How to teach the alphabet 

'Brain-e-Games' aims to enhance together time for parents & children & provide time-saving resources for Teachers & Home Educators.  

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More resources for you to print:

'Alphabet Book':  This is a fantastic idea if your child is struggling to learn the sounds.  Each page has a letter of the alphabet.  Help your child to cut out magazine pictures and stick them onto the page which begins with the initial letter sound of the picture.

Alphabet Flash Cards (I stick these on envelopes, and then get children to cut out pictures that begin with the letter sound.  They love taking out the pictures and matching them up with the correct envelopes)

Tactile Letters - Large 'dashed outline' letters of the alphabet to trace or stick things on to make large Tactile Letters. 26 pages

 

One of the steps for reading success is being able to say the sound of alphabet letters. 

Check out the pre-reading games for ideas how to help them become confident with alphabet sounds. 

How to test your child's alphabet knowledge:

Print the alphabet flash cards and ask your child to "What does this letter say."  Make sure the flash cards do not have pictures.  Use 4 or 5 flash cards at a time, introducing more as they learn them.

Remember you are asking your child to tell you the sound of the letter, not the letter name.

If you need reminding, here is a list of alphabet sounds:

a - ant

b - bag

c - cat

d - dog

e - egg 

f - fat

h - hat

i - ink

j - jump

k - kite

l - lamp

m - mud

n - nail

 

 o - orange

p - pip

q - queen

r - red

s - sock

t - tap

u - up

v - vet

w - window

x - xylophone

y - yellow

z - zebra

 

 

Print your Early Reading Games here

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Here is a list of titles and authors that you can use while teaching the letters of the alphabet:

  • Aardvarks Disembark!, Ann Jonas, (1-7)
  • ABC Americana, Cynthia Rubin (1-7)
  • The ABC Bunny, Wanda Gag. Putnam Publishers, 1978 (preschool-1)
  • A,B,See, Tana Hoban. Green Willow Books, 1982 (preschool-1)
  • Action Alphabet, Marty Neumeier and Bryon Blaser. Greenwillow Books, 1984 (preschool-1)
  • A is for Africa, Ifeoma Onyefulu (K-7)
  • A is for Anabelle, Tasha Tudor (K-1)
  • Albert B. Cub and Zebra, Anne Rockwell (K-2)
  • Alison's Zinnia, Anita Lobel (1-7)
  • Alligator Arrived with Apples, Crescent Dragonwagon, Jose Aruego, & Arian Dewey (K-3)
  • Alphabatics Suse MacDonald (preschool-1)
  • Alphabet City, Stephen Johnson (K-3)
  • The Alphabet Tale, Man Garten (K-1)
  • Animal Alphabet, Bert Kitchen (preschool-1)
  • Anno's Alphabet, Mitsumasa Anno, (K-4)
  • Antler, Bear, Canoe, Betsy Bowen (K-3)
  • A Caribou Alphabet, Mary Beth Owens (1-7)
  • Applebet, Clyde Watson and Wendy Watson (K-1)
  • April, Bubbles, Chocolate, Lee Bennett Hopkins & Barry Root (K-3)
  • Ashanti to Zulu: African Traditions, Margaret Musgrove, Leo Dillon, & Diane Dillon (1-7)
  • Aster Aardvark's Alphabet Adventures, Steven Kellogg, Morrow. Junior Books, 1987 (preschool-1)
  • Away From Home, Anita Lobel (1-7)
  • B is for Bear: ABC, Dick Bruna. Methuen, 1972 (preschool-1)
  • The Butterfly Alphabet, Kjell B. Dandved. Scholastic, 1996 (K-7)
  • By the Sea: An Alphabet Book, Ann Blades. Kids Can Press, 1985 (preschool-1)
  • Caribbean Alphabet, Frané Lessac (K-3)
  • C is for City, Nikkie Grimes & Pat Cummings (K-3)
  • City Seen From A-Z, Rachel Isodora (K-3)
  • Eating the Alphabet, Lois Ehlert (preschool-1)
  • An Edible Alphabet, Bonnie Christiansen (preschool-1)
  • A Farmer's Alphabet, Mary Azarian (K-7)
  • Find the Animal A-B-C, Demi. Grosset and Dunlap, 1985 (preschool-1)
  • The Guinea Pig ABC, Kate Duke (preschool-1)
  • Helen Oxenbury's ABC of Things (preschool-1)
  • Illuminations, Peter Hunt (2-7)
  • I Spy: An Alphabet in Art (K-3)
  • Jambo Means Hello (Swahili), Muriel Tom Feelings (K-7)
  • Jeremy Kooloo, Tim Mahurin (K-1)
  • John Burningham's ABC, John Burningham. Jonathan Cape, 1967 (preschool-1)
  • Lift-the-Flap ABC, Rod Campbell. Blackier and Son, 1987 (preschool-1)
  • Navajo ABC, Luci Tapahonso & Eleanor Schick (K-7)
  • A Northern Alphabet, Ted Harrison (K-7)
  • Old Black Fly, Jim Aylensworth & Gammell (K-3)
  • On Market Street, Anita Lobel & Arnold Lobel (K-1)
  • A Peaceable Kingdom: The Shaker ABCEDARIUS, Alice & Martin Provensen (K-7)
  • Potluck, Anne Shelby & Irene Trivias (K-3)
  • A Prarie Alphabet, Jo Bannatyne-Cugnet & Yvette Moore (K-7)
  • Q is for Duck, Mary Elting & Michail Folsom, illus. by Jack Kent. Clarion Books, 1980 (preschool-1)
  • V is for Vanishing, Patricia Mullins (K-7)
  • What's Your Name? From Ariel to Zoe (K-3)
  • The Z was Zapped, Chris Van Allsburg (1-3)

 

 

 

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