So you have a young child and you want to teach them their letters. Where to start? I'm sharing my plan. I like things simple, methodical, inexpensive and fun so you won't find elaborate lesson plans here. I like to do my thinking up front to free up my brainpower for other things day to day. If you're wanting to sort through your thinking and make a plan read on.
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I always recommend shopping your house. Gather all your ABC-related toys and games. Pile your cache in front of you. Now what? Make a plan. Write it down. Execute the plan.
"But Laurel, I want your plan," you say.
Here you go. Click HERE for my printable plan, sequence, and flash cards. Otherwise, keep reading.
You probably have all you need already. What I'm really sharing is a systematic method. My goal is to style early activities in a fashion that trains the student towards the Robinson Curriculum (RC). If I can teach my student how to use resources and study they will be able to transition to doing so on their own as they mature.
I try to be instinctual as to what my child needs in regards to time and intensity. You know your child best. I'm often reverse engineering lessons based on what I have on hand. I have BLANK. How can I use BLANK with my student to study letters?
There are endless creative ways to play with letters. I bank a dozen or so up front so I don't have to come up with them on the fly day after day. Then I just follow the letter sequence I want to teach by and pick an activity for the day.
I use two sets of alphabet flashcards. So, I have two sets of capital letters and two sets of lowercase letters. I store them in an index card box. I keep one full set up front. I've divided the second set into Current, On Deck, and Mastered.
Why two sets? I want to be able to have them copy what I'm doing, play Memory, and scavenger hunt the house for them so having two sets is handy.
I have some supplies I keep in the schoolroom that are ABC related.
We just play around with the letter games and toys for a while so my student gets accustomed to them. I don't like to slam all the new information on them at once. There is a lot for them to process just with encountering a new object.
When I think my student is ready for more formal lessons I use a daily combination:
1. singing the ABC's,
2. showing them flash cards,
3. an activity,
4. and review.
I have a list of activities that I know I have the materials for. I follow a sequence of small letter sets but first I teach them letters in their name. All my boys got really excited to learn the letters of their name. Especially that first letter. Beau is currently writing B's on everything. It's a nice start to learning. I document what we do each day.
There is a focused effort to celebrate mastery of a letter. I do this by making a paper crown and writing or gluing the mastered letters onto it. They love to help with this. Then we have a PARTY! It doesn't have to be extreme. Just playing some music, having a snack, and giving a toast to the Master of Letters BLANK.
It is key to be consistent in their practice. If you want to give this method a go here is the recap:
Gather ABC materials and make a list of activities to study letters.
Make or buy flashcards and organize.
Begin lessons: sing ABC's, introduce letters (form and sound) by sequence groups with flashcards, do an activity, review any previously mastered letters.
Keep documentation.
Celebrate all mastery!
If you are interested in more on our preschool plans see my post about that HERE. I hope you feel more ordered in your thinking and confident in your plans. Happy homeschooling!
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