ABC's on the Refrigerator

Plastic letters,

wooden letters,

letters on the refrigerator,

letters in the mouth

letters on the floor,

letters under foot,

letters in the stroller,

letters in the bed,

and letters flying across the room.

Magnetic letters, on the refrigerator, are a very important step in getting children familiar with them in a friendly, fun way.  I put up the lowercase  letters.  Why do you ask?  Well, look at look at the writing you are reading, mainly lowercase letters.  As soon as the first grandchild was born (or maybe a few weeks before), letters were on the refrigerator.  The first time they came to my house, in my arms, they were introduced to the letters.  When the granddaughters were old enough to pull themselves up, they went straight for the colorful wooden letters on the refrigerator.  They explored them by putting them in their mouths, throwing them across the room, and handing them to me.  I would put them back on the refrigerator, only to have the ritual repeated.  While placing them on the refrigerator, I would say the name of each letter.  Then, I would sing the alphabet song.  Also, I would have an alphabet book close by, to quickly read as many pages as their young attention spans would allow.  My grandson is now partaking in the abc ritual.  Letters on the refrigerator should not act as a pretty decoration, they should get used to encourage letter exploration.  There is no sweeter sound than hearing a two year old scream, "I need my ABC's!", while racing to the refrigerator.  As well as your four year old explain,  "The letter c is in my name."


Weekly, at Grandma's, my grandkids are encouraged to explore and play with letters even if it means tossing them across the room.

Note the teeth marks, and the worn edges from getting thrown to the floor.  Oh yes, and lots of finger prints on the refrigerator.  I consider them badges of honor on the road to reading.