Positive parenting advice is now at your fingertips. Download the app now.
How to teach your child to write the alphabet
Make teaching your child to write the alphabet as easy as ABC with this simple, yet effective method...
Teach your child to write the alphabet with this fun and simple method!
“A, B, C, D, E, F, G… Now I know my ABCs…”
The Alphabet Song must be one of the most popular songs among kids around the world, and is most probably one of the first songs they learn how to sing.
Teaching your kid how to sing this song is usually quite simple. But are you now at the stage where you are wondering how to teach your kid to WRITE the alphabet?
Learning how to write the alphabet is one of the first steps in your child’s journey of learning. Often what parents do is buy a handwriting/ alphabet workbook and get their child to go through the exercises in it, page by page.
This method works sometimes but, more often than not, the child ends up bored and the parents end up frustrated.
Instead of following the norm, why not think outside the box and make the task of learning how to write the alphabet fun and stimulating for your child?
To help you get started, we bring you a fun, simple and effective way of teaching your kid how to write the alphabet, inspired by mummy blogger Anna Geiger of The Measured Mom!
Teach your child to write the alphabet in a fun and stimulating way!
According to Anna, the best way to teach your kid to write the alphabet is to start off simple, with lots of fun activities, and then gradually increase the challenge.
Getting your child to write pages of letters should be the last thing that he does in this exercise.
So, without further ado, here’s a step-by-step guide on how to teach your kid to write the alphabet:
Step 1
Write a large block letter on a piece of paper and have your child fill it with objects that start with the sound of the block letter.
For example, A: alphabet stickers; B: buttons; C: cotton balls; D: dominoes; E: eggshells; F: feathers.
In this image from themeasuredmom.com, the letter W is being filled with wheat-thins.
Step 2
Have your child make a letter out of household objects or toys. It’s easier to start with letters with straight lines, such as ‘A’ or ‘L’, before progressing to ‘curvier letters’ such as ‘S’ or ‘C’.
Straight letters can be made out of common household items such as chopsticks, toothpicks (with the pointy tip cut off), Q-tips, blocks, etc.
On the other hand, the items your child can use to make ‘curvy’ letters include cooked spaghetti, playdoh, ribbons, string, shoelaces.
This image from themeasuredmom.com shows the letter ‘X’ being made out of chopsticks.
Step 3
Encourage your child to make letters with small objects, such as buttons, rocks or cereal.
In this image, the letter ‘K’ is being made out of small glass ‘gems.’ Image from themeasuredmom.com
Step 4
Encourage your child to write a letter (choose a simple one) with his finger. You could use finger paint, salt, flour or coloured sand in a flat wooden box.
Here are some more super-fun ideas: whipping cream, applesauce, pudding (yummy even if they lick their fingers!).
Use a material such as coloured sand to help your child write letters. Image from themeasuredmom.com
Step 5
Now it’s time to actually get your child to write his letters on paper. Click here to download letters of all sizes to help teach your kid to write the alphabet.
Encourage your child to practice writing letters of different sizes. Image source:
More tips on how to teach your child to write the alphabet…
- You don’t necessarily have to follow the order of the actual alphabet. Start from the simpler letters and progress to the more challenging ones. Try this sequence: E, F, H, I, L, T, V, W, X, K, M, N, Y, A, Z, C, O, G, Q, B, D, J, P, U, R, S (Source: .
- Help your child strengthen and develop control over the muscles he will need to use to write. Scribbling and colouring are great (and fun!) ways of doing this, as well as tasks such as cutting with scissors (blunt-edged ones, of course!) and manipulating blocks, Play-Doh and other small items (Source: www.parents.com).
Scribbling is a great way for your child to develop muscle control in his hands, which in turn is needed to hold a pencil and write properly.
- Provide your child with a dedicated desk and chair for all his writing activities.
- Provide your little writer with loads of alphabet inspiration so he can memorise and recognise the shapes of the letters when you decide to teach your child how to write the alphabet. For example, alphabet blocks, puzzles and books.
Parents, how did you teach your child to write the alphabet? We would love to hear about the method you used so do leave us a comment below and tell us all about it!
References:
