Help Your Children Learn Their ABCs

Learning the alphabet is not always fun for some kids. Children like to always enjoy, and many of them would rather be out playing in the mud and swinging instead of being taught how to identify those 26 letters. You know your kids better than anyone, so it is best to pick the activities that they not only need but will love.

Children at a young age tend to learn better through play. Loads of worksheets and fancy flashcards are no more than useless during this stage. Instead, it's best to think of activities that will stimulate their brains and help them grasp these essential concepts. That being said, here are mistakes that you should avoid when teaching the alphabet.

1Too Many Worksheets

If this is your first time teaching the alphabet, you probably deem worksheets to be the best solution. You might have even fired up Pinterest to look for "preschool alphabet worksheets." However, this is not the way to go about it. Alphabet worksheets are not meant to teach but simply to let the kid know what they have already learned.

Only give out the worksheets after teaching, and only give it out if the children enjoy them. One of the best ways to teach the alphabet is through puzzles. Also, listen to the kid as this will do more for them rather than forcing them to stick to something they find uninteresting. One of the best ways of building a child's self-esteem is through listening and respecting what they have to say.

2Inadequate Hands-On Learning

Pencil and paper worksheets become boring pretty quickly and don't help much in helping a kid grab certain concepts. This is where hands-on learning comes into the picture. However, most of us do not know where to start, while, in reality, there's a lot.

Look for active ways to learn the alphabet, especially fine motor activities, as these will strengthen their fingers as well. You can also do sensory activities that are related to the alphabet. You can use printables like Do-A-Dot pages as well as alphabet clip cards.

3Placing High Expectations On Children

Parents are concerned about their kids not being able to write their letters yet. Note that most preschoolers aren't ready to start traditional handwriting. When you expect and force them, it will only wear them out.

Rather than expecting the kid to write the alphabet, you should instead focus on pre-writing strokes. Forget the handwriting part until the kid is closer to kindergarten. Also, when it is time, you should avoid rushing to writing on the lines. Focus on no-lines pages at first.

4Not Enough Variety

You will come across letter-of-the-week curriculums that use almost the same activities every week. This is a certain way of boring not only the kid but you as well. As mentioned earlier, kids tend to learn best via movement and direct sensory experiences, so mix things up! Play and imagination are the best ways for a kid to learn, so you should look for a way to mix them, and learning will undoubtedly become enjoyable for both parties.

It's imperative to keep it short as kids tend to have a very short attention span. It is hard for them to stay focused for an extended period. Preschool kids are easily distracted, so be flexible and respond to their behavior. Always tweak your kids' activities to match their learning experience.

5Forcing The Kid To Complete A Task

You may prefer worksheets and little crafts, but that is far from what preschoolers think; this is fine. There are times when you'll prepare an activity for your kids only to find them uninterested. This should not be a problem either.

It is impossible to always give your kids the choice of stopping one thing and getting on to the next. However, you can sometimes give them the choice of other tasks. Reputable schools are always prepared to meet the needs of their students, no matter their current ability. Try and have fun when teaching, and do it through enjoyable games and various experiences.

6Lack Of Flexibility

If you are a Type A planner, the chances are that you have written down your plan for the next several weeks. You may have planned to teach one letter per week and teach the entire alphabet for the next six months. But how certain are you that your plan will fall into place? Perhaps, the kid needs some time to digest what he or she is taught.

It might take weeks to learn the letter A. It might also take less than four months for the child to zip through the 26 letters. When it comes to teaching the alphabet, it's best to be flexible.

7Forgetting To Read

You probably giggled when you read the first few mistakes made by your kid. If you are like most parents, then you are taking life day by day. Do not beat yourself up when you go for a while without any focus on preschool learning. The best thing you can do for your kid is relatively simple and doesn't need preparation - just read!

Read to your child as often as you can. Converse about books, especially Treasure and Love books. These are always captivating and will spark the imagination of your child, which helps a lot in learning.

Reading to your kid is fun and doesn't require much effort, like cleaning the house or cooking. You are your kid's first teacher, and he will learn the most essential things in life from you. You will be the teacher of things like colors and animal sounds. Fortunately, you are not the first to panic their way through the preschool dilemma. Many parents have been through this before and have made mistakes, but you do not have to.