Pre-Reading : Alphabet Boards

Alphabet Boards are best made of wood. They need to have enough depth to allow holes to be carved into the base board and the spare parts then become the inserts that are matched to each unique cut-out shape. The inserts can either be in the shape of 'letters' or alternatively, 'pictures' that match letters painted onto the base board.

Sometimes they are called 'Lift-out' boards.

I am particularly fond of my 'picture' alphabet board, unfortunately I have had it for such a long time that I cannot remember where it came from and it has no manufacturers' label on it.

You will have to trawl the internet to see if this type of alphabet board is still available - let me, and others know - as they are very useful.

Below is a photograph of my 'picture' alphabet board. The pictures have all been well chosen - they all have single initial sounds to begin the word. There are no 'blends' - blends are two or more consonants that 'blend' together to make one sound. ( Refer : my previous posts on 'Pre Reading : Alphabet Posters' ) Nor are there any 'letter names', that could be confusing too.

By the way 'letter names' are what we say when we recite the alphabet, listen carefully, as you recite the alphabet, it may not have occurred to you before, that the letter names are quite different to the shorter 'sounds' which begin many words.

When we recite the alphabet we say the names of the letters as follows Ay, Bee, see(C), Dee, Eee, eF, Gee, Haitch, eye(I) Jay, Kay, eL, eM, eN, Oh, Pee, Queue, aRe, esS, Tee, yoU, Vee, double-you(W), eX, whY, Zed. In every case ( apart from 'X' ) the names make a 'long' sound.

For example 'Ay' begins 'angel' and uses the long 'ay' sound - however the more usual 'sound' that we associate with this letter, when teaching a young child to read, has a 'short' sound - as in 'a' for 'apple'.

It is my view that when children are at this pre-reading stage, it is more useful and less confusing to focus on the 'short' letter 'sounds' at first. Others may disagree, but that is my opinion.

Here is a list of words, which illustrate the short 'initial sound' for each letter. Say each word aloud so that you can hear for yourself what is meant by a short sound. I hope this may help to make clear, this fundamental idea . :

Ant, box, cup, dot, egg, fan, gum, hat, ink, jam, kit, lip, mat, nut, on, pet, quiz, run, sit, tap, up, van, wet, xmas, yes, zip.

Compare the 'initial' / first sound of these words, with the 'sound' you hear when you recite the alphabet and thereby saying the 'names' of the letters.

You will become aware that it is not merely 26 letter sounds that need to be memorised, but getting on for double, that is over 50 different sounds !

No wonder reading is a difficult skill to master, especially in these first early stages !

This is why I find it a bit disappointing when 'publishers' and 'manufacturers' do not seem to consult educational experts - for many anomalies can be found in material that purports to be helpful.

As an example, some alphabet books or boards, have a picture of a 'giraffe' - which seems innocent enough to illustrate 'g'. However, listen as you say the word and you will quickly realise that 'Giraffe' begins with the 'name' sound 'gee' which is a long sound. 'Gate' would be a better, if more mundane choice, as it begins with the short 'initial' sound of 'g'.

I may be being pedantic, but learning to read is a complicated process and the easier and more straightforward it can be made in those first tenuous stages the better.

The pictures on the 'Alphabet' Board, are in the main familiar objects, apart from - 'elephant, igloo, jack-in-a-box, nest, panda, violin, and x-ray'.

It is always important to begin with what children know, but introducing objects from outside a childs' vocabulary / word range, is extending their knowledge too ! The pictures that I have mentioned above are likely to become a talking point and the parent, adult or teacher can explain what they are and what they mean. Young children are usually keen to absorb new information presented clearly and in an interesting way.

How is the picture alphabet board to be used ?

The board is used by tipping out all the pictures, and the child then selects a picture. They have to say what it is, and then say the initial sound eg, 'sun' begins with the 's' sound. They then have to search on the base board and spot where the letter 's' is. Then they place the picture of the 'sun' in the correct hole. Placing the piece will develop hand and eye coordination, a vital skill which is especially important when children begin to draw and write. This will be explored more fully in my 'handwriting' sections to follow.

Quite a bit of help is likely to be needed at first, for each of the four stages :

1 Saying the word
2 Saying the initial / first sound
3 Matching the sound to the letter
4 Placing the picture in the correct position / cut-out hole

This game can be repeated a number of times until the child is familiar with all the picture words, the initial sounds, and can perhaps find where the pictures live, without any adult help.

This game helps to familiarize a child with all the short letter sounds of the alphabet. Children enjoy it because instead of just looking ( as with Alphabet books or Posters ) they are engaged in an activity which involves them doing something. This kind of activity is an early introduction to problem solving, thinking for themselves and developing concentration skills.

