English alphabet for children: there are a lot of options, but which one to choose? Boring English for kids: learning the alphabet Teaching the English alphabet in a playful way.

The need to study foreign languages is obvious. Therefore, in recent years, English has become a compulsory lesson in kindergartens. But, despite this, parents themselves can teach the baby. And starting with learning the alphabet, use what kids like the most: songs, games.

At what age can a foreign language be taught?

At the age of 3, the child reaches the age of ‘I want to know everything!’ And this should be used

Lewis Carroll: "The more you learn right away, the less you suffer after."

Many moms and dads are wondering at what age is best to start teaching a child. Psychologists and teachers have come to a consensus that the optimal age for learning a foreign language is 3 years. At this age, the baby already speaks his native language quite well, his speech becomes articulate, divided into phrases and sentences. In addition, from 3 to 5 years, the child's memory works most intensively.

How to start learning the English alphabet?

Early learning should be visible

The difficulty of learning the letters of the English language lies in the fact that most of them have several sounds, unlike Russian. Therefore, the associative method of memorizing sounds (namely, they are necessary for subsequent learning to read) is not suitable in this case. Methodist teachers recommend that you first learn the order of the letters, and only then add the memorization of sounds. So where do you start learning letters? Given the young age, the answer is obvious - with educational games and songs.

Exercise Games

Cards with the English alphabet can be made independently

There are several options for interesting exercise games for learning the alphabet. Moreover, if you wish, you can engage not only with your child, but also with his friends.

"Funny Magnets" This is a magnetic board with multi-colored letters-magnets that you and your child rearrange or invent different stories with them. Just keep in mind that it is imperative to call the letter every time and ask the baby to repeat its “name”. Letters-magnets can be replaced by those drawn on cards. In this case, it would be better to accompany each letter with a drawing of the object or phenomenon in the name of which it is.
Card game. The letter of the alphabet is written on one side of the cards, and what that letter looks like on the other. It turns out a kind of associative series. For example, the letter S looks like a snake, and W looks like a fire-breathing dragon.
"Who is who's neighbor?" For this game, again, cards with letters are needed. The kid must find neighbors from the mixed deck to the left and right for a given letter.
"Puzzle". Draw a picture, cut it into pieces and write a letter of the alphabet on each. The kid will get used to the order of the letters and will easily remember it, putting together a puzzle with a specific image that he understands.
Letter Soup. Write the letter on one side of the card and the word containing it on the other. Put all the cards in a bowl, the child pulls out one - this is his dinner. Children are very happy to accept such training, especially when they come across frogs (frogs) or bears (bears).
"Mystery Guest" Hide the card with the letter under the book and gradually pull it out - the baby must guess what the letter is before it appears.

Songs

Choose energetic and fun songs

There are two types of songs for learning the English alphabet:

with a certain melody (for such songs you need periodic listening to memorize the motive);
with an improvised melody (such songs can be sung to any suitable motive).

Here are some texts of the second kind:

Come and sing along with me

tell me what you want to be

Now I know my ABCs

This song can be shortened (this version, by the way, is also with a melody):

H I J K L M N O P

Now I know my ABCs

Next time won't you sing with me.

For those kids who are familiar with numbers, there is a more complex option:

It's as easy as 1 2 3.

Some of the letters rhyme

We're almost done now

Now I've gone through our ABC's,

Maybe next time you'll say them with me.

As for songs with a specific melody, it is best to use the karaoke version:

How to consolidate the studied material?

If you expect results from your studies, then you need to practice regularly.

Young children very quickly grasp new information, but just as quickly, without systematic repetition, they forget it. Therefore, it is important to correctly build the work to consolidate the alphabet. To do this, also clothe it in the form of a game.

Use educational cartoons. It is better that they are authentic, but for this, parents will have to brush up on their own knowledge. Children are very fond of animated series in which the characters solve some important issues, for example, they study the alphabet at a school for frogs.

