dissimilar and classify them into separate groups?
2. Distinguishes short words and syllables with similar sounds - forest/weight, cat/year.
3. Able to notice changes - if three pictures were shown at first, and then one was removed.
4. He knows how to spell his name, what at least three letters from the alphabet look like.
5. According to the instructions of an adult, he is able to lay out pictures on the table.
6. Knows the order of reading words - from left to right.
7. Folds the minimum number of puzzles - from 10.

Hearing development

1. Rhymes words.
2. Repeats words and numbers after adults.
3. Understands that words that are similar in pronunciation have different sounds.
4. Retells what he heard.

Interest in reading

1. Enjoys looking at the pictures.
2. Loves to listen to fairy tales.
3. Interested in letters.

Thinking about learning the alphabet in preparation for school? Find out how many words per minute a preschooler and primary school child should read and for what “grade”.

If parents can answer affirmatively to at least 50% of the questions proposed, they can safely offer their child to study the alphabet.

Advice from psychologists

To learn the alphabet with your child, speech therapists and psychologists recommend following these tips:

• do not teach letters strictly in alphabetical order;
• do not learn all the letters mixed together;
• first learn vowels, then consonants;
• name the sound, not the spelling of the letter (incorrect - BE, DE, correct - B, D);
• consolidate what has been learned with practice - show how to write, give the child the opportunity to write with chalk, paints, or with his finger on the cereal.

Learning the letters of the Russian alphabet in a playful way

We offer you an online service for learning the Russian alphabet for children. The principle of the games is that for each letter of the alphabet, corresponding pictures with images of objects, animals, products, plants, and so on are selected. For each letter, the name of the picture begins with that letter, so the child remembers the letters by naming words and looking at pictures. We can’t say that this is a game, it’s more of an online book for learning the alphabet.

Having mastered the tools of reading - its technique - and understanding the text, the child must advance from the preparatory to the main stage of reading activity, master certain knowledge, abilities and skills in perceiving works of different genres, and active perception, expressed in attitude, assessments, emotional impressions, understanding of meaning and subtext. The ability to read is a special skill.

To make it more convenient for you, we placed buttons with a choice of letters above the pictures and made them large enough so that children can click on them themselves. After all, a child will learn the alphabet even on his own. Parents only need to help the child. In addition to learning the alphabet with the help of our service, a child can learn new words from pictures. Owners of tablet computers (for example, iPad) can open the Alphabet for children, and the child himself will click on the letters and look at the pictures (we checked :).

Methods for studying vowels/consonants

To teach your baby letters, you need to be patient. You should not demand too much, otherwise he will lose interest in knowledge.

First, talk about each vowel letter separately. For example, the letter A. Name it, show how it looks in writing, how to write it. Next, name the words in which it is present. Show pictures that depict objects, people and animals whose names contain the letter A. Next, invite the child to independently remember words that also contain this letter. You can consolidate the theory with practice - while walking, pay attention to store signs, together with your child, try to find a letter that is already familiar to him.

After the previous sound has been learned, you can proceed to the next one. To captivate the baby, it is recommended to purchase cards with letters, a board, cubes, bright pictures and books.

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When vowels have been studied and reinforced in practice, you can begin to master consonants. First, introduce the child to the sound, then show him the letters. Learn the sound D, not the letter DE . Otherwise, he will experience disorientation in the process of combining syllables into words. The method of studying consonants does not differ from the method of vowels. It is important to practice as often as possible, to remember together words that contain the learned letter. Sequence of actions, repetition of learned material, patience - this is what will help parents.

Talking ABC - poster for learning the alphabet at home

We have prepared for you a review of the most interesting and fascinating alphabet posters. Choose a poster where a voice pronounces the letter and sound. It is important that the child understands the difference between them. Be patient, support the child in everything, help him.

• Talking ABC Expert. This poster contains letters, poems, songs, and the voiceover is clear and understandable.

• ABC. Farm and zoo. Here the child will find fairy tales, letters, numbers, geometric shapes, animal names. The poster is bright, engaging, and the sound is clear and loud.

1. Poster Pushkin and Russia. ABC. The canvas depicts characters from the works of Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin, they read poetry, professional voice acting is used. The buttons respond well to pressing and have an auto-off function.

1. Safety poster. Azbukvarik . – the poster introduces children not only to letters and sounds, but also to the rules of the road. Very colorful, useful and durable.

1. ABC of child safety. Connoisseur. The poster teaches useful and necessary things in life - politeness, correct behavior and, of course, the alphabet. There is a knowledge test function and musical accompaniment.

How to learn the alphabet - adapt to the child’s age

3-4 years

To quickly teach a 3-4 year old child, you need to start with simple letters (those that are most often used in speech). After this, gradually move on to complex and rarer ones. This way he will remember the words better and faster.

You only need to learn one letter per lesson. You shouldn’t conduct “lessons” every day - it’s better to do it at intervals of two to three days.

