Teaching 3 Yr Old Abc's/numbers

There is a video from Leap Frog called The Letter Factory which goes through the whole alphabet and relates each letter to a room and activity. My kids love this movie and it has helped them learn their ABC's. And I also would suggest the fridge phonics as the kids love to be in the kitchen when I cook to which we then play with the letters and sing the song. Also just singing the ABC's helps them learn.

I highly recommend "Fridge Phonics" by LeapFrog. (http://www.leapfrog.com/en/fridge_phonics/fridgephonics.html) It's a base unit with magnetic letters that helps teach their kids the ABC's. You put the letter on the base and once you press it, it sings a catchy song that tells the child what the letter is and what sounds it makes... my 26 month old got it at Christmas and knew his ABC's by the end of January... (Just a note- the front of our fridge isn't magnetic, but we use it on a dual sided easel we have by "Step 2"- one is magnetic. This was awesome as it's portable...)

Another thing he got that helped practice was a wooden puzzle of the ABC's (the one he has is part of a 5 puzzle set in a rack by "Parents" that is sold at Target. (http://www.target.com/Parents-Puzzle-Rack-with-Puzzles/dp.... He loves to dump the letters off and put them all back on... great way to reinforce it!

Good luck!

Preschool is meant to teach her these things. You don't need to worry about her knowing certain things before she starts preschool.

She will naturally learn ABC's, colors, shapes, etc...through games and toys you play with together. Have fun!! I wouldn't sit down and try to teach her with flash cards or have any other specific "teaching sessions".

Let her learn through playing. Do puzzles together that have shapes, letters, colors and talk about the puzzle while you put it together. Get magnets for the fridge. You can start with spelling her name.

You've gotten some good ideas and I am sure that you will get more. I'm just going to advise you not to worry about it too much. Keep it light and fun :) I have a Master's degree in reading and taught kindergarten for many years. Many children start kindergarten without really knowing their letters/sounds and leave reading. Those who came to kindergarten knowing all their letters and sounds were not necessarily the strongest readers at the end of the year. I have a 3 year old daughter who goes to preschool 2 mornings a week and I know that she is being introduced to letters, but she certainly doesn't know them all. I don't try to "teach" her anything at home other than pointing letters out or answering her questions about letters/sounds...I know it will come. Please don't stress about it :)

I would not worry about her needing to know her ABCs before preschool. My son started preschool at 3 also... He knew MOST of the ABC song and could recognize quite a few by looking at them. But, preschool is meant to help with things like ABCs and colors and numbers. Don't be stressed if your child knows them all or not. Just keep the learning fun and sing the ABC song with her as much as you want. Another fun thing is to get her a Leap Frog Fridge Phonics toy... They're really cute and teach the ABCs while singing a song. Good luck! She'll learn them eventually!

I second the recommendation for keyboard-o-rama on sesamestreet..org. We also look at the Fisher Price ABC Zoo game on their website that has the ABCs and animal sounds at the same time. Target has foam letter and numbers in the bath section to take in the tub (we stick them on the wall and on body parts for a laugh). All the Leapfrog products are excellent. She will learn the letters just by hearing them over and over, no worries.