It is worth teaching children the English alphabet not earlier than the child begins to speak well, and not earlier than the beginning of learning the alphabet of the native language. It is desirable that the child already owns a small set of words in English, all the same as with his native language. That is, from 2–5 you can teach your child English words, more precisely, their pronunciation and meaning, short sentences, but the English alphabet for children can start from 5 years or older. Always, with the study of the alphabet, we continue to learn new English words and frequently used short sentences (questions, answers) - we expand our vocabulary and learn to communicate and interact.

The choice of methods for learning the English alphabet for children depends on the age and individual qualities of the child. It is necessary to take into account the characteristics of the child at each stage of the study, how he usually perceives information (visually, tactilely or aurally?), his temperament (diligent, active, creative, etc.), his interests today and many other factors. You should choose those tools that the child will be most interested in and will be able to do, so you will achieve greater involvement and success. Learning the alphabet can be organized in a playful way, using some of the techniques that are interesting to the child, described below.

Learning the English alphabet with flashcards for preschool children

So, one of the easiest ways to teach the alphabet is to use cards, on one side of which there are pictures with a word, on the other - the letters of the English alphabet. The child learns an English letter with visual support, hears how it is pronounced, what sound corresponds to each letter, and recognizes the word itself that begins with this letter. I also advise you to add associations that arise when we see this or that letter. For example, the letter U looks like a horseshoe, and S looks like a worm or a snake.

So, we learn the English alphabet with the help of cards and the following games that even a child of 3-4 years old will like:

Children's favorite pastime is to search and solve. Hide a few cards in the apartment or classroom so that the child can easily find them. Then ask them to put them in the correct order, in a previously laid out alphabet, where they picked up the found English letters.
A game of concentration and memory. Choose a few letters and randomly name words that begin with these letters, and the child must indicate and point to the letter with which this word began.
Active play. Scatter English letters on the floor, name the letters to the child, and he must step on the correct card with the letter.
In your games, ask to put the English letters in alphabetical order (but only when the entire alphabet has already been learned).
If the alphabet is almost learned and needs to be reinforced, and the child has accumulated a certain number of English words that you called him to determine the letter with which they begin, ask him to name as many words as possible that he remembers, starting with some specific letters, etc.

Alternatives to cards

"Cheerful English. Talking poster» will help the child in self-study of the English letters of the alphabet. The poster contains: 3 modes (memory, checker, translator), 83 sound buttons, sound adjustment function. Voiced by an English teacher.
Set “English language. My first words. 15 cube books. uniquely engages children in learning the English alphabet and teaches new English words. The alphabet is written on the inside of the cover, inside the set there are beautifully and brightly illustrated books with thick cardboard pages.
Skylark English for Babies. All about me. English from England for children from birth»- both children and parents are delighted with this set. A set with beautiful, high-quality illustrations and good printing. This method of teaching English to children was developed by specialists from Cambridge (UK) together with the Umnitsa company, which develops educational materials for young children. Based on research from the best universities in the world, 100% authentic British English. Included: cards, books, manuals for parents, audio materials, games, toy glove for interacting with the child. Designed for children 0+.

Learn the English alphabet from a YouTube video for preschool children

When an adult learns English, it is recommended to watch films and programs in this language, everything is the same with children. Instead of the usual cartoons, include those that teach your child the letters of the English alphabet, correct pronunciation and new words, and in the future, reading English words. It is enough to use YouTube - there you can find cartoons and programs for every taste. The most common and useful are rhymes and jokes for children - Nursery Rhymes. Being very colorful, cheerful and melodious, they lure the child very much and want to listen to them again and again. Also, from the point of view of the development of speech skills, the song is the optimal tool. After all, it’s easier for us to memorize words this way and it’s much more interesting than methodically memorizing a sequence of letters.
Learn the English alphabet with cartoons for children, where there are songs and rhymes with funny pictures, and you can see the result in a week!

Learn the English alphabet on the move

This type of learning is especially suitable for the child who is vital to move, so he learns this world and everything that surrounds it. To do this, we can use various cubes, magnets with letters, toys (designer) with stickers with letters pasted on them, etc. Everything that may be interesting for your child. For boys, cars for girls are animals, or vice versa - whoever loves it.