Secure the result using cards, cut out letters from paper or fabric, sculpt from plasticine or dough. Each time before a new sound, repeat the material covered. At 3 years old, a child will be interested in listening to and learning a funny song or rhyme with the alphabet.

At this age, there is no need to force or rush the child. School is not soon yet, quick preparation for it is not required. Conduct classes only at the request of the baby.

It is important to consider the following points when teaching three-year-olds:

• do not expect your child to learn the alphabet quickly (be patient and devote time to studying regularly);
• do not exercise for more than 7 minutes a day;
• learn letters in pairs - A-Z, U-Y;
• do not proceed to study consonants without vowels;
• Remember that at this age imaginative thinking plays a big role, so you need to purchase bright books, toys and pictures.

It’s easier to conduct classes with a four-year-old. At this age, children have more developed processes of perception and analysis of abstract information. You can add puzzles, magnetic letters, cubes to the pictures, attract fairy tales, rhymes, stickers, posters. For better memorization, name the letters and write them immediately, encourage the child to draw them with a pen, pencil, or chalk.

Try an interesting and quite effective technique: forming letters from simple improvised means - buttons, sticks, sand.

You can learn the alphabet with a four-year-old child through the following games:

• cut out letters from paper, and then choose at random and name them;
• show pictures of animals, things, etc., and ask what letter the depicted object begins with;
• learn rhymes and songs with the studied sounds.

5-6 years

5-6 years is the most optimal age for teaching a child the alphabet, and as a result, reading. He must speak and pronounce sounds correctly. If you have difficulties with this, you should visit a speech therapist. At this age, activities cease to be purely playful in nature. The child needs to be told why he needs to know the alphabet. For example, say that now he will be able to read books on his own.

Advice to parents. Five-year-olds can be offered special educational books and notebooks. For example, you should take a closer look at game books with puzzles, mazes, crosswords and other interesting tasks.

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Parents of preschoolers can purchase copybooks in which children will perform various educational tasks. A good option is “First words. Recipes for preschoolers. With tasks. 5-6 years” – publication authored by S.V. Petrenko. This manual is not overloaded with exercises; the words are given in enlarged form. Plus, after completing the task, the child is asked to independently evaluate his work (circle the sun with the appropriate rating) - this will allow the child to feel what it is like to be a schoolchild.

For training, you can use the methods of 4-year-olds (section above). But increase the study time (make the process longer), study every other day and be more persistent. You can also use educational cards and pictures. Assemble letters from puzzles and cut-out parts, sculpt and draw. At this age, a child will be interested in playing with a ball - throw him a ball and say any word, and let him throw the ball back and say the first letter of this word.

After learning vowels and consonants, show your five-year-old how to form syllables.

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The educational material includes cards with syllables that make up words. Before you begin directly teaching your child to add syllables, it is recommended to select several games and exercises with letters. The adult shows the child two cards with letters: a vowel and a consonant, where one letter follows the other, while the parent or teacher pronounces how a syllable is formed from them. For example, the letter L runs towards the letter A, resulting in the syllable “l-l-l-a-a-a”.

An example of a game that helps a child learn syllables

To play you will need scissors, paper and pencils.

The point: the child is asked to draw a car or a house with a window. Make cuts along the side edges of the window. Prepare a paper tape, place the vowels on it: A, O, E, Y, U, I, E, Z (keep in mind that the width of the tape should fit into the cuts on the window). Then glue a transparent pocket - it will be located directly in front of the window (a piece of polyethylene is suitable for this purpose). In this pocket, place the consonant letter L, N, M one by one (choose the simplest letters), then insert a ribbon with moving vowels into the window, stretch it out, showing the child how to form syllables.

7 years

Preschoolers are taught letters using elements of classical classes - books, primers, alphabet, and copybooks. The child needs to be taught not only to pronounce sounds, but also to represent letters in writing. The purpose of the lessons is not only the alphabet, but also learning to organize your own time. The child learns to do homework according to a schedule, at the same time, devoting at least half an hour to completing the work.

After the child has learned the consonants, you can try to form syllables. For this purpose, you can use cubes, puzzles, or draw syllables on the board.

An electronic primer will be a useful acquisition. With its help, the activity turns into an exciting game. When choosing an alphabet book, make sure that the robot pronounces sounds, not letters. In addition, use special workbooks, and also ask your child to talk as much as possible - talk about the past day, retell fairy tales.

The future student will be interested in theoretical lessons in the form of educational cartoons. You can cut out letters and glue them in the form of appliqués.

When sending a child to first grade, a parent worries not only about the level of preparation of his child, but also about the health, safety, and adaptation of the young student to new conditions. To worry less about your child and respond to all problems in a timely manner, buy your student a children’s smart watch or install the “Where are my children” application from the AppStore and GooglePlay. This way you can always know where your child is, what route he is taking, and what is happening around him!

How to quickly learn the alphabet - the best proven methods

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It is impossible to force a child to learn the alphabet. This activity should bring him pleasure. We invite you to familiarize yourself with proven ways to get your child interested in learning letters.

