What can you do to help students learn the letter names or the sounds? Just a few minutes of practice. So I do a few fun things to teach the alphabet to kindergarten kiddos. The best way to teach the alphabet to kindergarten is to provide practice with movement and with games.
Along with saying the alphabet, reading an alphabet chart each day will help learners remember the letters of the alphabet because it adds phonics.
I always start the lesson with an engaging alphabet video just to get the kiddos moving. I bookmark this page and have it ready to go Letters and Sounds Videos.
Then we point to each letter with a squiggly “eye” pointer and say the letter names and or sounds depending on your focus. I made these cute pointer by hot gluing a squiggly eye to a tongue depressor.
l, m, n, o, p
are emphasized each time! (These are so hard at the beginning of kindergarten!)
Video tape the students and send home electronically (I use Seesaw, a free teacher app)! Hopefully, each student will now practice at home each night! Doing it each day helps build long term memory!
Adding Movement to Teach the Alphabet
We also practice saying the letter names as we cross our bodies! Crossing the mid-line and adding movement also helps send information to long term memory! Plus it’s fun!
In groups, the students marked the alphabet chart with a BINGO dabber after spinning our apple spinner! This really helps them find the letters.
I like to use the same practice each day just change the clip art based on the month; the directions are so much easier the second and third time around! You can check out the monthly spinner games I use with the kiddos. 👇🏾
If students learn the letter names, we will then focus on the sounds! Learning the letter names and sounds will happen quickly if practiced each day!