“There is another alphabet, whispering from every leaf, singing from every river, shimmering from every sky.”

—Dejan Stojanovic

Knowing the alphabet is the first step for children to learn English vocabulary and spelling. Learning the alphabet goes beyond memorizing each consonant and vowel. Children need to be able to recognize letters, sound them out, know how vowels and consonants work, and understand the rules associated with each letter. Children also need to be able to understand the relationship between pairing certain letters and how this impacts pronunciation and spelling. The best way to teach young language learners the English alphabet is to make it fun, engaging, and relatable. The websites and apps below make learning the alphabet engaging and interactive. Children are encouraged to learn by reading, listening, practicing, spelling, and pronouncing.  

Fun ABC Websites

Alphabetimals is one of the best websites and apps (iOS, Android) for children to have fun learning the alphabet. The Animal Alphabet Dictionary lets children click on animal-disguised letters to hear the sound. Children spell their names with the Name Typer tool, which spells their names with alphabetimals and allows printing for T-shirts and stickers. Children will also enjoy the videos and engaging apps. Check out EduBuncee’s Alphabet Treasure Hunt. Children match stickers that begin with the letter show. Monster Mansion Alphabet Match is a game where children match letter sounds to beginning word sounds. Young learners click on the windows of the Monster Mansion to see the friendly monsters and match the letters to the appropriate words. All letters and words are sounded out. Find several ABC games children will enjoy playing on Turtle Diary, Education.com, and Learning Games for Kids. Starfall has animated games, songs, and stories for children to learn the alphabet.

Recommended Free Apps

ABC Alphabet Phonics (iOS) – Children learn the alphabet through sight, sound, and touch. Awesome features include a self-recording tool, a photo-taking tool, realistic photos, and dynamic game play. Kids Picture Dictionary: Learn English A–Z Words (iOS) – This picture dictionary has over 600 words and sentences for each letter. Parents and children can record themselves repeating the phrases for each letter. Alphabet Picture Dictionary (iOS) – This picture dictionary has over 500 words sounded aloud with realistic pictures. My First Alphabet for Preschooler (iOS) – This app is made by the same company as the Alphabet Picture Dictionary. Children learn to read and write the English alphabet. Feed the Animals with Alphabet, Tracing & Spelling (iOS) – Children learn the alphabet by playing nine fun animal games. Kids ABC Games: Toddler Girls & Boys Learning Free (iOS/Android) – Children learn the alphabet with four puzzle games set in an animated aquarium. 

How do you make learning the alphabet fun for your young language learners?

Find more of Shelly’s tips for online resources on this blog!

Related Resources

• Alphabet Flashcards
• Alphabet Chart
• The Phonetic Spelling Alphabet
• How to Use Capital Letters
• What’s Your Name?

Young Learners & Literacy

Did you notice that ESL Library is gradually adding materials for teaching young learners and absolute beginners? Check out the Word Bank section and watch for more YL lesson sections coming soon!