Learning any language, including English, begins with mastering the alphabet.

For those who want to learn English, the first question is how to learn the English alphabet? I’ll answer right away - simple, fast, easy. The main thing is your mood and motivation from the very beginning of learning the language.

Playful learning is the best method for learning the alphabet.

The most important thing you need to pay attention to is to initially establish the correct pronunciation of English letters, using the correct pronunciation of the transcription for this.

Remember - initially CORRECT PRONUNCIATION OF SOUNDS letters of the English alphabet is the key to further successful mastery of English.

How to quickly learn the English alphabet

The most important thing is to set yourself a goal and a deadline (for example, say out loud - “I will memorize the letters of the English alphabet within a week, studying for 5-10 minutes a day”).

In order to achieve your goal, pay special attention to learning the alphabet and at the same time take it as a game.

Think about what gift you will give yourself when you learn the alphabet (for example, you learned 5-7 letters, you did push-ups, or you went and bought yourself something unhealthy, but so delicious, repeat the learned letters on the way or while doing push-ups and rearrange them in your mind in different orders to consolidate the result).

Below are six successful steps to successfully learn the English alphabet at home:

1. Pay close attention to the pronunciation of English letters - this is very important.
2. Be sure to use videos when learning.
3. Write each letter in cursive and its transcription, listen to audio or video to hear the sound of each letter.
4. Learn letters in order and randomly.
5. Visually imagine each letter in your imagination and for each letter identify one or another object, for example, in your room.
6. Exercise regularly and systematically.

Thus, by simply setting a goal, you can achieve it in a short time by adhering to this technique.

How to learn the English alphabet on video

One of the most effective ways of learning in recent times is the video format. So, the video not only presents sounds and trains pronunciation, but also shows pictures to visually fix the letters of the English alphabet in memory.

The alphabet in the form of songs is an interesting and quick way to learn:

1. Visual representation of each letter with various words for a particular letter and images. Images are remembered by the brain much more effectively than regular cramming:

Pavel Burtovoy

Video designer of the St. Petersburg media channel “First Popular Television”. He is interested in cinema, animation and everything connected with it.

My son has been studying English at school for the second year. I recently discovered that his knowledge in this area is simply terrible. Problems were found even with the alphabet. Something had to be done.

For some reason, the method of memorizing words using double-sided cards did not work in our situation. Probably due to poor knowledge of the alphabet. I’m generally silent about different programs for smartphones: the child’s interest in learning a language is not zero, but rather negative, so that these programs can interest him.

I had to, based on the experience of my predecessors, develop and test my own method. Well, personally manage the learning process.

A little theory

Memorization can be reduced to a cyclical process of three components:

1. Perception.
2. Repetition.
3. Testing.

When we want a child to remember information, the task becomes more complicated: it is not clear how well he perceived it, how many times he repeated it, and testing a student leads to stress and negative emotions in case of a bad result.

Let's look at all three components of the memorization process and how they can be improved.

Perception

For high-quality perception, it is desirable to use as many types of memory as possible: auditory, visual, motor. You can also add a variety such as verbal memory.

Repetition

When repeating material, oddly enough, an effective method turned out to be multiple recordings of what was being studied and their simultaneous pronunciation.

I read about this method in the memoirs of a Soviet intelligence officer. He called this technique the most effective for increasing vocabulary.

The effectiveness of the combination of repeated rewriting of words with their simultaneous pronunciation can be explained by the fact that all possible types of memory are involved in the process.

Rewriting allows you to automate the process and depersonalize it. In addition, recorded words document the fact of repetition and make it possible to find out which material is remembered better and which worse.

Testing

When testing knowledge, it would be good to hide the fact of testing from the child, but leave a reward for successful completion. That is, hide the stick, but stick out the carrot in every possible way.

If confirmed, the cycle of “perception - repetition - testing” is interrupted. If not, repeat. This creates an incentive to learn all the material faster.