Game techniques

Children learn material more easily through playful presentation. They will enjoy activities in the form of a game. What can you offer:

• to sculpt;
• paint;
• cut out letters;
• collect cut cards.

A useful learning option is sculpting. The process involves several sensory organs and develops fine motor skills. Prepare several small pieces of plasticine, twist them into long “worms” and fold them into letters, while simultaneously pronouncing the sounds with your child.

Coloring pages can be made in the form of pictures with letters. It is better to choose large sketches to make it easier for the child to color.

Paper cutting is also great for developing fine motor skills. But you shouldn’t ask your child to cut out the letters right away. It is better to cut the parts from them and then put them together in the form of a puzzle.

Positive emotions are of no small importance in the learning process. A good option is to bake cookies in the form of letters, put together letters from vegetables or fruits, and draw them on the surface of the pancake with condensed milk or jam.

Classical training

The basic option for learning the alphabet is to use educational cards. With the help of this didactic material, associations are consolidated and visual memory develops. If the child is tired, it is better to stop the lesson and start learning later, when he is in a good mood.

The classical teaching method involves the following options:

• learn basic vowels - A, O, U, I;
• proceed to the remaining vowels;
• after studying vowels, study simple consonants - L, M, N, B, P, G;
• go to sibilant consonants.

It is recommended to conduct lessons not only at home at the table, but also in nature, during walks.

Author's methods

There are many proprietary methods with which you can teach your child the alphabet. You don't need to combine them all. Stop at the most optimal option for you.

Polyakov's technique

The basis of the technique is the multiple pronunciation of groups of sounds with their replacement. The technique consists of five lessons:

1. In the first lesson, pairs of letters A-Z are studied; O-Y.
2. On the second, a pair of letters U-Y is added.
3. In the third lesson, the letters A-Z are removed, but the pair I-Y is added.
4. The fourth lesson involves adding the pair E-E, but excluding the pair O-E.
5. In the fifth lesson - repetition and consolidation of the material.

The duration of the lesson is no more than 10 minutes. The interval between classes is two days. On other days, it is recommended to simply repeat the material covered.

This technique uses cards with letters.

Zaitsev cubes

With the help of cubes, you can start learning from the age of two. The process will become an exciting game.

Main principles of classes:

• provide information systematically;
• use visual images to visually perceive information;
• present material from the specific to the general.

The purpose of the technique is to teach not syllables, but warehouses - the consonance of consonants and vowels, consonants with a soft sound, vowels in the form of syllables.

Application of Doman cards

The technique helps to start early learning (it can be used by children from six months old). It is an image of objects on cards and words-inscriptions. Most often, in the form of themed sets.

All cards are arranged sequentially - from simple to complex. First come simple words, then phrases and sentences.

Classic method

The classic method is based on following a number of recommendations and performing simple steps:

• Make cards depicting all the letters of the Russian language. Cards should be colorful and bright, but without extraneous drawings or images. It is advisable that the letters be on a white background. After this, secure the cards in the place where your baby likes to play so that the letters are always in his field of vision.
• The easiest thing for a child is to learn vowels. Sing tunes to your baby every day, using a different melody for each letter. By the way, this simplest action will greatly facilitate the baby’s understanding of the composition of syllables.
• We remind you once again: teach your child specifically the pronunciation of letters, not their names
• Moving on to consonants, start with the light ones, such as D, T, B, P, M, N, K, G, then move on to the sibilants: Ch, Sh, Shch, and leave b and b for last.
• If any letters are difficult to remember, take breaks and then return to them again until the child masters them properly.
• Practice with your child everywhere: at home, on the street, in a store, in transport - in any place where there are letters. Simultaneously with learning letters, your child will come to the realization that being able to read is very important and necessary.

Choosing an ABC book

To learn the alphabet, a child needs to be interested. To do this, it is important to choose the right primer:

• before purchasing, carefully examine the pages to see if everything is clear to you;
• choose hardcover editions with thick sheets and bright, large images;
• It’s good if copybooks and block letters are combined.

A brief overview of modern primers

1. In first place, according to generally accepted opinion, is “Primer” by N.S. Zhukova. This manual is unique in that all the tasks in it are selected with an emphasis on speech therapy. First, the child is introduced to the sound, then to the word, and only then is the syllable introduced. The textbook does not have an entertaining component, as the author believes that this will distract the child from the learning process.
2. In second place is “My Primer: a book for teaching preschoolers to read,” authored by N.V. Beggar. The essence of the author’s methodology is the unique order of learning letters. Acquaintance with letters takes place taking into account the age-related characteristics of the child’s speech apparatus, from simple sounds to more complex ones.
3. Also worthy of attention is the Primer; a guide to teaching children to read” E.I. Sokolova. The author has extensive teaching experience; she has developed her own method of selecting words, which helps to increase the effectiveness of further teaching independent reading.