Pre-Reading : Alphabet Posters

Today I am recommending 'Alphabet Posters', really they are just a compressed version of an Alphabet Book - that you are able to display on the wall.

What excellent value !

Position them in a prominent place, where your child or children will be able to view them easily. Rooms that you might consider are the bedroom, a playroom, or the kitchen, somewhere, where the child spends a lot of time.

My favourite place would be the bedroom, because when a child is in bed and is restless, you may encourage them to focus on the 'Alphabet Poster' - instead of counting sheep, they can look at and try to remember the pictures and letter sounds that go with them. Do this gently - this is not a test situation - you are helping them to become familiar with the 'building blocks' that will enable them to become a good reader.

Presenting 26 letters in one go, is too much to learn at once, the aim is to familiarize the child with the components that will be useful to them. I will be dealing with how 'teachers' break this down into smaller, more manageable chunks in my later posts.

When your child is at school, or even before then, at Nursery or Play Group, they will gradually be introduced to the idea of 'letters'. It is for this reason that having an 'Alphabet Poster', on the wall at home will reinforce and enable them to practise what they are learning in the comfort of their own home and at their own pace, in their own way.

A good position, I feel, for an Alphabet Poster would be on the opposite wall to the bed, or by the bed, so when they are falling asleep they will be able to see the pictures and letters. This is assuming you have some sort of safe low lighting that enables them to make it out. In the morning, especially in the summer months when the light is bright, they will wake up and the Poster will come within their field of vision.

The Poster will become something that they feel familiar with, almost like their teddy bear (see my post - Early Reading : My Favourite Alphabet Books : 3 Dec 08 ) and they will not feel threatened by pictures with letters and the associated sounds which they are gradually absorbing and thereby learning.

What makes for a good 'Alphabet Poster' - really this is down to personal taste and the interests of your child. However one that I especially like is produced by 'BYEWAY' Wall Charts.

I bought it in WHS, it cost a couple of pounds. Bookshops such as Waterstones, and stores such as Marks & Spencers are good places to look out for 'Alphabet Posters'. Once you are on the look out for them - you will see them everywhere.

An alternative is wrapping paper, which is sometimes presented in the form of the alphabet with letters and pictures, but these are easily torn. A professionally made wall chart has a laminated finish, is not very expensive and will look good for a long time. Because it is laminated it will easily wipe down if sticky fingers make a mess - which they are bound to do !

The 'Alphabet Poster' that I have shows just lower case / small letters, which I think is a good idea. It has just one picture and one word, the graphics are clear, uncluttered and it uses bright colours. The pictures are of familiar objects, eg: apple, egg, umbrella - personally I would shy away from over commercialised posters that may be more complicated or have frightening images.

Another important consideration is to choose a poster with 'short' sounds, eg 'igloo' or 'ink' not 'ice-cream' which begins with the long 'I' / 'eye' sound.

Also, I would try to avoid 'blend' sounds. What on earth are 'blend' sounds, I hear you ask ! 'Blend' sounds are where two consonants become one sound.

( The alphabet has 26 letters, there are five vowels, a, e, i, o u, and the other 21 are consonants - you will know this if you are a regular watcher of Countdown ! ).

An example of a blend word would be 'grape' - the beginning sound of this word has two consonants 'g' and 'r' these blend together to form the sound 'gr'. This means that the word grape does not strictly speaking begin the single initial / first sound of 'g' on its own. A good alphabet picture might instead show a picture of a 'gate'. This word begins with the single 'g' sound.

However it is quite difficult to find a poster that follows this advice, even the one that I have which I know is very appealling and useful to children shows a 'glove' which acutally begins with the blend sound 'gl' rather than 'g' on its own, similarly for 't' there is a picture of a 'tree' which begins with the blend sound 'tr' rather than 't' on its own.

As I recommended in my earlier post , it is best in the early stages to concentrate just on 'single' sounds. ( See : 'Early Reading : My Favourite Alphabet Books' : 3.Dec.08 )

So if you want to do something really useful to help your child learn to read a simple and inexpensive action, such as putting an 'Alphabet Poster' on the wall will make a huge difference to how your child views the learning process. Being familiar with the content of school lessons, will mean that rather than school becoming a dreaded experience, learning will be viewed as a 'fun' activity to be welcomed and which they find very enjoyable.

Pre-Reading : My Favourite Alphabet Books

I have two favourite Alphabet Books.

The first is definitiely for younger children, it is called Paddington's ABC by Michael Bond, it is illustrated by John Lobban, devised by Carol Watson and was published by Picture Lions in 1991. ( It may well be out of print - if so - perhaps someone could revive it - that would be great ! )

I like it because of the bold and simple graphics. There is just one word illustrated for each letter, for example, for 'A a ' shows a very pleased Paddington bear holding onto an enormous green apple.

