I am having such a hard time teaching my youngest his letters. I know he can say them, he just doesn’t want to.
Is anyone else out there having the same problem?!?
Do you have a stubborn kid that needs to read (eventually)? Are you at your wits end? Well, THANK THE LORD I”M NOT THE ONLY ONE!
I have become a master at coming up with games to teach him things. When he needed to potty train—> Game. Learning his shapes—> Game. I have games on games in this head. As well I should, the games worked with my oldest, and he can read just fine.
Why are some kids so stubborn?
That’s the million dollar question. I surely don’t know. Maybe he gets it from me? Most likely his father right 😉 All I know is, he can say all of his letters just fine while we’re doing our games, but the second it’s over, a shoulder shrug and some sort of distraction is imminent.
For whatever reason, those stubborn, strong willed kids, may need a bit of trickery to get out of their own way. If it was up to him, we would play tigers versus dinosaurs all day long, and never get anything constructive done. But… since I have to send him to Kindergarten eventually, that’s out of the question.
Why use games to learn?
Because why not? Kids love games so much. It combines two of the things they love the most: time with you, and having fun. What little kid doesn’t want to have their parent’s undivided attention? What little kid hates having fun?
Even if it is for a learning task, your child will remember the time spent and fun had, just as much as whatever it is you are teaching them. I know my 10 year old talks to this day about some of the games we played, he doesn’t remember they were for teaching, but his memories of the fun times are strong still.
DIY GAMES TO TEACH THE ALPHABET
Any one of these games can be customized to match your teaching needs. If your child needs to learn their numbers, colors or counting, switch things up and make it your own.
Disk Toss
Find any cardboard you can, it can be from cereal boxes, packages, tissue boxes, etc… Cut out circles of relatively the same size, they don’t have to perfect. Next, draw each letter of the alphabet on the front and back of each circle. Use different colors so you can switch up the game rules as you go along. Now the fun begins! Have your little one play different games with the disks.
Week one, focus on repeating the letter names and when they do it correctly, let them take the disk and throw it across the room! Week two, repeating the sounds and finding the correct letter. Week three, grouping the letters into colors and saying their names. The important part is, let them throw the disks like a Frisbee when they do a good job.
Chalk Jumping
This game is good for getting your child to focus and works on balance as well. This game is best to play outdoors, the chalk will make a royal mess out of your house if you try it indoors. (It has been attempted once in our garage and it was impossible to keep it from tracking back into the house.)
Draw circles close to each other all over the ground, if you’re doing the whole alphabet you’ll need at least 26. They should be close enough for your munchkin to jump from one to another. Place one letter in each one. For the first part of the game, I hold up a letter on a sheet of paper and he jumps to it. For the second part of the game, I call out a letter for him to jump to.
OF COURSE, all areas outside of the circle are covered in lava.
I have found that my son cannot do the whole alphabet yet, so I pick about 5 letters at a time.
Letter Racing
Envision getting your child to run for 10 minutes straight, wearing them out, making them hungry and prepping them for nap time, all the while, teaching them their letters. Sounds perfect, huh? This game is amazing for that!!
Place a bucket/basket or anything that will hold things beside you. Across the room, place your letter disks (from above) or flashcards/letter blocks in a pile. Your child will start standing right beside you, and when you call out or show them a letter, they have to run to the pile and grab it, then run it back you and put it in the receptacle.
Extra points for speediness. I personally don’t actually keep track of them, but he doesn’t know that, I just yell out “Extra Points!!” and we high five. Our celebration of these extra points typically involves ice cream, throwing mud or jumping on the trampoline.
Cut Out Art
Scissors are a big deal to kids, they absolutely love using them and cutting stuff up. Everybody gets junk mail from time to time, this is the perfect way to put those to use. Have an example piece in the center of the table and let your child develop their fine motor skills while learning how to shape their letters.
Toy Jumble
This game is more fitting for the advanced letter knowledge. It also works great as a way to get them to clean up their toys after playing. First you call out a letter. Have your child grab a toy that begins with that letter and place it into their toys bin or on a shelf.
To customize it for the new learner, tape the correct letter onto the toy to initiate the letter/sound association.
Play-Doh Speed Shaping
To play this game, pick one letter of the alphabet and give your child an animal that begins with that letter. Next, you both try to shape that animal out of Play-Doh as fast as you can. The first one finished, wins the round. See who can get the most points out of 5 rounds.
If you are still working on beginner skills, make the shape into the actual letter instead of an animal.
Change The Games Up to Match Your Needs
You’ll notice, most of these games involve jumping, throwing or some form of physical activity. That’s because my kids can’t sit still, so all of my ideas revolve around that behavior.
There doesn’t have to be speed or throwing involved. Do what feels right for you.
If you want to play them in a more structured way, please let me know how you did it!!! I’m always looking for new spins on these games!
If you have a dino lover at home, try Dinosaur ABCs.
North Carolina, USA