Letters and numbers make up our world and are the fundamentals of every school subject. Begin introducing them to your child at a young age and they will have a head start when they go off to kindergarten.
- Sing the ABCs with your child during car rides, bath time, before bed, etc. Songs have been proven to encourage learning through memorization and the ABC song does just that!
- Point out the letters in signs around your neighborhood or when you’re in the car.
- If you go out to eat with your child, have some fun while you wait for your food. Point out various letters on the menu and encourage her to name other things that start with that same letter.
- Go for a walk around the neighborhood and look at the numbers on different houses. Encourage your child to count with you the number of houses on the street or the number of trees you see.
- When in the car, count how many red cars you see on your journey. If your child really likes trucks, count the trucks you see.
- Collect things from around the house that start with different letters of the alphabet. Put them in a bin and have your child pick out an object. Tell her what the object is, putting emphasis on the first letter of the word. Encourage him to name other objects that start with the same letter.
Resources:
National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)