7 Ways to Play with the Best Alphabet Puzzles for Toddlers
Learning letters through play with the best alphabet puzzles
We all know how important learning the alphabet is for toddler development! You learn how to speak a language, how to pronounce letter sounds, how to spell words, and essentially grow to understand the world around you. Without the alphabet, language can be incredibly difficult to fully understand! When looking at play, this is where alphabet puzzles for toddlers come in!
Alphabet puzzles provide the necessary pieces to make learning the alphabet an easy and fun task! Here are 7 ways to play with an alphabet puzzle to help teach your toddler their letters:
Looking for the perfect alphabet puzzle? Check out ours here!
1. Discuss the structure of words
As a toddler, your child is just beginning to be exposed to the idea of letters, words, and spellings. Have a simple but important conversation about how the little pieces they see in front of them are actually called letters and putting them together makes the words they hear and say everyday.
2. Spell your child's favorite words
Now that you’ve covered your bases on what words and letters are, make it fun for your toddler by spelling their favorite words. Is their favorite food an apple? Spell it out for them! Do they love their pet dog? Spell out “dog” for them! Your child will have an even better time if you make learning the alphabet about them and their ever growing interests.
3. Talk about order when you play with an alphabet puzzle
In words and the alphabet, order is important just as it is for many things in life. As moms sometimes we wish we had a little more order in our own lives! Teaching order as a way to place letters for them to successfully spell words is an easy way to convey a basic understanding of the concept of order.
Then, use your alphabet puzzle for your toddler to show how each letter has its own spot, creating an order that comes together as the alphabet.
4. Teach the letters in your child's name
Use your child’s name as a way to make them excited to learn about letters in the alphabet. A special moment for any child happens when they are able to spell and write their own name! They are able to work on their sense of identity and take pride in their accomplishment.
For fun, have your toddler trace the letters needed on a separate piece of paper to spell out their name! If they have mastered their own name, have them spell out other important words to them such as “mom”, “dad”, or even the names of siblings or friends. The more personal the better!
5. Count the pieces in an alphabet puzzle with your toddler
This wouldn’t be a ToyVentive post if we didn’t emphasize how puzzles can be used for many more skills than what is intended! You may be using an alphabet puzzle for toddlers, but you can still work on a variety of skills such as counting!
On a separate piece of paper, have your child try to write out the alphabet. If this is a bit too challenging, write the alphabet out for them. Then, have them write the appropriate number above the letter as it is in the alphabet. For example have your child write “1” above the letter “a.” Keep going until they have counted all of the numbers!
If you want to expand on your child's understanding of numbers, read more about wooden number puzzles your toddler will love!
6. Work on learning the ABCs Song!
No matter your age, who doesn’t love a catchy song? With this in mind, a great way to engage your toddler is through song. Take this time to teach your child the ABCs song. Most likely, songs will already be a comfort to your child helping ease them into this new concept. It’ll make it fun for both of you and the catchiness of the tune will stay with your child, helping them to learn and love the alphabet!
Use your child's favorite book alongside the alphabet puzzle
Chances are, your child has that one book they want to read over and over! Using your alphabet puzzle, find words in that book for your child to spell. By showing them words in a book, they begin to understand how words come together to tell stories and you can guide them on their reading journey. This is a fun and easy way to use resources you already have and keep your child interested in learning more words with the alphabet!
Overall, alphabet puzzles are a fantastic resource in helping your child learn! Language is a critical part of everyday life no matter what age you are. Therefore, it’s important to help teach your child about the alphabet and how letters come together to form the words they are getting to know every single day!
Making it personal to your child is a way to make sure they are engaged in learning and is also a fun touch for them to want to learn more. If your child masters the ABCs (like we know they will!), check out our other puzzle articles that talk about counting, shapes, and different ways to play!
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Learning letters through play with the best alphabet puzzles
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