At the same time, knowledge is obtained in portions and is tested in portions, and not like this: “Sit down, now I will check how you learned what you were asked today.”

How the method works

Since my son didn’t know the alphabet very well, we started with that. I found the simplest recipes on the Internet, similar to these:

First, I got my son to completely associate the pronunciation of each letter with its spelling: this will be very important in the future. After the alphabet we moved on to words. To do this, I used and continue to use a regular student’s notebook with a line or sheets from such a notebook. In the margins I write the Russian meanings of the words (expressions) that are to be learned.

These words must be written on the appropriate lines. Since each word is new, I allow you to rewrite it from the textbook for the first time. Then the son writes the word as many times as will fit on the line.

At the same time, he not only writes, but also pronounces the word out loud every time.

When finished, the sheet is turned over, and there is a surprise! In the margins are the same Russian words, and with their English counterparts you need to fill in all the lines, but without looking at the textbook.

Three important points:

1. I care about the child, I don’t blame him for his mistakes.
2. If he doesn't remember the spelling, then I spell it (this is where a good knowledge of the alphabet comes in handy).
3. If a child wrote and pronounced a word without prompting the first time, then we have an agreement that he does not repeat it throughout the entire line. Subsequently, the word is removed from the lists. It is considered that it has been learned and the cycle of “perception - repetition - testing” is completed for it.

The process is repeated until all words from the original list have been eliminated. The photo below is about the fourth iteration.

We previously taught our son the alphabet in the same way. I wrote “ey”, “bi”, “si”, “di” and so on in Russian in the margins, and my son filled in the lines with English capital and lowercase letters.

Pros and cons of the method

The method has several strengths. Almost all types of memory are involved: auditory, visual, verbal and motor. Learning is stress-free and the student does not suffer.

The rules of the game are simple and fair. We can say that the method works automatically and the result appears as if by itself. A clear demonstration of the dialectical principle of the transition from quantity to quality. The algorithm is applicable for repeating forgotten material and is easily scalable for different volumes of words.

The method gives the student objective criteria for achieving the goal. There are real incentives to learn everything quickly and go for a walk.

The disadvantages of this method of learning are also obvious: you need a lot of paper and a “supervisor”.

My son learned the spelling and pronunciation of the English names of the days of the week in the evening. The next day I received an A on the test, praise and surprise from the teacher. And this is not the only success.

It was also interesting to observe how the material is, if it is not repeated. First of all, the ability to write without errors disappears, then pronunciation begins to suffer, and last of all, the sound of the word is forgotten. But the ability to recognize it in the text remains for a long time.

I don’t think that the method is ideal, but using the memorization mechanisms described, you can always come up with something of your own.

Consists of 26 letters, of which 6 are vowels and 20 are consonants.

How to quickly memorize the alphabet?

First of all, you need to learn. There are few of them, so they are easier to remember.

In English transcription, the colon sign indicates the longitude of the sound, i.e. it must be pronounced in a drawn-out manner.

Particular attention should be paid to the letter Yy. This letter is often mistaken for a consonant. In fact, it is very easy to remember if you associate it with the letter Ii. In words, these two letters are read the same.

It's easier to remember if you break them down into logical groups:

1. Consonant letters that are similar in appearance to Russian ones and are pronounced the same as them:

Cc		si
Kk		kay
mm		Em
Tt		you

1. Consonants that are similar to Russian, but are pronounced or written differently:

1. Consonants that do not exist in Russian:

Ff		ef
Gg		ji
Hh		HH
Jj		Jay
Qq		Cue
Rr	[ɑː]	A
Vv		in and
Ww	[‘dʌblju:]	double
Zz		zed

It is better to learn the English alphabet in blocks, writing and naming each letter in several lines. This is how three types of memory work at once: auditory, visual and motor.

Once you have done this, perform a series of exercises to consolidate the results.

