Developed by the early childhood experts at Scholastic Parent & Child and Fisher-Price.

A visual learner tends to love drawing and painting, bright colors and beautiful picture books. He may enjoy sorting objects, stacking blocks, and looking at people more than talking to them. Show him how to do something, and it's likely that he'll soon be able to do it all by himself. He uses his eyes to match and compare the letter shapes in his alphabet books, on his alphabet blocks, on signs and labels — and often can recall what he has seen. He loves watching you — that's usually how he learns. Even though visual learners have strong visual skills, they can benefit from auditory and tactile stimulation.

Skills: letter and letter/sound recognition, observation skills, problem solving

Invisible Writing

In this game you each take turns writing a letter in the air with a finger and guessing what it is. Or you can write the letters on each other's back. Or play in the dark and write the letter on the ceiling or wall using a flashlight!

Vanishing Letters

With a small, wet sponge, write a letter on a blackboard. Ask your child to identify the letter quickly, before it disappears! Once your child knows the letter, see if she can write it herself.

Once your child can quickly identify all the letters of the alphabet, try this variation: Ask her to say the letter aloud once in her normal voice, then more and more softly as the letter begins to fade away.

Developed by the early childhood experts at Scholastic Parent & Child and Fisher-Price.

An auditory learner loves repetition and rhyme — so sing the ABC song with her. She has probably memorized many song lyrics and nursery rhymes and can recite books you've read to her word for word — some people think she can read! She enjoys the sound of your voice (especially when you read or sing to her), the sound of her own voice (she tends to talk a lot), and all kinds of music. Watch what you say, she usually remembers everything!

Even though auditory learners have strong listening skills, they can benefit from visual and tactile stimulation.

Skills: letter and letter/sound recognition, word recognition, gross- and fine-motor skills

Have Fun With the ABC Song

With a few small additions, you can turn the ABC song into a new multi-sensory learning experience for your child.

Singing the ABC song is how many children discover the alphabet. They love reciting it again and again and feel so proud once they can sing it perfectly.

Try these playful multi-sensory ideas to help your child learn more about language and sharpen his listening skills.

Add Rhythm

As your child sings the ABC song, show him how to clap or tap his feet to the beat. Or make it a more musical experience by providing a simple instrument that he can play as he sings, keeping time to the beat. Try wrist (or ankle) bells. Other instruments that don't require highly coordinated hand movements: a triangle, a tambourine, and a toy drum.

Show your child that even everyday objects can make appealing rhythmic sounds: striking blocks and boxes with sticks or shaking plastic bottles filled with buttons, bells, or pebbles.

Rhythm and movement provide auditory and kinesthetic cues to help your child remember the order of the letters in the song.

Try Different Voices

Encourage your child to use different tones and voices while singing the ABC song. Can he whisper it? Shout it out? Sing it in a very high, then a very low, voice? Maybe he could try the voice of a quacking duck, a teeny mouse, or a growling dog. Make him smile by singing it to him in your silliest voice. Take turns trying out silly singing voices.

Your child might like trying to sing the song very, very slowly, then faster and faster.

Vocal versatility offers excellent auditory and linguistic practice in the skills that support early reading development. As your child learns to listen to and make a variety of sounds, he is using skills needed to hear the difference between some of the most confusing letters — B, D, P, and T!

Dance to the Beat

Invite your child to dance around the room as she sings the ABC song. Give her props to inspire her movements, such as streamers, a long scarf, or a big square of flowing fabric. Could she dance like a ballerina on her toes? She can march to the beat like a soldier or click-clack like a tap dancer.

Look and Sing

As your child sings, point to the letters on an alphabet chart or to letter tiles so she can make the connection between what letters look and sound like.

Have a Duet

Sing the ABC song and stop at any point and ask your child to fill in the missing letter. Encourage her to find the missing letter on an alphabet chart or among letter tiles.

Play Musical Letters

Place a set of large alphabet cards in a circle, going from A to Z. As your child sings each letter she can step on the appropriate card. She can sing it slowly at first and then faster and faster.

Or you can sing the song and stop at one point and say “Freeze!” Now she has to name the card on which she is standing.

