Children see words all around them: on street signs, food labels, mail, computer and television screens, and more. They learn to recognize that those words are made up of letters and that letters are symbols for sounds. That is why knowing the alphabet is a key to literacy.
To encourage your child to notice that letters are a part of the world of words, display examples of writing, including scribbles and pictures. Place the printed alphabet around the room and have fun alphabet books available, including books that show the alphabet in different languages. Sing the alphabet song. Keep in mind that your child is most likely to remember and use letters seen in meaningful and routine contexts, so place name tags on things your child uses every day, and label familiar objects.
As your child learns a letter, incorporate simple activities about things that begin with that letter. For example, if the letter "B" is being introduced, have an activity where your child can make or eat some bread. Let her find the letter "B" and the word "bread" on the wrappers or recipe. Go to the supermarket and explore all the different kinds of bread. See if you can find other foods that begin with "B" and find the letter on the label.
Place signs around your home identifying small objects. Then give your child an empty bag with a letter on it. Help your child practice making the sound of the letter. Then search the room and place objects or pictures of the objects that begin with that letter in the bag. Encourage your child to read the signs.
Cut sponges into different-sized shapes of one letter and let your child use them to make sponge paintings. As he is painting, ask your child to repeat the sound of the letter and see how many words he can think of that begin with that sound. As an alternative, let your child form letters out of clay, sand in a tray, or other materials.
Have fun practicing letters and sounds together by saying a letter and then linking it to a word, sound, and movement. For example, say the letter "S." Link it to the word "snake" and then make the "sssss" sound. Slither like a snake and say "sssss."
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