When children start learning to write, one of the first things they need to understand is how letters work. This means realising how the sounds we make when we say words out loud can be represented as letters we see on paper. This basic idea is called the “alphabetic principle,” and it’s crucial for encoding and, later on, spelling.
Alphabet knowledge is all about understanding letters—what they look like, what they’re called, and the sounds they make. Knowing the alphabet early on is really important because it helps children become better readers, encoders and spellers when they get older. In fact, research shows that how well kids know their letters can predict how well they’ll do in writing and reading later in school.
To help children learn their letters, there are lots of things parents and teachers can do. Singing the ABC song, playing with magnetic letters and writing their names. Reading books together is especially helpful because adults can point out letters in the words and talk about them with children. This kind of interaction, called “print referencing,” is a big help in letter learning.
Surprisingly, some preschools and nurseries don’t put much emphasis on helping children learn their letters well. Until recently, there hasn’t been a lot of research on what works best for teaching letters. But luckily, more and more studies are looking into this, so we’re learning more about the best ways to help children learn their ABCs.
Alphabet instruction: names or sounds?
When it comes to teaching the alphabet, one big question that comes up is whether to start with letter names (like “A” and “B”) or letter sounds (/a/ and /b/). Knowing the sounds is really important for reading and early spelling (encoding).
Research has looked into whether it’s better to teach letter names or sounds first. Some studies found that teaching sounds before names helped children learn the sounds faster, especially when the teaching method involved showing the letter while saying both its name and sound. However, other studies didn’t find a big difference between teaching names or sounds first.
There were also studies that looked at teaching names and sounds together versus separately. Interestingly, teaching them together seemed to be the most effective for helping children learn both names and sounds.
Moreover, teaching letter names along with sounds might be beneficial because some letter names give clues about their sounds (like “B” for /b/ and “K” for /k/). So, by knowing both names and sounds, children might be able to figure out the sounds of letters more easily.
Uppercase or lowercase?
When it comes to teaching letters, there are two main approaches: teaching lowercase letters first, teaching uppercase letters first, or teaching them both at the same time. All three methods are commonly used by teachers, but there hasn’t been sufficient research yet to determine which approach is better. However, a common sense perspective is to focus on lowercase letters first as these are used more often and are what children are exposed to most when reading.
What order?
Deciding the order in which to teach letters to young children is a crucial aspect of alphabet instruction, but there’s limited research guiding this decision. Some suggested sequences are based on factors like the letters in children’s names, the order of the alphabet, the frequency of letter use, and the visual or phonological similarities between letters. For instance, children often know the letters in their names first, so some recommend starting with those. Beginning with the more common letters or those with sounds that are easier for children to grasp is also a common approach. However, there’s no definitive evidence on which sequence works best yet.
Another consideration is teaching visually or phonologically similar letters together or separately. Research suggests that separating the instruction of visually similar letters might be helpful to prevent confusion.
Overall, while there’s no perfect sequence for teaching letters, it seems beneficial to introduce potentially confusing letters separately to avoid mixing them up.
Distributed practice
Traditional methods of teaching the alphabet like the “letter-of-the-week” approach, might not be the most effective. Research suggests that increasing exposure, repetition, and spreading out practice sessions could lead to better alphabet learning.
For example, studies have shown that introducing one new letter per day, followed by regular review sessions, could help Nursery and Reception children better than a traditional weekly approach. Similarly, faster-paced introductions of letters and digraphs (combinations of letters representing one sound) have been linked to greater letter-sound learning in both children aged 5-7.
Moreover, spacing out teaching sessions, rather than cramming all letter instruction into a single longer period seems to enhance letter-sound learning. This method, known as distributed practice, involves interspersing sessions for different letters, and it has shown positive effects on letter-sound knowledge and fluency in young children.
Explicit teaching
Explicit teaching, where the teacher clearly presents the letter form along with its corresponding name and sound, has been shown to be effective in alphabet instruction. Studies indicate that this method leads to better alphabet learning compared to more incidental teaching approaches.
Explicit teaching is particularly beneficial because it aligns with a cognitive process called paired-associate learning. This process involves repeatedly pairing visual symbols (like letters) with verbal labels (like names and sounds). For example, showing a child the letter “B” while saying, “This is the letter B. It can represent the /b/ sound.” Paired-associate learning is crucial for alphabet learning.
Studies have shown that preschoolers, both monolingual English speakers and dual language learners, tend to learn letters better when instruction emphasises paired-associate learning.
Engaging in additional activities like paying attention to mouth shapes while saying sounds or practising letter writing can enhance learning, especially for dual language learners.
It’s important to note that explicit teaching doesn’t mean boring memorisation drills. Studies suggest teaching at a quick-pace. There’s little evidence to suggest that explicit teaching negatively affects children’s motivation either. Overall, explicit teaching is a valuable approach for effective alphabet instruction.
Multi-sensory instruction
Multisensory instruction is a teaching approach that involves engaging multiple senses during learning. In the context of alphabet instruction, this might include kinesthetic (movement-based) and tactile (touch-based) activities, such as tracing letters or using letter manipulatives.
However, research on the effectiveness of multisensory alphabet instruction is limited and has produced mixed findings. Studies have not consistently found advantages of multisensory approaches.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the science of early alphabet instruction offers valuable insights into effective practices for promoting young children’s alphabet learning. Combining letter-name and letter-sound instruction, employing explicit instruction and adopting quicker pacing are promising strategies. However, multisensory techniques may not necessarily improve alphabet outcomes based on available evidence.
It’s essential for parents and teachers to recognise that alphabet instruction should not dominate children’s learning experiences, as excessive focus on this aspect may limit opportunities for growth in other important areas of writing.
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Want to know more, we can recommend reading: The Handbook On The Science Of Early Literacy