Make a Movie

Videotape your child as she is singing and dancing to the song and play it back for her. She'll enjoy listening to her own voice and looking at her movements.

Put On a Show

Your child might enjoy hearing her favorite hand puppet sing and dance to the ABC song. Or you can make a simple marionette by tying ribbons onto the hands of a small stuffed animal.

Developed by the early childhood experts at Scholastic Parent & Child and Fisher-Price.

You'll often find a tactile learner in the sandbox, building a fort. He usually likes to construct things and tear them down or break them apart just to see how they work. Touchable toys are his favorites, so he'll learn his alphabet by picking up alphabet tiles, tracing letters with a finger, and getting the feel of them. He learns by imitating — so watch what you do! Although a tactile learner may be more adept at learning by touching, doing and moving, he can sharpen his auditory and visual skills with multi-sensory activities.

Shape n' Bake ABCs

Your child will learn about letters and letter shapes when you make easy ABC bread snacks together.

All the senses come into play when you make bread letters with your child. She'll be helping you measure and mix the ingredients, knead the dough, and form the letters, perhaps copying them from a letter chart or letter tiles. While she's enjoying herself, she will also be taking in the delicious aromas that surround her and, when they come out of the oven, finally tasting the yummy results. Say the letters aloud as you shape the dough and you have created a complete sensory experience for your child.

What your child can do:

• Help you measure, pour, and mix the ingredients.
• Test the yeast with a finger to see if it's soft.
• Sprinkle flour onto the board and knead the dough.
• Decide what letters shapes to make.
• Help you shape the dough into letters, using letter tiles or an alphabet chart as a guide if needed.
• Peek at the dough periodically to see how it's rising.

Developed by the early childhood experts at Scholastic Parent & Child and Fisher-Price.

By incorporating sight, sound, and touch, the multi-sensory approach is right for all learning styles. Whether your child is a visual, auditory, or tactile learner, multi-sensory stimulation will build on his strengths and strengthen his weaknesses. And because multi-sensory techniques call for plenty of action and interaction, it's the perfect approach for active preschoolers who enjoy learning by doing. Plus multi-sensory learning is so much like play, it's always fun!

Developed by the early childhood experts at Scholastic Parent & Child and Fisher-Price.

Beautiful babies bounce balls — if your child heard those words, could she tell you that they begin with the letter B? Understanding that letters have sounds is an essential step every child must take on the road to becoming a successful reader and writer. The multi-sensory activities that follow will help open your child's ears to the sounds letters make. An auditory learner might be more adept at distinguishing between letter sounds, but even visual and tactile learners can learn to listen and listen to learn.

Multi-Sensory I Spy

Here's a favorite game with a fun twist designed to teach letter sounds.

Using sight, sound, and touch, your child will learn more about letters, particularly letter sounds, with this version of I Spy. Included are different levels of complexity and a few variations so that you can create a game that suits your child to a T.

Let's Play:

Your child listens to your directions and searches for an object that begins with the letter sound you make.

Level 1:

For children 3 and under, keep the game very visual and concrete. Also, the object he is searching for should be close by so that he can make the connection easily. You want your child to succeed and have a sense of accomplishment.

Begin by displaying a tray of four or five objects — such as a pen, a top, a marshmallow, a key. Say the intial consonant sound: P-P-P-P-pen, T-T-T-T-top, M-M-M-M-marshmallow, K-K-K-K-key. Choose initial consonant sounds only (no initial vowel sounds at this level) that are not blended (no “sh” as in “shoes”).

Now say, “I spy with my little eye something in the tray that starts with P-P-P-P.” Your child finds the pen, picks it up and says, “Pen!”

Variations: You can spy objects in an illustration from a picture book. Once your child chooses the right object, such as the pen, he can find the P tile, and roll it to hear the P sound.

Level 2:

This next level would expand the complexity and field of vision — to the wall, for example, or the floor. You would say, “I spy with my little eye something that is on the floor that starts with R-R-R-R” (a rug).

You can then move to an even broader field such as “something in the room,” or “in the house.” You can even play the game outside in your backyard or in the park.

By slowly expanding the field, you take the child from the concrete experience to greater and greater levels of abstraction and, at the same time, you are inviting her to apply the letter sounds to her world.