Here are some ways:

With the help of fingers in the air or hands and body movements, depict a letter.
You can make a gymnastic ribbon (tie the ribbon to a thin stick) and let the child draw the necessary letters in the air.
Arrange the letters around the apartment, stick them on objects, and the child must find and touch them. You can also include a song about the alphabet to diversify and make it a mini-game.
Assemble a letter from cubes, constructor or mosaic. For these purposes, you can use any toys - lay them out on the floor in the form of letters.
Write the letters on the circles of the Twister field, you can play with your mother or friends, naming which hand / leg should fall on which letter.
Write letters on an inflatable big ball. Throwing a ball with mom, let everyone name the letter that is in front of their eyes.

Come up with similar games yourself - almost any favorite children's game can include elements of learning the English alphabet. Just glue or draw an alphabet on the toy, and according to the plot of the game, offer new tasks based on the letters. So in the process of playing, imperceptibly and not boringly, we learn the English alphabet with children.

We are engaged in creativity and learn the English alphabet

For those children who love to draw and create, this way of learning English letters will become one of the most favorite.

For example, make a poster with all the letters of the alphabet (or only vowels, or only consonants), use scrapbooking elements to decorate your poster, stickers, colored paper.
Create your own picture dictionary in the same way. In which each page can be decorated in its own way and even write a whole story with the adventures of a letter on it. Complete them with stickers, magazine clippings starting with a certain letter.
Sculpt letters from plasticine.
Assemble a collage of cut out letters from magazines/newspapers/old books.
Make a garland and hang it in a conspicuous place. Every time you pass by, point to any letter and ask them to name it.

Again, in the version with creativity, you can do any crafts of the letters of the English alphabet, and learn them along the way. - Draw, glue, sculpt, cut, color. Learn letters with your favorite toy animals, this puppet show is perfect for the little ones. Books with favorite characters and English letters will warm up the child's interest in learning the language.

We learn the English alphabet from primers and teaching aids, for preschool children

They are suitable for children of older preschoolers and schoolchildren, although if your child is interested in books, you can start learning with this allowance earlier.

Classes should be on average no more than 15-20 minutes, as soon as the child begins to be distracted, it is necessary to switch to another type of study, for example, a game. You can’t force a child when he doesn’t want to, you risk repelling the desire in further education.

With such aids, it is easier for parents to teach their child English, since all the material is written on the pages, all that remains is to present it to the child and go through the exercises with him. Here are some of the more popular preschoolers:

"English for the little ones" Anna Kuznetsova
English before school. Allowance for children 5-6 years old "Radislav Milrud
“English for kids. The best tutorial (+CD)" Galina Shalaeva

Learning the English alphabet with copybooks and writing assignments for preschool children

This type of learning is suitable for older children who can already at least hold a pen or pencil, and later trace and write letters.

Among the wide variety of teaching aids, choose better ones, most of them are designed for older preschoolers and schoolchildren, but there are also notebooks for learning English for kids. For example, those who are already familiar with the well-known KUMON manuals - a methodology that teaches 4 million children in 49 countries - will appreciate them. Writing uppercase and lowercase letters according to these notebooks is the beginning of the development of writing along with the study of the letters of the English alphabet. Qualitatively designed manual, a popular proven technique.

“Learning to write capital letters of the English alphabet. Age 3, 4, 5 years. Tooru Kumon. KUMON"
“Learning to write lowercase letters of the English alphabet Age 4, 5, 6 years. Tooru Kumon. KUMON"

Show your child that learning the English alphabet is possible with these simple and fun games! And remember that the sooner you start teaching your child the English alphabet, the faster he will be able to learn it and the easier the learning process will be in the future.

And finally, we learn English letters with children regularly. This is one of the most important conditions if you want to learn English from any age, even at 3 years old.

