When I first started thinking about teaching my son letters, my first thought was to teach him how to recite the Alphabet in order. To do this, I started incorporating the song while we brushed his teeth each night. As we continued, I found myself wondering why knowing his ABCs at this young age would truly be so important. And, to my surprise, after over a year of singing this song each night he has not picked up on or expressed interest in singing the song himself whatsoever. He is currently 2.
My son loves to read. While reading with him, I found him trying to sound out words on the page so I began helping him sound out the letter sounds instead of focusing on the letter names. It was then that I saw a spark ignite in him. He began reciting the letter sounds in books, on shirts, and pretty much anywhere in the world he saw a letter. Now he can recite over half of the alphabet letter sounds and he is even starting to blend some small words together.
When I step back and think about it now, focusing on letter sounds makes so much sense. It is the foundation for kids to begin to be able to read on their own. Knowing the names and how to sing the alphabet can come later but giving your child the gift of reading on their own early is invaluable.
If you are interested in exploring letter sounds with your toddler, here are some tips:
- Focus on the sounds he or she is saying the most. If your child is saying the word “mama” the sound “m” might be good to try.
- When teaching vowels, start with the short sound first. Your child is likely to encounter this sound the most early on. Don’t try to teach all of the variable vowel sounds at once.
- Don’t focus on one letter a week. Repetition is key. Instead, incorporate new letter sounds often while continuing to review previous letter sounds.
What did you decide to focus on with your child first: letter sounds or names? Any tips to share from your experience?