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The ABCs of the ABCs
Teaching the Alphabet
to Your Toddler By Mark Stackpole
to Your Toddler
Is "A-B-C" really as "easy as 1-2-3"?
Knowing that a child needs to learn the alphabet is almost the same thing as knowing that she needs air to breathe. From these 26 symbols come not just words, but also concepts and ideas. Teaching children the alphabet, then, is nothing less than helping to form the very people who they grow up to be. Given that level of responsibility, what is the best way for parents to begin this journey with their young charges?
"Parents start to introduce the ABCs when they speak a special language called 'parentese,'" says Francie Alexander, Chief Academic Officer of Scholastic, Inc. "That's when you stretch out words to emphasize sounds like 'm-m-mommy.' Toddlers come to learn more about the ABCs through rhyme, rhythm and repetition. Reading alphabet books, sharing poems and engaging in word play bring the alphabet to life."
This kind of interaction with parents engenders a motivation in young children to take the next step. "Preschoolers are very excited about making the connection between the sounds they hear and the letters they see and even start to try to write," Alexander says. "They'll take note that the words 'daddy,' 'dog' and 'doll' start the same, and this is a big accomplishment."
"I think my 2-year-old son learns best when we make it fun and Mom and Dad are both involved," Yanak says. "We read, point things out and include learning in everything we do. It's just part of our normal everyday life. At this stage, it's not work, it's just fun. I want to foster a love of learning and reading. We've started ABCs, mostly singing. He loves this and has even starting saying a few of the letters. We'll ask him to repeat what we say and we go through each letter. We also have a few toys around that have the alphabet on them."
As far asreading is concerned, the Yanak family already has a classification system for the books they read together. "My son has gone through stages," she says. "First, he asked for a certain book, and then it changed to a different one. Our house is filled with books, probably in every room if I looked hard enough. Some are reserved especially for bedtime, and others are just available to him or us when we want to read and have some quiet time together. We will often refer to certain books Go, Dog. Go! when we're at a stoplight, or Because a LittleBugWent Ka-Choo! when someone sneezes. They've become a part of our communication."