ABC song

Singing the ABC song is a fantastic way to start teaching your child the alphabet. It’s also lots of fun. As children sing their ABCs they’ll be learning the names of the letters of the alphabet. This is an important foundation for developing further alphabetic knowledge, for example the ability to recognise the shape of different letters, and to associate letters with the sounds they make.

ABC song activities

Doing ABC Song activities while you sing, will further help your child learn to recognise the shape of letters, and associated corresponding letter names and shapes. Why not try:

• Alphabet song activities;
• Pointing to carriages on the animal alphabet train as you sing;
• Having a set of alphabet flashcards on hand so you can look at and discuss the letters you are singing.

When to start singing the ABC song

It’s never too early to start singing the ABC song with your child. The earlier you start singing, the earlier your child will start learning about letters and their names. Babies will enjoy hearing you sing the song to them. Toddlers who are rapidly expanding their vocabulary will be ready to start participating, even though they’ll probably need you to sing along with them so they remember the lyrics. Pre-schoolers are likely to sing the ABC song all on their own.

Lyrics

A b c d e f g,

H i j k l m n o p,

Q r s,

T u v,

W x y and z,

Now I know my a b c, next time won’t you sing with me.

For more information about teaching children the alphabet see Learning the Alphabet.

References

1. Felton R. Teacher letter-sound association. Arizona Department of Education. 2011. (Cited 23 June 2014). Available from: (URL Link)
2. Virginia Early Childhood Development Alignment Program. Milestones of child development- A guide to young children’s learning and development from birth to kindergarten. 2009. (cited 26 July 2013). Available from: (URL Link)