English teacher
Lebed Evgenia

Educational cartoon "Learn the English alphabet" by Doman's method:

Teaching English begins with the alphabet. How best to learn the English alphabet with a child - this is exactly what I want to talk about. The easiest way for a child to memorize all the letters is english alphabet song.

From the article you will learn:

How to learn the English alphabet correctly for children

So what is the right way to build learning the English alphabet for children?

First of all, you need to know the transcription of each English letter, that is, its pronunciation. The level of the child is . In this case, you can learn the pronunciation of English letters only with the help of transcription.

Below is the English alphabet with Russian transcription.

The English alphabet for children can also be presented in the form of cards, where each card has its own letter of the English alphabet - and for each letter there is either an object or an animated being.

It will also be quite informative to listen to the English alphabet by ear. Below I have collected several songs about the English alphabet that will help your child memorize the alphabet by ear.

Watch the video with the child several times, after the second or third time try to sing along so that the child remembers the motive and the words of the song about the English alphabet.

English alphabet song

There are many songs about the English alphabet, for every taste and color.

The most famous song about the English alphabet is ABC song (Alphabet song). The motive of this song is remembered very easily at any age. Just drink it under your breath several times and you will immediately memorize the order and letters of the alphabet.

ABC Song (Alphabet Song for Children) - UK version

Below is an interesting and funny version of this song, which will surely appeal to children, and adults will also be entertaining. In this version of the song, it is proposed to connect figurative thinking.

We are the alphabet

ABC (alphabet) song “zee” version (US version)

Below is the lyrics of the song with translation into Russian.

Aa-Bb-Cc-Dd-Ee-Ff-Gg
Hh-Ii-Jj-Kk-Ll-Mm-Nn-Oo-Pp
Qq-Rr-Ss, Tt-Uu-Vv
Ww--Xx, Yy-and-Zz,
Now I know my A-B-Cs now i know my alphabet)
next time won't you sing with me ( next time won't you sing with me).

Aa-Bb-Cc-Dd-Ee-Ff-Gg
Hh-Ii-Jj-Kk-Ll-Mm-Nn-Oo-Pp
Qq-Rr-Ss, Tt-Uu-Vv
Ww--Xx, Yy-and-Zz,
Now I know my A-B-Cs now I know my alphabet)
tell me what you think of me Tell me what you think of me).

A song about the English alphabet is the best for learning.

Good luck to you and your child in learning the English alphabet!

They begin to show interest in writing. And the task of parents at this stage is to maintain this interest. Many teachers recommend starting language learning at the age of 5. And today we will tell you how to study the English alphabet in a playful way with your child.

Therefore, especially for you and yours, we have prepared the best games for learning the alphabet, which will help diversify your leisure time and not get bored during the lessons.

You will need 26 cards with the image of English letters, which should be put in a pot or bowl. You also need 26 food cards in accordance with the alphabet.

To play, you will need a sketchbook, as well as old magazines and newspapers. The letters of the alphabet are written on the album, after which the children must find words in the text of the magazine that begin with this letter. Then you need to find a picture in a magazine that matches the word as closely as possible, cut it out and paste it into an album.

Thanks to this game, you and yours will be able to learn the English alphabet in a playful way in just a couple of weeks. Moreover, you will not only learn letters, but also significantly expand your vocabulary. In addition, you will have an album that will remind you of the wonderful time spent with your baby.

Alphabet-Lotto

To do this, you will need a poster with the English alphabet and 26 cards with English letters. When we learn the English alphabet by playing, we put all the cards in a hat and invite the kid to get 10 letters, and then lay them out on a poster.

If the kid manages to put the letters in a row, then he wins a prize. It can be candy, fruit or any other treat. Such a game is very motivating, so he will ask to continue the game, even if the letters rarely fall out in a row.

alphabet mosaic

For the game you will need 26 cards with English letters. All cards are laid out in accordance with the alphabet. Then he closes his eyes, and you take 5-10 letters from the alphabet. After that, the baby must say which letters are missing. Each time he guesses correctly, you give him the missing letter to complete the puzzle himself.

alphabet road

26 letters are laid out on the table in the form of a winding path. Each player places a chip on the first letter "A" and then rolls a die. If the die rolls 5, then the player takes five steps along the path and at the same time pronounces each letter on the road traveled. If he makes a mistake on one letter, then it is not counted and 1 is subtracted from 5 moves. Whoever goes through the entire path first wins.

