Teach Your Child the Alphabet: Teaching Toddlers Letters - Teaching Letters to Toddlers

Teach Your Child the Alphabet: Teaching Toddlers Letters - Teaching Letters to Toddlers

One of the first steps in becoming a successful reader is to learn to recognize the letters of the alphabet. The alphabetic principle teaches that spoken language is represented by written words that are made up of varying combinations of letters, and that these letters and combinations of them make up all of the sounds in spoken language. Attaching sounds to these letters and learning to write them paves the way to successful reading and writing.

Learning to say their ABCs is a great start for any preschooler, but it is just as important for your child to learn the sounds of the letters. Preschoolers, who know the sounds of the letters of the alphabet, have an easier time learning to read.

In order to read, every child must know the sounds of the letters as well as the shapes and order. More than that he must be able to recall them quickly. When he sees the letter he should be able to say the letter or vocalize its sound without hesitation. This should happen whether he hears the letters in order or not.

What can you do to teach your child to read? Is it possible to make your child become a fast and fluent reader?

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While the alphabet song can be a fun way to start learning the ABCs it is not enough because children also need to be able to identify each individual letter. In fact, this skill is much more important than knowing where it falls in the alphabet as it is key to learning to read.

Research shows it is important for young children to be able to:

~ Recognize and name letters

~ Recognize beginning letters in familiar words (especially their own name)

~ Recognize both capital and lowercase letters

~ Relate letters to the specific sounds they represent

Knowledge of the alphabet is the foundation to your child's literacy development and you shouldn't assume your child will learn this skill in kindergarten. Waiting until kindergarten to learn the ABCs will put your child behind many other students and may cause added stress.

Children who can read independently "translate" alphabet shapes accurately back into sounds. If we want our children to be able to read independently, we needed to teach them:

~ The shapes of the alphabet letters;

~ The various sounds of each letter;

~ The sounds made by combined letters.

You can start teaching the alphabet when your child is young. My son mastered his letters by his second birthday and I helped him do that without flashcards and without whining! He loves working with his "letters" and even now as he approaches his fourth birthday requests a particular game or activity. He doesn't know he's learning-he just thinks he's having fun with his Mommy.

There are many ways that you can help your preschooler learn the sounds and names of the letters of the alphabet.

You don't need expensive tools and programs and in fact many of those can be counterproductive as they make learning work. My greatest success was simply to work on letters in context with the world whenever he seemed open to the opportunity. The alphabet became simply a part of our daily life including errands and play time.

Pay Close Attention Here-

Now listen carefully! Take 2 minutes to read the next page and you'll discover how you can teach your child to read in just 12 weeks. Children who learn to read and develop fluent reading abilities early on has a huge advantage over their peers who did not have the opportunity to learn to read early. I think this is something that all parent should put to consideration seriously. If you believe that teaching your child to read and helping your child develop proficient reading skills is the key to future success, and if you wish to help your children develop to their fullest potential... then I strongly urge you to read everything on the next page - Click Here

Each of us as parents wants to do what is best for our children. We want to make sure they get enough sleep, eat good food and get a good education. Many parents do not think about the education aspect until their child is a bit older, but those that want to get their child off to a great start begin to think about it before or after birth.

What if there were two things you could do each day that could practically guarantee that your baby or toddler would learn to read before they ever attend school, with the people who love and support them the most? It really is that simple. There are two steps and neither one of them takes much time or effort to get babies and toddlers off to a smart start with reading. If all parents would do these two steps with their babies and toddlers the world of education would be flipped upside down. The need for remedial reading programs would be unnecessary or greatly reduced. The crazy part is that these two steps are simple and require so little time and effort it is a wonder that more parents do not get on board with them

Reading makes your child SMARTER, here's how to develope early reading skills

Step 1 - Use the television to teach your baby to read.

Folks, it does not get much simpler than this. People, including babies and toddlers, are attracted to the television. All we need to do is take this powerful attention grabber, the TV and use it to our advantage. We do this by arming ourselves, if you will, with a collection of DVDs and programs that teach babies to read, and there are several. Each day, preferably at a set time, play one of these DVDs that teach babies to read. This will take 30 minutes of your child's time, but at the same time it will give you 30 minutes to do whatever task you need to do without a small child underfoot. Although some organizations do not recommend that children under 2 watch television, these studies have not been done with programming such as this. 30 minutes a day of educational television can have a tremendous impact on your child's academic life.

Step 2 - Show your baby language daily.

Here is another simple step that parents can begin as early as 3 months of age. Get some words that you either create yourself or purchase flash cards designed to teach your baby to read and keep them by your diapering station. Every baby needs to be changed several times a day and this is a perfect place to store your materials. After a change take 30 seconds to a minute and show your baby some flash cards with words on them as you read each word out loud. These is teaching your baby to read these words as well as pick up patterns from the language, which will allow them to go on, and learn to read independently. These are two easy steps that will give your baby a smart start without dedicating much time to early childhood education. Who does not want that for their child?

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Teaching very young children to read is not a simple process, but it doesn't have to be difficult either. With a simple step-by-step reading program, you too, can teach your child to read at an early age and help your child achieve superb reading skills. To discover a super simple and powerful reading program that will show you how to easily teach your child to read - Click Here

Notebooking is a specific technique for teaching that lends itself well to homeschooling. If you're not familiar with the term, notebooking is similar to making a scrapbook. It is directed more toward learning and is very useful for the creative homeschooler.