(nb : the small / lower case, and the big / capital letter are shown - which is quite useful. )

Paddington bear 's ABC provides a lovely introduction to immersing young children in the complexities of learning their letters. Most young children have their own special teddy bear, which is a comfort to them. Young children like to have a familiar object that they can carry around and cuddle. This is especially important when they are in unfamiliar situations, or they feel afraid or upset. The use of a bear and especially 'Paddington Bear' who is so friendly and funny is likely to make learning letters more enjoyable.

Paddington Bear is great fun, he is always doing the wrong thing and getting into mischief. He represents a child trying to understand a world that is at times very confusing and bewildering. The 'full' Paddington Bear stories by Michael Bond, are a must bedtime read for children aged from 5 or 6 years.

I digress - back to the matter in hand :

Learning letters is complex because they need to be known and recognised in three different ways :

1 at a visual level
2 at a sound level
3 in association with familiar objects / words.

Paddington's ABC when shared by an adult with a child achieves all three of these.

Another vital aspect when sharing a book with a young child is that the pictures invite comments and conversation.

For example 'I i ' is illustrated by Paddington dripping black ink on to the floor and making a mess, the ink is on his red coat, his nose and cheek. A discussion could result about how naughty Paddington is and how this is not very sensible. Each picture in turn invites questions and comments that will encourage a young child to speak, perhaps in single words at first, and attempt proper sentences later, especially as their confidence begins to grow.

Another example is 'M m' instead of 'mat' or 'man' the author has chosen, very appropriately for Paddington the word 'marmalade'. We should not be afraid of introducing longer or more unusual words, a child may find them difficult to say at first but with practise they should be able to do this. Marmalade is a three syllable word, there are three 'beats' when we say it, mar - ma - lade. It helps childrens speech development to say words properly, babyish words although charming should not be encouraged, always say / model words properly so that your child will copy your good example. When saying words with more than one syllable it is a good idea at first to exaggerate the different parts of the word. Become an actor, say them loudly and with expression - it may make your child laugh and make the learning process more enjoyable and fun. You may have to explain what 'marmalade' is, or even go out and buy some to try out the taste on toast !

It has to be said that Alphabet books are not just about pointing to the letters and saying the 'sound', they are also important for introducing and extending vocabulary / words.

A feature of 'Paddington's ABC' is that it is printed in very clear cut colours, and the primary colours of red, blue, yellow and green stand out particularly well. Therefore In addition to providing a learning opportunity for early reading skills, identifying and naming 'colours' could become a target too.

Towards the back of the book is a puzzle picture of the seaside and the child is invited to see how many things begin with 's'. There is the sun, seagull, sandwich, sandcastle, socks, and many other items to spot. This is another useful feature of the book which I like.

I'm afraid I've run out of time now, so my second favourite ABC book will have to wait for another day.

But I would love to know if you have a favourite ABC book that you would like to share with myself and anyone else who is interested.

Pre-Reading : Alphabet Books

Alphabet picture books are useful for introducing the idea of 'initial sounds'. 'Initial sounds' are the way in which the first letter of a word is spoken.

It is best to choose a book which has well known, familiar objects, eg : apple, ball, cat, etc. An Alphabet book may have a number of pictures representing one sound, for example: the letter 'C' may be illustrated by a cat, car, cow, cup. ( Note : the 'C' is hard sounding as in 'K' not the soft 'C' or 'S' as it is sounded in a word such as 'celery'. )

It is very useful to have a number of pictures representing each sound to look at, so that a parent may point to each picture, say the word, and also say for example, " 'C' for cat ", or alternatively, " 'C' begins car ". Remember the sound 'C' is pronounced as 'K' not 'see(C)' which is the 'name' of the letter.

A parent can invite the child to point to a picture, say the word which matches the pictures that they have recognized. The child should also be encouraged to say the 'initial sound' too.

It is better if the pictures show 'short sounds', eg : 'e' for egg rather than the long 'ee' as in ear. Unfortunately the English language has a number of 'initial sounds' which can be said in more than one way. Another example is 'i' which in its short form begins 'in', 'ink' or 'igloo' but in its longer form begins 'I', 'ice-cream' 'island'. With younger children it is best to stay with the short 'initial sounds' as this is less confusing in the beginning. Longer sounds can be introduced at a later stage.


Looking, at and reading, Alphabet books should be an enjoyable activity. Reading and re-reading the same book a number of times will help a child to remember all the 'initial sounds'. These are the building blocks, on the long road to becoming a good reader !