Learning the alphabet is the primary step in a child’s development for letter recognition and academic improvement. It allows them to enhance their understanding and learn new words. Knowing the alphabet and phonetics will enable teachers to show children how to spell words with various sounds of letters and thus can pronounce them as well. It increases a child’s ability to read and write. A good vocabulary sense helps in three ways. It sharpens one’s communication skills, opens one’s mind, and allows one to achieve results. Given below are many ABC games for kids to explore and learn. Various alphabet games in English will make learning fun and engaging for kids. So, read on to know more.
At What Age Should A Child Start Learning The Alphabet?
The first step of learning for a child is knowing the alphabet. It prepares them for reading and writing. This is why a parent needs to know beforehand at what age a child should learn to identify, read or recite alphabets to ensure they are on the right path.
Typically it is considered that the age between three to six is the ideal time when a child starts learning the alphabet and can grasp it better. Their memory remains sharpest at this time, and there are different stages.
Age 3: By this time, a child should be able to recite the alphabet. But it differs from person to person. Some may pick it up at the age of two, while some take their time until they are three. A child generally learns how to recite the alphabet through repetition. It is advised to sing the ABCD song or play learning games, so they will pick it up even quicker.
Age 4: By this age, most children recognise letters and generally start with their names first. For example, a girl named Tina will most likely remember what the letter “T” looks like in her name. Here too, the English alphabet song can be played before a child as it helps to develop early learning.
Age 5: By age five, children start writing letters. They will learn to write the alphabet at their preschool and kindergarten. But it is beneficial for a child to practice writing from their home only. Parents should introduce their children to letter recognition or alphabet puzzle games to better understand and write the English language. One of the easiest ways a child learns to write letters is by tracing them. Additionally, teaching a child how to write their name is a crucial step that helps them get familiar with the rest of the alphabet. Mainly, it gives an edge over others in times of admission to the school.
Age 6: By this time, a child can learn to associate letters with their accompanying sounds, also called phonetics. Generally, mental growth also takes place to reason that the word “copy” starts with the letter “C”. Learning phonetics is vital before decoding the written text and beginning reading. Generally, first graders can read out words aloud with ease. By second grade, a child should be able to sound out simple books. By third grade, they should be able to read independently and fluently. Ideally, a child by this time should master the alphabet and must be able to do a full-fledged reading. Small story books should be kept by their study table or introduced to bring out that fluency in reading.
Benefits Of Teaching Alphabet Games To Kids
Over the last couple of years, a big push has been to improve students’ vocabulary skills, and a well-crafted abcd learning game can help attain the same. There are quite a few reasons for playing alphabet learning games with kids, like:
- Reading comprehension
- Language development
- Communicating ideas
- Expressing yourself in writing
- Occupational success
Interesting Alphabet Learning Games For Kids
We all have learned the benefits of teaching alphabets and improving vocabulary and knowledge for multiple reasons. Let us now look at a few alphabet games for kindergarten and above by which we can achieve our objectives.
1. Letter Matching Game
One can match the letters with the word with a matching letter. This can be done on a sheet or by using cutouts of the words and letters.
2. Alphabet Picture Cards
These are the most flexible and exciting ways of introducing alphabets to kids. Pictures or any visual representation is the best way to retain the shape and the associated object of a letter.
3. Alphabet Maze Game
In this activity, the child has to find their way through the alphabet maze. We can use vehicles or even a doll to walk through the letter-shaped maze. This activity helps kids practice the flow of the letters.
4. ABCD Block Game
Making simple building blocks using the letters is a fun way of teaching kids the alphabet and sharpening their constructive thinking. ABCD block game is one of the most sought-after activities by parents to teach various alphabets to kids.
5. Alphabet Foam Puzzle Mat
The bright colours and the foam floor tiles’ puzzle-like nature help develop a child’s early cognitive skills. The ABC Floor mat shapes help them learn the alphabet and numbers when playing.
6. Alphabet Fun Flashcards
A pack of alphabet flash cards comes in very handy and makes children learn the alphabet in a fun manner. Children primarily get to know the phonics and then can match the letters with individual objects. For example, B is for book or bat. Once they learn the letters, flip the flashcards over the picture’s name so the child can learn its spelling too. It is fun, enjoyable also a great way of making kids “classroom ready”.
7. Alphabet Puzzle Game
It includes 26 uppercase letters to fit into a wooden puzzle board. The letters generally come in various colours such as green, blue, red, etc. The pictures under the pieces help the children connect with each letter with the sound it makes. This sturdy wooden construction promotes many things such as colour recognition, letter recognition, etc. The alphabet puzzle game is a good way of teaching the alphabet to your kids.
8. ABC Block Cart
It is a vocabulary-building toy for kids to have fun with while stacking, sorting, and matching the wooden cart with wooden blocks featuring letters, numbers, and pictures. It has a strong cord that can be pulled along from room to room, and while playing, a child also learns the letters and the numbers.
9. Phonetics Magnetic Alphabet Set
It consists of magnetic alphabet tiles that can be put up on the walls or refrigerator. They also include phonetics, so if you press a letter, a song comes out from the tile and will teach about the alphabet.
10. Letter Hunt Game
Make free printable letters in lowercase and uppercase and go on a ‘Letter Hunt’ game like we play ‘Treasure Hunt’; that way, the kids can hunt and match the lowercases with the uppercases of each alphabet. Parents need to hide the letters in the safe zone within the house’s interiors for a child to hunt those.
11. Writing The Letters
Practising writing letters and words using a slate or a salt tray is an innovative way of teaching letters to kids. That way, they can learn both the upper and lower cases of the letters and eventually will learn to recognise the words.
12. Alphabet Bingo
Letter recognition games are a fun way to practice recognising letters. Cut out the alphabet cards. Now place them in a container. Pick one card at a time and say the name of the letter. Whoever gets the first five correct is a winner. Bingo!
Toddlers and pre-schoolers belong to a very delicate age group. Making them do interesting things can teach them marvellous things. I hope that these alphabet learning games for kids will be beneficial for parents or teachers in assisting them in teaching recognition of alphabets to the kids.
 in the English language. So here we will see some of the game alphabet in English that can be played with the toddlers so that they learn to identify ABCD quickly. ){kind=link}