Pantomime

An entertaining game in which the child is asked to draw all the letters of the English alphabet. You can depict all the letters in sequence, or you can get cards with letters from a special bag, as if in a lotto.

draw a letter

Children love to draw. Therefore, invite him to draw on paper the letters of the English alphabet, and that each of them has its own character, face, color, etc. While drawing, the visual memory of the child is actively working. Therefore, this activity will be of interest and will help you easily learn all the letters.

Blind a letter

Very simple but very interesting game. You simply draw large printed letters of the English alphabet, and the task of the child is to sculpt the letters from plasticine. Moreover, they should correspond as much as possible in size to the drawn letters. As soon as the baby succeeds in making a beautiful shape, complicate the task: offer to blind eyes, pens or clothes to make the letter more vivid and memorable.

2016-05-02

Hello my dear!

Today we have an interesting lesson "English alphabet for children" , which will also benefit adults who are just starting to learn the language.

The article is about how memorize faster and more efficiently English alphabet with unfamiliar letters and sounds. And for this I collected in it an exhaustive amount of materials:

for visual reference pictures, letters with and pronunciation),
for listening ( songs, audio),
to view ( video),
for download and print cards, poster (word, pdf)),
and of course, to consolidate the new with the help of interesting games and tasks.

Let's learn

Today I have prepared for you pictures that you can not only read and listen to online on my website, but also print for yourself and study at any free moment. And first, let's look at the entire alphabet (click on the picture to enlarge), listen to all its letters, and then listen to its classic and long-loved song:

If you also listen to these 2 songs, you will understand that there is an American version of the pronunciation of the alphabet, the difference of which is only in the pronunciation of the last letter. Let it be a trifle, but you need to know about it!

An ideal assistant in mastering letters for a 3-5 year old kid will be Sound poster with Russian and English alphabet !

Also be sure to try Fascinating soft mosaic with English letters.

If the child likes to communicate with gadgets, be sure to purchase an online course from LinguaLeo « English for the little ones» . After completing this exciting game course, your child will be able to recognize and pronounce all the letters of the English alphabet correctly, as well as learn to talk about his family and how he feels. Once my daughter just begged to let her work out more. In general, I recommend!

You can watch my short review of the course in the video (min. 3:15) .

And here is the alphabet with uppercase and lowercase letters. Try doing the following with your child:

look at the picture next to the letter and say the word in Russian,
find the corresponding English word in the Russian-English dictionary,
check if it starts with a letter specified in the alphabet,
write down the English letter and word in a notebook or notepad and draw a picture next to it.

An alphabet with English and Russian transcription of letters will help you pronounce them correctly.

And you can study these letters with words online - by watching and listening to their pronunciation.

And here is the promised word file for downloading and printing. For each letters have your own English word. On page A4 - 2 letters.

How to work with it:

Print.
Take colored pencils or felt-tip pens and decorate the letters with your child (you can do this in the same way as the picture - add eyes or a mouth).
Try to draw what is written next to each letter.
In the process, be sure to tell the child about the drawn objects or animals or ask him questions about them.
Work without haste with every letter: first say it several times with different intonations, voice pitch, etc., then say the word written next to it. Then you can take 2 letters (previously cut into separate cards) and show them to your child - try to give him the opportunity to show the correct letter from the 2 you named.
If your child is already 5 years old, you can master not only capital letters, but also capital letters. It is necessary to explain to the baby that each letter has its own younger brother, who is smaller in stature and sometimes differs from the older one (you can see them in the picture below). On the printed cards, you can draw the younger brothers next to the older brothers - all the guys should like it!

