12 Fun Ways to Teach Your Child the Alphabet

One of the first songs I remember singing to my daughter was the alphabet song.  I'd sing it while changing diapers, in the car, during bath time, waiting for dinner...pretty much all the time.  When she was about 20 months, she started singing the song on her own with a little help here and there.  By the time she turned 2 years old, she knew the song and could recognize some letters (mostly the ones in her name).  Currently, she is 3 (turning 4 in January) and she knows all the letters by sight, can write about half of them, and knows 3/4 of them by sound.  I'm not telling you this to toot my horn or say that I'm a great teacher when it comes to letters.  But there are some tools I've used that have proven to be successful for my daughter, and my son is starting to catch on as well (he is 18 months).  Check out the list below and see if anything catches your eye!

Sing the ABCs
I mentioned this one already, but I wanted to include it as part of the list.  This is the simplest way to expose your kids to the alphabet.  Most babies and young children like songs and music and catch on quickly.  Even if you only sing the ABCs anytime you change their diaper and they'll hear it at least 5 times a day.

Watch Sesame Street alphabet videos
Say what you will about letting small children watch tv, but it was something that I allowed my daughter to watch for maybe 10-15 minutes a day when I needed to distract her while I got dinner ready or used the bathroom or straightened up the house.  I wanted to make sure that any exposure she had was educational, so I simply subscribed to the Sesame Street channel on YouTube and let her watch alphabet videos and other songs.  Before long, she'd ask for the "elemeno" song and would try to sing along.

Home Preschool (Ages 2.5-4) Week Seven: Letter G and Number 7

This week, I've included a lot of the pictures you will need in the printable version of the lesson plan to make life easier for you! Make sure you click on the printable version and check out what I've added!

Remember that the "Facts about..." pages and other extras are not included in the blog text, but they are included in the printable version. Some of the ideas in these plans came from Brightly Beaming Resources. Each daily session of "School Time," as my son calls it will last about half an hour. Adjust the lessons for your child's age and level of education. Enjoy!

Here is the printable version: Letter G and Number 7 Lesson Plans

Links found in the lesson plans:
"The Green Grass Grew All Around" YouTube Video
Letter G Worksheets
Number 7 Worksheets
"Morning Mood" by Edvard Grieg YouTube Video
Gorilla Images
Gorilla Coloring Pages
Images of Greece

Homemade Gak

About a month ago, my daughter decided that she no longer needed a daily nap.  It was a sad day for me.  Both my kids were taking naps at the same time everyday and I had all sorts of time to myself.  It was amazing!  But at 3.5 years old, she's napped longer than a lot of kids I know.  While I miss my "me time", it's also been fun to have some one on one time with my daughter.  It's also encouraged me to come up with some additional activities for her to do to keep her occupied for the extra hour or two besides coloring or stickers.  So when I found a recipe for some homemade Gak, I knew I had to try it out.

As a kid, I remember seeing commercials for Gak and wanting it so bad (along with every other kid my age)!  I wish I'd know how easy it was to make so I wouldn't have spent $3 every time I wanted a new color or the one I had got all yucky.

When I started pulling out the ingredients I needed to make it, my daughter's interested was immediately peaked and she climbed right up onto the chair next to the counter and wanted to know what we were making.  She wrinkled her nose when I told her, "Gak," but I smiled and just told her to wait and see.

The prep for this activity is pretty simple and if you made the homemade bouncy balls I posted here a few weeks ago, you will (most likely) have everything you need: borax, white glue, food coloring and water.

How to Make a Bouncy Ball

My 3.5 year old daughter is at the stage where she will take an afternoon nap about 50% of the time.  This means that some days I have kid-free time and other days I need to think of something to do with or for her that will keep her entertained so I can have some semi-kid-free time. 

A while back I had seen a recipe for how to make a bouncy ball.  This sounded like something that my daughter would be interested in and I thought it seemed easy enough to do.   I did have to do a little planning ahead for this activity since it calls for Borax and white glue, which I didn’t have on hand.  I didn’t mind buying the items since I’ve seen other activities call for Borax and white glue is dirt cheap right now with the back to school sales (stock up!).  I already had corn starch and food coloring so when nap time didn’t happen, I was ready.