Wild and Crazy Ways to Teach the Alphabet to Kindergarten

Do you have a student with a mischievous glint in his eye and a sixth sense for finding adventure? While it’s more work to grab the attention of a kid like this, you can do it! Try some of these wild and crazy ways to teach the alphabet to kindergarten students who love action.

Active kids need active ways to learn. If you have a child who is almost always moving, all the energy might drive you crazy but chances are good they are super smart and eager to learn and just need a little direction. Movement can help! Find active teaching methods that play to that love of adventure. Play games. Build. Take advantage of all that energy and give it a direction and purpose. 

Is your child in preschool? You can use all of these different ways to teach the alphabet to preschoolers too. Learning with movement works for kids of all ages. Wild and crazy kids can learn. They just need wild and crazy teaching methods sometimes. Take heart mama. Later in life, these kids will settle down a bit but all that mental energy will be put to incredible purpose when they are grown. 

Kids can Learn the Alphabet While Jumping

One of my favorite ways to encourage learning with active kids is a trampoline. If you aren’t in an RV full time, and you have room, you can get a little personal mini-trampoline (also called a rebounder) to keep indoors all year long. Kids can jump as they listen to you read, or as they memorize math facts and Bible verses. Jumping helps kinesthetic learners focus better because their bodies have something to do. While they are jumping, they are also building core strength and overall muscle tone so this is a win-win. Plus movement lights up the brain and primes the neural pathways for learning. Exercise is so good for our kids!

Since we are talking about ways to teach the alphabet to kindergarten kids, have large alphabet flashcards and let your child identify the letters as they jump. Only introduce one new letter at a time, but keep reviewing the letters that have already been learned. 

Learning the Alphabet While Building

The clicking of bricks and movement of little hands might be annoying to you but for kids who need rich sensory input as they listen and learn it can be a lifesaver. Any building toy like LEGO Duplo bricks, magnet tiles, blocks, or snap cubes can provide the sensory stimuli your student needs to keep the brain engaged. Certain kids crave sensory feedback and can’t focus on anything unless that need is being met. Use bricks to build the letters, create the alphabet from pattern blocks, or label your blocks with different letters and build a tower as you name each one.

Any building toy can be used for alphabet play. Attach stickers to label each toy with a letter of the alphabet. Use the labeled toys to play matching games and pair the uppercase letter with its lowercase friend.

Use Your Bodies to Form the Alphabet

YMCA anyone? Seriously, large muscle movement is great for learning and development. Encourage your student to make the letter you are studying with his body. Options include whole-body poses like the YMCA song, but you can also trace the letters in the air, have multiple kids lay on the ground in the correct formation to make the letter, or use marching band formation if you have enough kids.

Playing Games is one of the Ways to Teach the Alphabet to Kindergarten Kids

Alphabet letter cards can be placed on chairs for an ABC version of musical chairs. Almost any common childhood game can be modified slightly with alphabet flashcards or manipulatives to review the letter shapes. Simon says could include “point to the letter A” etc. What time is it Mr. Fox could be switched to “which letter is it” while the fox shows letters on a flashcard. Enlist your big kids for help so you have more than one or two players. Hopscotch can use the letters of the alphabet now and later, site words. 

You weren’t expecting this one. Leopard Gnomes Alphabet Book.

If you need more ways to teach the alphabet to kindergarten students, try some of our free printables! The Leopard Gnomes Alphabet printable is fun and just a little wild! Kids will get a kick out of the zany graphics and it just might inspire them to do a bit of seatwork. Each page has letters to trace and build plus fun illustrations to make kids smile. 

Are you looking for more alphabet worksheets?

Apples to Zebras. A complete ABC worksheet set for preschool and kindergarten featuring letter tracing, puzzles, and more! This complete curriculum includes 680 pages of alphabet work including lesson plans and hands-on activities for active kids.

Download your own Leopard Gnomes Alphabet Book

The Leopard Gnomes Alphabet printable is fun and just a little wild! Kids will get a kick out of the zany graphics and it just might inspire them to do a bit of seatwork. Each page has letters to trace and build plus fun illustrations to make kids smile.

To download the Leopard Gnomes Alphabet Book, simply add it to your cart and then checkout. **Upon checkout, you will be added to my Weekly Newsletter list.**