I have another word file for you, where, unlike the previous one, colorful uppercase and lowercase letters as well English and Russian transcription for correct pronunciation. On sheet A4 - 2 letters. Download and enjoy health with your child:

And this is a pdf poster with the English alphabet - for printing. It can be printed on A4 or A3 sizes. Colorful English letters are supplemented with transcription (Russian and English), which will help any child and adult quickly memorize English letters and their correct sound.

Alphabet in colorful videos

Yes, the most effective and fastest way for a child to learn new English letters is to watch a video as well. Now it's not hard to find them. Here are some fun ones:

And here is a whole series of cartoons, each of which is dedicated to a separate English letter. Video in Russian.

The last two videos are very good material for learning not only English letters, but also the sounds they make in some words.

poems

Videos are always exciting, but what about rhymes for quickly memorizing English letters? Haven't tried? Then go ahead! Children like them very much. Click on the icon in the upper right corner for increase...

Games and tasks

I can offer you at least 10 more entertaining games and tasks to remember the letters of the English alphabet and their sequence that are new for the child ( about learning in games for children also read and). These games can be played as one-on-one with a child and organize them for a group of children.

Learning with a ball

Variations of fun with a ball for children can be very different. For example, you can throw a ball to each other and take turns saying the next letter. Or, for example, throw the ball against the wall and call it with each hit.

Draw a letter

Guessing cards

Try this option: you show your baby a picture of an apple - and he calls you "a" - apple. Or you show a kitten, and he calls you "c" - cat. Of course, this game is more of a memory game and is suitable for more conscious children. But for repeating what has been learned, it fits perfectly like no other.

alphabet train

The goal of this easy task game is to make a train from a pile of cards with English letters, each trailer of which must stand in its place. Only then will he go!

stop song

The task here is to carefully listen to the alphabet song, and when the recording stops (the adult pauses at any place in the song), the children must repeat the last letter they heard and show a card with it.

Neighbours

From a pile of cards with letters turned upside down, the child chooses any. The task is to remember the letter-neighbor of the one that is in the child's hands. In this case, you can call the previous letter or the next one. Any answer will be correct.

guess faster

The goal of the game is to guess as quickly as possible what letter an adult writes (who slowly and slowly draws a large English letter on a board or piece of paper).

Add dance to the song

One of my students was wildly restless. And in order to learn everything, we had to come up with a real dance with her, where for each letter we made a new movement that resembled it in shape. Surprisingly and incredibly strange, I tell you, but we managed to master it.

Point connectors

This interesting and favorite activity for all the children will help them quickly remember not only the letters of the English alphabet, but also their sequence. Here are 4 such pictures that you can download, print and use.

Letter - picture

Another exciting activity that will require children to know words (rather, it will be an association of a letter with a picture) that begin with certain letters of the alphabet. Here you need preliminary preparation and work with pictures-words. Here are 6 pictures for printing I found on the site "Preschooler" (kindereducation.com). We connect letters with the necessary pictures, and then decorate for fun.

Don't try to force everything. I know from my own experience of working with children that if they are not interested, but forced to remember something, there will be absolutely no effect. The kid will only hate the language, and then it will be even more difficult for you and him ( How to start teaching English to a child).

Also, don't try to memorize without the help of a song, video, or photo. The child will not even begin to turn on his "memory" processes. These words should burn red in your mind when it comes to learning: HE SHOULD BE INTERESTING!

And lastly, he must somehow understand why this is necessary. Yes, it is difficult to explain to a little man of 3-5 years old why he should learn any other sounds at all, if everyone speaks those that he already knows. So come up with some kind of fairy tale ( you can use), or watch a cartoon with him, where individual words speak a foreign language. This, perhaps, will awaken in him the desire to learn them himself.

And finally...

Of course, all children are different, and not all of these methods of work will suit everyone. Therefore, I can immediately advise you to look for the right path to your baby. He will love English if you show it to him in the right light.

And remember, dear ones, that I regularly share tips on how to help you and your children learn the language effectively. Subscribe to my blog newsletter and follow the news. It will be even more interesting soon.

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