Exercises:

• Write the letters on a piece of paper from memory, saying each letter out loud. If you don’t remember the name or are at a loss as to which letter is next, you can look at the hint. When you have written a “difficult” letter, underline or circle it and continue further. After writing the entire English alphabet, write out all the underlined letters separately in one row. Repeat them. Write a few more rows of these letters randomly, calling them out loud. When you are sure that you have memorized, start the exercise over again.
• Cut 26 small squares and write letters on them. Place face down on the table. Take each square in turn, saying the letter out loud. Check yourself using the table. Put those letters that you named incorrectly or forgot aside. After working with all the squares, take all the letters set aside and do the same exercise only with them. Repeat several times, each time putting aside only those that are not remembered.

Remember that any work on memorizing something should be structured as follows:

• Learn and set aside.
• Repeat after 15 minutes
• Repeat in an hour
• Repeat the next day
• Repeat in a week.

In this case, the memorized material will be stored in memory forever!

Games for memorizing the English alphabet

If it is possible to involve 2-3 people, then you can diversify the study of the alphabet with games:

• “Spell the word”

Any English text is accepted. Players take turns calling the letters in order, starting with the first word in the text. The one who named incorrectly is eliminated from the game. The winner is the one who remains in the game last.

• "What is missing?"

The presenter chooses from 26 cards with letters 5-10, depending on the age of the group. Players remember letters. After everyone has turned away, the presenter removes one or two letters. Players must guess which letters are missing.

• "Who is faster?"

Each player is dealt the same number of cards; they need to be sorted in alphabetical order as quickly as possible.

• “Find a match”

Participants in the game are given cards with capital letters. On the back of each card is a lowercase letter. 3 minutes are given. During this time, each player must remember and write down a lowercase letter. The one who writes the most letters wins.

• “Continue”

One of the players begins to say the alphabet from the beginning, the leader stops at any letter. Players must pick up where they left off as quickly as possible.

• “Remember Five”

The leader gives each player a letter face down. On command, players turn over the card. You need to write the next 5 letters of the alphabet as quickly as possible. The one who completed the task raises his hand.

Songs

To quickly memorize the alphabet, you can use. The melody for them can be found on the Internet.

Oh, well you see,

Now I know the ABC!

There is another version of this song, the last two lines of which go like this:

Now I know the ABC

Next time won’t you sing with me!

Currently, English textbooks give two options for pronunciation of the letter Rr: [ɑː] and [ɑːr]. In the second option, the second sound is an oversound, that is, it is not pronounced in its pure form, but muffled. Both options are correct.

In English transcription you can find several ways of writing the same sound. This is due to the fact that the rules for writing certain sounds are gradually changing, often towards simplification, for example:

Both sounds are pronounced [e] with the sound [e].

I learned the alphabet, what should I learn next?

After learning the English alphabet, it is advisable to learn the sounds that each letter can convey.

In English, many letters have multiple sounds, depending on the type of syllable and combination with other letters:

Aa	[æ]	her, a (long), e (with a sound I)
Bb	[b]	b
Cc	[s][k]	s,k
Dd	[d]	d
Ee	[e]	uh, and (long)
Ff		f
Gg	[g][s]	g, s
Hh	[h]	X
II	[i] [ə:]	ay, i, e (similar sound)
Jj	[j]	y, j
Kk	[k]	To
Ll	[l]	l
mm	[m]	m
Nn	[n]	n
Oo	[əu][ɔ:][ɔ]	uh, oh (long), oh
Pp	[p]	P
Qq		que
Rr	[r]	a (long), p (similar)
Ss	[s]	With
Tt	[t]	T
Uu	[ə:][ʌ]	yu (long), yo (similar), and
Vv	[v]	V
Ww	[w]	ue (there is no equivalent in Russian)
Xx		ks
Yy	[i]	ah, and
Zz	[z]	h

Then you should move on to mastering the rules of reading. You need to start with the simplest, namely the first and second types of syllables. Having studied

The need to study foreign languages ​​is obvious. Therefore, in recent years, English has become a compulsory lesson in kindergartens. But, despite this, parents themselves can teach their child. And starting with learning the alphabet, use what children like most: songs, games.

