Learning the alphabet is one of the first academic concepts children are exposed to at home and/or school. It can be a daunting task to learn the alphabet in the beginning. Kids must know 26 upper and lower case letters. Fortunately, there are helpful tools to help children master the alphabet like games and books. Today we want to share a fun and entertaining alphabet book for preschoolers and up.
Many children get the letters confused, which is understandable. I remember getting the lowercase b and d mixed up during a writing assignment in the first grade. Our teacher hung those writing assignments on the wall. I still remember being embarrassed that the letter d was where b should have been. Every day, I wanted to take the paper down.
While teaching my son, Corban, the alphabet, I don’t recall him getting the letters mixed up. This is because we read over 60 alphabet books, played games, and did a lot fun activities with the letters.
Corban has fond memories of learning the alphabet. When my baby boy was born, Corban wanted to write an alphabet book to help his younger brother and other kids learn the letters in a fun way. I was deeply touched by his desire and decided to help him achieve this goal.
Corban worked on the book, Alexander’s Hide and Seek Alphabet, for six months. He took the lead on the whole process from writing and critiquing the illustrations to approving the cover and marketing the book. While there are many alphabet books out there, this book has a different spin.
In the short video below, my son will tell you more about his book
Alphabet Book with a FUN MEMORY TRICK
Alexander’s Hide and Seek Alphabet uses a learning technique called the “Loci Method” to help kids learn and review the alphabet. The Loci Method is a memory tool which connects the information kids want to remember with places they know well. We used Alexander’s home in this book because children know their living spaces very well. Additionally, we used familiar household items to make it easier for children to find what they are seeking.
In order to make the Loci method fun for kids, we incorporated the game, Hide and Seek. We encourage you to take this book with you while walking through your home to find each item in this book. Have your child identify the beginning letter and sound of the item. For example, when you find an apple in your home, encourage your child to pick it up, say “apple” and its phonetic sound “ah”.
If you don’t have something named in this book, find an alternative in your home. Make up your own Alphabet Hide and Seek Game and play with your child.
Your child will be amazed that they could find so many things that start with each letter of the alphabet in their own home.
Have fun playing, learning, and reading this alphabet book for preschoolers and up!