Letter by Letter


Word by word. Page by page. Chapter by chapter. That's how to read books. Broken down to the simplest form, that's all there is to it. For some this comes easy, for others it's a struggle. But this simplicity goes all the way back to 26 little letters. Any reader must know what the alphabet is before they can begin to understand words and move onto reading. Each letter of the alphabet is a code which children must first identify and come to know intimately. The English language demands we understand 26 separate letters. This might be a good place to start if you want to give your child a head start on reading.

Play alphabet games with your kids while they are still babies. There's the well-known and easy to sing Now I Know My ABC song. Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker's man, bake me a cake as fast as you can, prick and pat and mark it with B, and put it in the oven for baby and me, is one nursery rhyme you can turn into an alphabet game. There are bound to be many more. If you know of any, please use the discussion facility to share your favourite games and songs. As your kids grow and their language develops introduce more complicated games. I Spy is great for those times you have to wait around, long trips and slow traffic. Try to be creative, as this shows the versatility of language. Word Tag is fun and can be played in many ways. For example, while grocery shopping, try to name products that begin with the same letter the product you last placed in your cart ended with. When you eventually put another product in, the game refreshes.

Alphabet posters on the bedroom walls are a great idea, but you might get more use out of them in areas your kids spend the most time playing. If this is the bedroom, great. The kitchen is a good place for the posters. Meal times are fun when you include alphabet play. It can help to take the chore out of eating for some kids. Go for big and colourful pictures with easily identifiable objects. It doesn't matter how many times they want you to go through the letters with them. Early learners need repetition. Let them drum those letters into their minds, and yours. Ask them to identify the individual letters sometimes, encouraging them if they stumble. You could make crafts, drawings and paintings focusing on the alphabet one letter at a time. During the activity, talk about the different objects in the room which start with the letter you're using.

The copyright of the article Letter by Letter in Children's Reading is owned by Heather Goldsmith. Permission to republish Letter by Letter in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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