Tip: If at any point your child is having difficulty, you can add clues. For example, “I spy with my little eye something on the floor that starts with P-P-P-P and you can write with it.” Once your child gets better at the game, you simply take away the clues.

Go Sound Shopping

Your child will learn letter sounds and much more when he creates his very own supermarket-shopping list.

You'll need supermarket circulars and food advertisements from magazines, children's scissors, glue, and a long sheet of paper. Show your child the materials and explain that you will be creating a pretend grocery-shopping list together.

To begin, choose two letters that have very different sounds, such as M and D. Divide the paper into two columns and write M on top of one column and D on top of the other (both in upper- and lowercase). Invite your child to help you search the circulars and advertisements for food items that begin with the letter sounds M and D. Help him in his search by reading aloud the words in the ads, exaggerating the initial letter sounds: “Yes, that's pizza you see! P-P-P-P-pizza! Does pizza begin with an M or D sound?” He will use his sense of sight to identify items and may even recognize some words.

Once he finds an item (“Yes! M-M-M-M-milk begins with the M sound!”), help your child cut out the picture (include the name of the item) and glue it onto his shopping list in the correct column.

Variations:

• Take the grocery-shopping list to the supermarket, encouraging your child to try to find the food items on his list. As he sees the relationship between the written list and the real objects, your child is making an important letter/sound connection and also experiencing the usefulness of reading.
• An older child can use markers to write the names of the M and D items on the list rather than cutting out and gluing the pictures to his list.
• You can play the same game using toy store catalogs, asking your child to make a shopping list of toys he likes that begin with two or three letter sounds you have chosen.

Developed by the early childhood experts at Scholastic Parent & Child and Fisher-Price.

Download and print out the game board. This file is in PDF format. To open this file, you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader software. If you do not have this software already installed, you can download it free.

These fun-filled games and activities use the power of sight, sound, and touch to teach the alphabet.

Color It Bright!

You'll need: art materials

Your child might like to color the board using crayons, scented markers, or colored pencils.

Trace the Letters

You'll need: sheet protector or clear contact paper

Put the game board in a sheet protector or cover it with clear contact paper — it's now a reusable wipe-off board. Your child can trace the game board letters using a crayon — then wipe them off and start again!

Make an Alphabet Book

You'll need: the game board cut into 26 squares

Glue each square onto a separate page of a small sketchbook. Your child could then glue pictures clipped from magazines and catalogs or draw objects that start with that letter onto the appropriate letter page.

Alpha-Land

You'll need: game pieces (such as jelly beans), and one die

Each player takes turns rolling the die and moving his game piece as many squares as the number thrown, going from A to Z. A five would land on the E square, for example. The player then says the letter and the object: E as in Egg. To add difficulty, the player should say another word that begins with the letter he lands on, such as E as in Elephant.

Concentration Squares

You'll need: two copies of the game board cut into 26 letter squares

Choose five pairs of letter squares (two squares for each letter) and place them face down on a table or the floor. Take turns turning over two squares. If the letter squares don't match, the player turns them face down again. If the letter squares match, the player takes those squares and puts them in his pile. Continue to play until you have matched all the letter squares.

ABC Charades

You'll need: one copy of the game board cut into 26 letter squares (or you can use alphabet letter tiles)

Place the letter squares or the alphabet tiles face down in a shirt-box top. Players take turns choosing a letter. The player forms the letter he has chosen using his hands, his fingers, and/or his body. The other player or players then guess what that letter is.

It isn't at all difficult, once you show your child how it's done. For example: Lay on the floor with your arms and legs spread out for an X. Curve your fingers and thumb into a C. Use your imagination and have fun!

Now try this!

Make the ABCs AROUND THE HOUSE game multi-sensory by asking your child to find each of the objects shown on the game board and described in the riddles. Once you find the object, say the letter and the name of the object aloud ("B is for Bubble") then the letter sound (Buh-buh-buh). Now explore the object together, using sight, sound, touch — and sometimes taste!

Here are some tips on how to explore the objects the multi-sensory way.

A is for Apple

Ask your child to describe the apple's shape and how it feels in her hand. Does it feel round and smooth? What color is it on the outside? When she takes a bite, what does she hear? Listen for the crunch. What color is the apple on the inside?