The basic supplies you will need to begin a notebooking project are:

1. Notebooks or binders

2. Paper or card stock

3. Plastic report covers

4. Scissors, glue, markers, crayons

Children who cannot read proficiently by grade 3 are four times more likely to leave school without a diploma than proficient readers - Here's How to Teach Your Child to Read Fluently

As with scrapbooking the possible supplies for notebooking are endless. You can start out with the basics and expand with your interests from there. There are several sites online that have free notebooking page templates to get you started. After you become comfortable with the idea of notebooking it is fun to make your own creative templates for your notebooks.

The main idea of notebooking is to explore a topic in depth and creatively summarize it in your notebook. My kids are hands on learners and they love notebooking. We use this technique for all of our subjects. I feel it gives them a better understanding of the material we cover and they enjoy the learning process so much more. There are so many different ways to use notebooking. It is a creative and fun way to learn. Try your hand at notebooking and see what your children create.

Many in-service teachers are not knowledgeable in the basic concepts of the English language. They do not know how to address the basic building blocks of language and reading. - This is NOT a statement that we are making, rather, this is a finding from a study done at the Texas A&M University. Their study was aptly titled "Why elementary teachers might be inadequately prepared to teach reading." To discover the scientifically proven methods, that will enable you to teach your child to read, and help your child become a fast and fluent reader, visit Approaches to Teaching Reading

Learning to read is a long process, but it doesn't have to be a difficult process. Broken down into intuitive and logical steps, a child as young as two years old can learn to read, and older children can accomplish even more. For a simple, step-by-step program that can help your child learn to read - Click Here

Many people have a strong opinion on the importance of self-esteem in children. Some people have a negative opinion and believe too much emphasis is placed on self-esteem today. Other's believe strongly that self-esteem development is crucial in children.

The truth is that both parties have a share in the truth. There is probably too much emphasis on self-esteem today and self-esteem development is crucial. However middle ground can be found between the two groups. The emphasis shouldn't be on building self-esteem but rather helping children learn and grow so they naturally develop a feeling of worth and value.

Self-esteem is a major key to success in life. The development of a positive self-concept or healthy self-esteem is extremely important to the happiness and success of children.

Self-esteem is how we feel about ourselves, and our behavior clearly reflects those feelings. If you child has high self-esteem she is likely to act independently, assume responsibility, take pride in her accomplishments, tolerate frustration, attempt new tasks and challenges, handle positive and negative emotions, and offer assistance to others. If your child has low self-esteem he will avoid trying new things, feel unloved and unwanted, blame others for his own shortcomings, feel (or pretend to feel) emotionally indifferent, be unable to tolerate a normal level of frustration, put down his own talents and abilities, and be easily influenced.

Parents have the most influence on their child's self-esteem. Most parents do not realize how great an impact their words and actions have on their child.

Be Quick With Praise

When you feel good about your child, mention it to him. Parents are often quick to express negative feelings to children but often don't get around to describing positive feelings. A child doesn't know when you are feeling good about him unless you tell him. He needs to hear you tell him that you like having him in the family. Children remember positive statements we say to them. They store them up and "replay" these statements to themselves. Make a point of giving your child words of encouragement throughout each day. Look for situations in which your child is doing a good job, working hard, trying a new challenge, overcoming a difficulty or displaying a talent.

What are the chances that my child will be a poor reader? Find out here!

Lay It On Thick

Be generous with your praise. Use what is called descriptive praise rather than the general, such as "good job". For example, during a recent swimming lesson my son was expected to swim the length of the pool. He was frightened and didn't think he could make it. When he successfully accomplished the goal I told him I was proud of him for two things. One for trying even though he was afraid he'd fail and two for pushing himself to reach his goal.

Make Them Talk The Talk

Teach your child to practice making positive self-statements. Psychologists have found that negative self-talk is frequently the root cause of depression and anxiety. What we think determines how we feel about ourselves and those feelings determine how we behave. This is the reason it is important to teach children talk to themselves in a positive manner. You can start them off by asking directed questions.

Avoid Name Calling

While it is often important for parents to be critical, the focus should be on the action you would like to see rather than the child. Rather than calling a child a slob for keeping a messy room focus on the desired action, which is to sort clothes and toys into their proper places. Encourage the child by saying something like "I know you can get this place ship shape by dinner" and reward them with specific praise "You did a great job cleaning up your room".

Always Speak Of Your Child As If They Were Listening

Many parents do a wonderful job of building up their child's self esteem while spending time with the child. Then later they undo all their good work and let the child overhear some negative comments. It is difficult to explain away or undo this damage as you may well not even know when it occurs. Obviously parents need to communicate with each other about their children and adults often need to vent their frustrations. Just make sure when you do so that your child is not able to overhear. Even a child who is apparently concentrating on play will perk his ears when he hears his name.

If you follow these five methods then your child's self esteem will grow.

Poor reading ability and literacy skills lead to reduced opportunities in life, and worse yet, "being illiterate is a guaranteed ticket to a dead end life with no skills and no future." For a step-by-step, easy to follow, and easy to understand lessons along with stories, rhymes, and colorful illustrations to make you and your child's learning to read process a fun, engaging, and rewarding experience - Click Here

When reading to your child, read slowly, and point to the words that you are reading to help the child make a connection between the word your are saying and the word you are reading. Always remember that reading should be a fun and enjoyable activity for your children, and it should never feel like a "chore" for them. Click here to help your child learn to read