Today, when all kinds of didactic materials are available, children's magnetic alphabet can be called a universal assistant. It remains one of the most accessible manuals, and teaching children in the form of a game will make it easy to remember letters, learn how to add syllables and move on to reading books.
Where to start reading instruction
Sometimes, out of inexperience, parents begin to learn with the child the names of letters, not sounds. Such an approach can significantly complicate further work, because in this case, reading by syllables will resemble an enumeration of the letters themselves: “pe-a-er-o-ha-o-de” (steamer).
Of course, an adult will hurry to explain the differences between letters and sounds, but retraining is always much more difficult than starting from scratch.
Necessity or Supplement
As in any business, the baby must first be interested in - the child himself can completely ignore the set of magnetic alphabet.
For this, you should not often use it in your classes, but it is better to offer it periodically so that the baby has time to get bored and takes part in games with pleasure.
In addition, the child will like it if each time the task is new, because there are many games with letters, which means that even the boring, at first glance, the learning process can be turned into a real journey into the world of ABCs.
Because this is a reusable manual - a necessary addition to other sources for the study of letters - icons, so far incomprehensible to a small person.
What are magnetic ABCs
The choice is limited only by our imagination and wishes. It can be one-, two- or three-color, colorful, soft and even voluminous.
- Small plastic letters are the most common. The figure is about 2-3 cm without unnecessary decorations. Such letters are not distracting and are suitable for children of any age - it will be easier for kids to remember them, and for older preschoolers to come up with many games.
- The paper alphabet in the form of magnetic cards with images is bright and informative. It also depicts animals or objects starting with a particular letter. But this can also be a drawback: a picture is associated with a certain graphic sign, and after that it can be difficult to move away from this image. In addition, it is paper, which means it will be much easier to damage than its plastic counterparts.
- Soft magnets with letters on a white background are convenient, especially if vowels differ in color from consonants. In addition, they do not distract attention, but are suitable for older children - otherwise, they can quickly lose their presentable appearance.
- Large plastic letters are convenient, visual. The main thing is to pay attention to the font, because sometimes some letters are not clearly presented. It is also worth checking the mounting of the magnets.
- A bright multi-colored magnetic alphabet made of durable plexiglass can be one of your favorite toys, thanks to its design. It is waterproof and scratch resistant, which means it is durable. Suitable for those who do not mind the colorful colors.
- Soft magnetic alphabet is nice to hold in your hands. This is not boring plastic, besides it develops the tactile sensations of the baby.
- The ABC of 3D is also very unusual. It is a figurine - it is almost a toy, but carrying information about letters. The downside, as in the case of paper alphabet, can be a stable association with a particular word.
Benefits of Magnet Letters
The advantages of magnetic alphabet for children are obvious. It meets modern requirements for teaching aids, due to its integrated effect on the child. With its help it is possible not only to learn letters in a playful way and learn to read, but also to improve memory, develop attention and perseverance, as well as fine motor skills of a child.
In addition, the magnetic alphabet is convenient to use at home and on the road: a flat box will not take up much space, the letters will not crumble if they are fixed on a magnetic surface, which is often offered in the kit.
Learning letters using the magnetic alphabet
The sound method of teaching reading is traditional. It is used in many schools, and also develops the phonetic ear of a child.
It is better to start with the study of vowels - A, O, U, I, S. After that, learn some simple and common consonants (B, C, M, N, P) and gradually supplement the baby’s knowledge.
As you study the sounds, you can begin to introduce the child to their graphic image - a letter. For younger preschoolers it is very important to be able to not only see the letter, but also touch it, hold it in your hands. This is where the magnetic alphabet comes to the rescue, the feedback on the learning outcomes of which speaks for itself. Moreover, with such a variety, you can certainly choose the right material with which classes will be a joy.
Letter Games
There are a huge number of games with the letters of the magnetic alphabet. We will tell a little more about some of them.
- "Fishing". It will be interesting for kids to play fishing, only instead of fish we will have letters. “Caught a fish”, called it and came up with the word. Perhaps at the very beginning the child will name the one in which the letter is clearly audible in the middle or even at the end of the word, but this is only an additional reason to discuss the location of this or that letter.
- "Turning words." In this game, a child can become almost a wizard, turning words into different ones by changing only one letter. It is better to start with the simplest words of three letters (onion-varnish, soup-bough, tooth-cube), gradually complicating (cow-crown).
- "Search for the shadow." On the sheet of paper we outline the contours of the letters, and the child finds and applies the right one.
- "The letters are reversed." There are words in which letters can change places, turning it into others (forest - villages, hair - a word). It is also important here to start with simpler options.
- "Runaway letter." In this game, it is enough to remove one letter from the original word, as it turns into a completely different letter (wolf-ox, thunder-rose, Kolya - Olya).
- "Runaway syllable." This game resembles the previous one. The only difference is that instead of the letter "a syllable" or even two is lost (a pie - a horn, a box - a barrel, a drum - a ram).
- The Secret Pouch. Kids love surprises - this moment can also be used in learning the alphabet. For the game we need letters and an opaque bag, in which we need to put all the studied. The child selects any of them and tries to identify and name without looking. You can complicate the task - come up with a word for this letter.
Of course, the use of magnetic alphabet is not limited to the proposed games. The functionality of this manual is much wider, in addition, it can be used in the classroom with a child both at home and in kindergartens.