At what age can you teach a foreign language?

At 3 years old, the child reaches the age of ‘I want to know everything!’ and this must be used

Lewis Carroll: “The more you learn at once, the less you suffer later.”

Many mothers and fathers wonder at what age it is best to start teaching a child. Psychologists and teachers have come to a consensus that the optimal age for learning a foreign language is 3 years. At this age, the baby already speaks his native language quite well, his speech becomes articulate, divided into phrases and sentences. In addition, from 3 to 5 years old, a child’s memory works most intensively.

Where to start learning the English alphabet?

Early learning should be visual

The difficulty of learning English letters is that most of them have several sounds, unlike Russian. Therefore, the associative method of memorizing sounds (namely, they are necessary for subsequent learning to read) is not suitable in this case. Teacher-methodologists recommend first learning the order of letters, and only then adding memorization of sounds. So, where to start learning letters? Considering his young age, the answer is obvious - with educational games and songs.

Exercise games

You can make cards with the English alphabet yourself

There are several options for interesting exercise games for teaching the alphabet. Moreover, if you wish, you can study not only with your child, but also with his friends.

• "Funny magnets" This is a magnetic board with multi-colored magnet letters, which together with your child you can rearrange or come up with different stories with them. Just keep in mind that you must name the letter every time and ask the baby to repeat its “name”. Magnetic letters can be replaced by those drawn on cards. In this case, it would be better to accompany each letter with a drawing of an object or phenomenon in the name of which it appears.
• Card game. On one side of the cards the letter of the alphabet is written, and on the other - what this letter looks like. It turns out to be a kind of associative series. For example, the letter S looks like a snake, and W looks like a fire-breathing dragon.
• “Who is who’s neighbor?” This game again requires letter cards. The kid must find neighbors to the left and right for a given letter from a shuffled deck.
• "Puzzle". Draw a picture, cut it into pieces and write a letter of the alphabet on each piece. The baby will get used to the order of the letters and will easily remember it, putting together a puzzle with a specific image that he understands.
• "Letter Soup" Write the letter on one side of the card and the word containing it on the other. Put all the cards in a bowl, the child takes out one - this is his dinner. Children perceive such learning very joyfully, especially when they come across frogs or bears.
• "Mysterious Guest" Hide the card with the letter under the book and gradually pull it out - the baby must guess what the letter is before it appears.

Songs

Choose energetic and fun songs

There are two types of songs for learning the English alphabet:

• with a certain melody (such songs require periodic listening to memorize the motive);
• with an improvised melody (such songs can be sung to any suitable motive).

Here are some texts of the second type:

Come and sing along with me

Tell me what you want to be

Now I know my ABCs

This song can be shortened (this option, by the way, is also available with a melody):

H I J K L M N O P

Now I know my ABCs

Next time won't you sing with me.

For those kids who are familiar with numbers, there is a more complex option:

It's as easy as 1 2 3.

Some of the letters rhyme,

We're almost done now

Now I've gone through our ABC's,

Maybe next time you'll say them with me.

As for songs with a certain melody, it is best to use karaoke versions:

How to consolidate the learned material?

If you expect results from your studies, then you need to study regularly

Young children grasp new information very quickly, but just as quickly, without systematic repetition, they forget it. Therefore, it is important to correctly structure the work to consolidate the alphabet. To do this, also put it in the form of a game.

Use educational cartoons. It is better that they are authentic, but for this parents will have to refresh their own knowledge. Children really love animated series in which the characters solve some important issues, for example, learning the alphabet at a school for frogs.

When we start learning a foreign language, we first of all strive for our child to learn to read as soon as possible. Reading is an important element of both foreign and native languages. That is why we want the child to learn to read fluently as quickly as possible. Where do we begin the process of learning to read? Of course, from the alphabet.

First of all, we introduce our child to letters. The child becomes familiar with how they look, are pronounced, and are written. And today we want to talk specifically about the English alphabet; about how best to present it to a child.

