The Alphabet Project is my attempt to teach my two-year-old the alphabet. I got the idea for this almost two months ago. My daughter and I were outside of Kohl's, when she points up to the sign and says, "H!" I was a bit dumbfounded--I had no idea she knew the letter H, and I certainly didn't teach it to her. (I'm guessing it came from an episode of Sesame Street). Since she already knows her shapes, colors, and numbers 1-10, I figured it was time for the alphabet.
Let me point out that I am not one of those education-crazed parents. Yes, I want her to be brilliant, but I am not obsessed with her becoming brilliant as a toddler. She has a late birthday and will be almost 6 before she goes to kindergarten, so she has plenty of time to learn the basics. However, she also seems to be blessed with her father's brain, and can remember things after hearing them only one or two times. She enjoys learning and being able to point out colors, numbers, and pictures in books. For me, this is more about keeping her occupied, happy, and stimulating her curious brain, than it is about academics. (Though it is a beginning step to becoming a reader...). While I am certified to teach English for students in grades 7-12, I have virtually no qualifications for teaching young children other than my own experience (and experiments!) with my own child.
So we're going to try. Emma just barely turned 2 in November, so we'll see how we do. I'm confident that she will be able to memorize the letters and sounds. I'm less confident that she has the motor skills to write the letters. Feel free to join us and share your own experiences with the Alphabet Project!
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You could write the letters in shaving cream (on a table or maybe a cookie sheet). Kids of all ages love the mess, but it cleans up well.
ReplyDeleteThis project sounds fun--I like the structure. I'm sure Emma will love it! I might join you in a few months...
I clicked on your name in a comment to get to your blog and thought, what the heck is this?
ReplyDeleteHere's how Talmage learned the alphabet:
www.starfall.com
The Kindergarten teachers assured Tyler that kids who play on this website come to school ready to read. I mean, that's advice from a Utah teacher, nothing like a Connecticut or even Texas teacher, but it's from a teacher at one of the leading Utah schools in the state. :)
The downside? We introduced computer games to our child. And you know it's just a slippery slope from educational websites to Grand Theft Auto and 23 hours a day of gaming, so I'm not sure I really recommend it. (Although I do find myself humming the zig-zag boy song throughout the day.)
Sounds like a fun project. She has two smarty parents, I'm sure she'll be learning the alphabet (and reading) at an early age. Good Luck and I look forward to reading your adventures.
ReplyDeleteHere are some super-fun prints, if you are into that:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.designspongeonline.com/2009/11/alphabet-posters.html