The secret to teaching your child the Alphabet

So, everyone wants their children to know their alphabets, but teaching it can be so monotonous and boring, Right?

Wrong ….  There are some amazing ways to teach your children the alphabet.

My kids get bored easily. Sounds familiar? I knew that hosting a treasure hunt would get them excited about learning and exploring the outdoors.

I was recently introduced to Vodacom’s e-school platform – A curriculum-aligned digital education portal which gives you a guideline of what you can expect your child to be learning in school and how you as a parent can assist your child at home.

You will find modules available on:

•             Literacy

•             Life skills

•             Mathematics

•             Home language

•             First additional language

•             History

•             Geography

•             Accounting

•             Physical science and MUCH MORE!

The platform is dedicated to Grade R – 12 learners and was created with the help of the Department of Basic Education, Republic of South Africa.

This is one of those informative websites to bookmark for the year! If you are a Vodacom customer, you won’t pay for data or content when using the platform.

Learning the alphabet at home shouldn’t be stressful or complicated for a child. Learning should be fun and that is why I decided to do something different with my kids over the holidays to refresh their memories but also keep them entertained.

How to host an exciting Alphabet treasure hunt:

Step 1:

You need alphabets. I used fridge magnets, but you can also use the mat or create your own – Let the kids write the letters on an A4 paper and colour it in. This way you could teach them colours and alphabets in one go.

Example – Can you write a Capital A and colour it in yellow?

Step 2:

Lay the alphabets on the table and let the kids look around the house for items that begin with A, B, C etc.

This is an eye spy with my little eye game which gets them in game mode for the next round.

Step 3:

Mommy or Daddy hides the letters with the items around the house (you can do it indoors or outdoors).

Step 4:

Let the kids come out and look for it. Start with A… Once your child finds the letter, ask them to say what item it is using phonics. Example: a/“a”/ airplane.

Step 5:

Have fun and learn together!

The treasure hunt was hit so I am planning on doing another one for numbers and colours.

I have downloaded a few learning modules from Vodacom’s e-school to use as a guideline this term. I must say that I feel a little better knowing what my daughter will be learning this year in school. We’ve been doing the activities weekly and I can already see a difference in the way my daughter works.

She’s excited and eager to learn how to read so doing these activities isn’t boring for her. I also try to include fun games like the treasure hunt that will keep her intrigued.

Tips for you:

1.Work with one alphabet each day.

2.Plan different activities around that alphabet.  Encourage phonics and sounding out the alphabet.  It is invaluable when they learn to read.

3. Get your child to sound, colour and find the alphabet in the activities you plan.

If you’re a working mom, it might be a better option to download the ready to use worksheets here.