Let's learn the alphabet together!

So, we learn a foreign alphabet together with the child, so that it is easy and interesting for him, so that he does not get lost in the world of English letters. Before you start English reading lessons, explain to your child why it is so important to learn to read.

Tell him that the ability to read in a foreign language will allow him in the future to read texts, stories, novels and poems by real English authors. Stimulate your baby's desire to learn something new, encourage and reward him. Show your child the English alphabet, read each letter by pointing to it:

• Aa—
• Bb -
• Cc—
• Dd—
• Ee - [i]
• Ff - [ɛf]
• Gg —
• Hh—
• II—
• Jj -
• Kk -
• Ll - [ɛl]
• mm - [ɛm]
• Nn - [ɛn]
• Oo - [əʊ]
• Pp—
• Qq -
• Rr - [ɑ] or [ɑɹ]
• Ss - [ɛs]
• Tt—
• Uu -
• Vv -
• Ww—
• Xx - [ɛks]
• Yy—
• Zz - ,

If the child is still small, then it is better to master two or three letters in each lesson than to take on the entire alphabet at once. Show your child a few letters, read them, ask him to repeat after you. Then, guiding your baby's hand, help him write these letters. Put them into syllables or short words.

The English alphabet for children should be fun, bright and interesting. Provide each letter with a drawing, illustration, or coloring page depicting an object for that letter. Talk to your child about what is shown in the picture, give a few more examples of words starting with this letter.

Along with the letters, you can learn two or three words with your baby, thus enriching his vocabulary.

Let's learn the alphabet visually!

In addition to illustrations and coloring pages, various videos will help you in learning the alphabet. Let's learn the alphabet with passion! Short video cartoons or video clips will help your child learn the English alphabet, reinforce correct pronunciation, and expand their vocabulary.

Pay attention to the following videos:

« English alphabet for children Educational cartoon"- this video in the form of a cartoon will introduce your child to the English alphabet. The cartoon will help your child learn how to pronounce each letter, as well as the order of letters in the English alphabet. You can watch it with your baby, helping him figure out what's what.

A cute, funny and colorful song about the English alphabet will help your child remember it faster. It’s very exciting both to watch the cartoon and to sing along with its voices.

And again the song. An educational children's cartoon about the English alphabet that can be watched by the whole family. " Sing the English alphabet"- not only a song, but also funny pictures representing English letters. Learning the alphabet with such a cartoon is doubly fun.

The educational video “Funny English Alphabet” is the alphabet in poetic form. The ease lies in the fact that the poems are in Russian, so the baby will understand everything himself. Your child can watch this cartoon on his own.

A well-known cartoon character - Luntik! This cute little guy will help your child master the English alphabet. The ease lies in the fact that the cartoon is in Russian, so the baby will be able to navigate well. A child can watch it many times with pleasure.

The whole family can watch such videos, or you can leave the baby alone in front of the screen, but it is important to keep a close eye on whether he understands everything. From time to time you can go into the room and ask your baby unobtrusive questions. And after watching it, it’s fun to repeat the alphabet!

Let's play with the alphabet!

Everyone knows that a child learns information better through play. Here your imagination and your child’s imagination can express itself in any way you like. The main thing is that the baby has fun and interesting. Provide your child with the alphabet in pictures, cards and tablets with English letters. With the help of such tablets you can add syllables and words.

You can colorfully depict English letters on balloons, then make up words together with your child. You can also cut out letters from colored cardboard, let the baby name the letters, make words or even whole sentences with them. Coloring games will allow your child to find vowels and consonants. Ask your child to color the vowels one color and name them, and the consonants another color and name them as well.

There are all kinds of audio games and alphabet puzzles to help your child navigate the world of English letters and sounds. Games may be different. Include toys, bright books, and coloring books into your games. It will be fun and interesting.

This is how you can learn the English alphabet. There are many ways, the main thing is that the child finds it interesting!