Fun Ways to Teach Toddlers the ABCs

by Nicholas Russo

Learning the ABCs is one of the first big milestones of the preschool years. Most kids learn letters the same way they learn everything else at this age: through play, repetition and a lot of silliness. Here are easy ways to make the alphabet fun at home, plus a learning app that turns letters into a game.

6 fun ways to teach toddlers the ABCs

  1. Start with their name. The letters in a child's own name matter most to them. Point them out on signs, cereal boxes and books.
  2. Connect letters to things they love. "B is for ball!" A letter sticks better when it's tied to a favorite toy, food or animal.
  3. Sing it in different ways. Sing the ABC song fast, slow, whispering, or in a silly voice. Then pause and let your child fill in the next letter.
  4. Go on a letter hunt. Pick a "letter of the day" and find things around the house that start with it.
  5. Make it hands-on. Build letters with blocks, play dough or sticks at the park.
  6. Keep it short. Five fun minutes beats twenty frustrating ones. Stop while they're still having fun.

Learning letters with the Munchie Giraffe app

The ABC section of the Munchie Giraffe app lets kids tap a letter to see a picture and hear the word: A is for Apple, B is for Bird, C is for Car, all the way to Z. Each letter has its own picture and spoken word, so pre-readers can play on their own.

When they're ready for more, the ABC matching game lets them practice what they've learned, and the letter tracing activity helps them start writing uppercase and lowercase letters. (Read more in our post on letter tracing for preschoolers.)

Tip: after playing, take the game offline. If the app said "B is for Bird," go look for birds on your next walk.

About the Munchie Giraffe app

The Munchie Giraffe learning app is made for kids ages 2–6 by the dad who created Munchie for his own son. It includes ABCs, letter tracing, English–Spanish words, memory match, puzzles, coloring and narrated read-along storybooks.

  • No ads and no tracking.
  • Free to download. Some activities are free to play, and a one-time in-app purchase unlocks everything.

Available for iPhone, iPad and Android:

Looking for screen-free fun too? Try our free activities for toddlers and preschoolers and the Munchie Giraffe picture books.

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