Studying the alphabet by a child involves memorizing both the correct sequence of letter names and character styles, and the ability to correlate styles with names. The alphabet for children should be easy to understand and constantly be in the field of view of the child. It is important that the letters are printed in a clear font, preferably with serifs. However, in the very process of learning letters, both the plastic alphabet and comic images can be involved.
Memorizing a sequence of letters
One of the easiest ways to learn the sequence of names is to repeatedly listen to a song based on the alphabet. For children, learning, listening and singing along are almost the same thing, and the sequence of names is usually very easy to remember. Parents can come up with a melody for a song on their own and sing this song for a child, but there are a lot of songs ready to listen to. The English alphabet is especially often performed for children.
The nuance is to help the child correlate what he hears with what he sees. To do this, you need to point to the letters while singing or listening.songs. Gradually, the child will point to the signs on his own and learn to do this even before he sings himself. You just need to make sure that the baby correctly draws the boundaries between the words-names. For example, “ope” (“Oh, pe”) is often understood by children as the name of one letter. Especially often such a mistake occurs when memorizing the English alphabet, where the boundaries of words are less clear by ear. First of all, this concerns the joints between the names of the letters Q, R, S, T. For example, a child can understand "res" as one word (connect the end of the name of the letter R with the name S).
Gradually, the alphabet for children becomes an ordinary song, which is remembered very well. This will be required both for learning to read and for using paper dictionaries, and when studying English literacy, the names of vowels will be a good support for reading open and closed syllables.
Drawing letters along the contour
Both English and Russian alphabets for children can be drawn before their eyes, paying attention to the elements of the letters. Almost any child likes to trace and color with crayons or felt-tip pens what their parents draw for them, and letters and numbers are no exception. This game will not be difficult for the child, and at the same time the signs will be unobtrusively remembered.
It is important that the letters are very large, for example, in the entire notebook or landscape sheet. Small and subtle movements are either inaccessible or difficult for a preschooler, so drawing small letters will distract him from the signs themselves andwill focus on the process of controlling the coordination of movements.
Drawing letters
When drawing with crayons, finger paints or felt-tip pens, it will be easier for a child to focus on the elements of signs.
A good exercise would be to draw letters "with character": "thick", "thin", "angry". This will teach the child to determine which elements in the character's outline are random and which are defining.
Matching alphabets in different fonts
An excellent exercise for a child is to match letters typed in different fonts. You can print the English or Russian alphabet for children on thick paper several times, cut it into cards and ask the child to find the same letters.
This exercise is aimed at forming solid images of letters, excluding random elements from these images (for example, serifs, bend shapes, size ratios, etc.).
Plastic alphabet
It is very important to strive for games with plastic alphabet to be not formal, but educational. The alphabet for children, which is a set of large and voluminous parts, can at first simply serve as a designer. From the details you can add patterns, build houses. This lesson will not be in vain: the child will get used to the whole image of letters.
However, the most exciting thing to do is look at the alphabet. For children over the age of four, it is quite easy to complete the contours of objects and imaginerandom graphic signs in the form of objects familiar to them. You need to ask the child to pick up one of the plastic letters and imagine what it looks like.
Thus, the letter T often reminds children of a man with his arms outstretched; English letter W - teeth; letter J - umbrella handle; the Russian letter D seems to children like a face with a mustache. Children are very fond of this game, and they especially like this activity when there is an opportunity to compete in their associations, no matter with adults or with children.
Quite quickly you can see the result of this game and make sure of its fruitfulness. Very often, when experimenting with the first letters, it is difficult for a child to understand the task, to present a letter in the form of an object. After a while, the baby has an ease in associations, he begins to boldly fantasize. As for the study of the alphabet itself, the successful association of each letter with a certain object greatly facilitates the child's path to memorizing letters. They cease to be a set of random elements for him and turn into self-sufficient finished images.
Everything looks like letters
A kind of signal that the game of comparing letters with the outside world is bearing fruit is usually the appearance of reverse comparisons. In his associations, the child is no longer repelled by the sign, but by the object that he sees. For example, two pencils inserted into a glass will suddenly remind him of the letter V, and a traffic light on the side - the letter B. These associations are very important to maintain.
In a word, the alphabet for childrencan be a great game that develops observation and imaginative thinking.
