Alphabet activities: Videos and websites that teach ABCs

November 10, 5:55 AMEarly Childhood Educational Activities ExaminerStarr Weems de Graffenried

Preschool Prep Series DVDs
S.W. de Graffenried

Most parents and experts agree that screen time for children should be limited in order to allow kids to explore imaginative play and healthy physical activity. If children have been allotted screen time, it is important that caregivers and educators carefully select quality audiovisual materials to make the most of that limited time. Replacing SpongeBob SquarePants with educational programming isn't about turning children into baby geniuses or substituting technology for parental interaction. Wise screen-time choices are about selecting resources that reinforce what you are already teaching your child at home.

The Alphabet activities series has brought you dozens of hands-on activities that you can do to teach your child early reading skills. Today we will look at three audiovisual programs that can help reinforce those lessons.

Preschool Prep Company

The Preschool Prep Series helps children with upper and lowercase letter recognition, sight words, numbers, shapes and colors in both English and Spanish.

Meet the Letters helps kids remember their letters through repetition and connecting letter shapes to memorable graphics such as C-shaped clouds and T-shaped trees. A 2004 study of 50 babies and toddlers showed that 90% of the study participants had mastered both upper and lowercase letters after a few weeks of watching the program.

The series is labeled as appropriate for ages 15 months to 6 years and is especially suited for very young children who do not require a storyline for entertainment. The vivid colors, varying intonation and interesting graphics will hold a young child's attention while she soaks up the information.