B is for Bubble

Blow bubbles together. Ask your child to describe the bubbles. Are they smooth, shiny and round? Can he see through the bubbles? Do the bubbles float up? When he pokes a bubble with a finger, what happens? If he stays very still, one may land on his hand. How does it feel?

C is for Cup

Give your child a cup of water. Is the cup hard, smooth and round? What color is it on the outside? Is the color on the inside the same? Can she see through the water? When she touches the water with a finger how does it feel? How does the water taste and feel in her mouth? Ask her to pour out the water and listen for the sound.

D is for Desk

Invite your child to touch a desk. Is it hard? Is it rough? If he knocks on the desk does it make a sound? Does it make a different sound if he taps it with a pencil? What is the color and shape of the desk? Ask him to draw the shape in the air with a finger.

E is for Eggs

Ask your child to gently hold an egg in her hand. Does it feel smooth and hard? Is it cold? What is the shape and color of the egg's shell? Let her crack the egg into a bowl, and listen for the sound it makes. What color is the inside of the egg? When you touch the yolk, how does it feel? Sticky and slimy?

F is for Feather

Have fun with a feather. Place it in the palm of your child's hand and let him see what happens when he blows on it — gently at first and then harder. Does it float down? Yes! Does it make a sound? Ask him to close his eyes. Now touch his neck with the feather. Where did it tickle? Let him touch his arms, legs, feet and face with the feather. Where does it tickle the most? Does the feather look as soft as it feels?

G is for Gate

Can you find a gate? If not, ask your child to describe a gate. What does it look like? Is it hard? What color is it? Does it make a noise when you open and shut it? Can he make the same noise? Squeak!

H is for Hug

Give your child a big hug. Do your arms feel soft and warm? Does a hug make her feel happy? Now let her hug you. Squeeze hard! Harder! Are hugs fun? Are they nice to give and to get?

I is for Ice

Let your child touch an ice cube. Is it hard and cold? Does an ice cube have a color? Now put the ice cube on a table and watch what happens. Is it melting little by little? Is the small puddle wet and cold? Give your child a cup of juice to taste. Now put an ice cube into the cup. Will the ice cube make the juice colder? Wait and see.

J is for Jam

Give your child a spoonful of jam. What color is the jam? Ask him to touch the jam with the tip of his tongue. How does it feel and taste? Is it soft and sweet? How does it smell? Let him taste a little. Does it make a sound in his mouth? Now he can spread the jam on a piece of toast or a cracker. When he takes a bite, does hear a sound?

K is for Keys

Do keys make a sound when you hold them tightly? How about when you shake them? Ask your child to shake the keys gently then harder. Was one sound soft and the other louder? Are the keys hard or soft? Are they shiny? What are keys used for? Do they open the door to the house, to the car? Play some music or sing a song together, shaking the keys to the beat.

L is for Lemon

Ask your child to hold a lemon in his hand and tell you how it feels. Is it a little bumpy? A little soft? Does he like the way it smells? Now slice the lemon in half. Does it smell the same inside? Is it the same color inside and outside? Let him touch the inside of the lemon with his tongue. How does it taste? A lemon smells sweet, doesn't it? But does it taste sweet? Now make sweet lemonade from a sour lemon.

M is for Mirror

Sit your child on your lap and look into a mirror together. Is the mirror very shiny? Make funny faces, sad and happy faces. Laugh and growl. Now touch the mirror. Is it hard and smooth? Gently tap the mirror. Does it make a sound?

N is for Necklace

Give your child a necklace to hold. Ask her to describe how it looks and feels. Is it hard? Shiny? What color is it? Does it make a sound if she shakes it gently? Would she like to put it on? How does it feel around her neck? You might make a necklace together, stringing beads or pasta.

O is for Oatmeal

Ask your child to shake a container of oatmeal and listen to the soft sound it makes. Now pour a little into a bowl. Did it make a sound? Ask your child describe how it looks and feels. Now make oatmeal together so she can describe how it looks, then how it tastes and feels in her mouth. Is it smooth or lumpy?

P is for Pillow

Have your child hug a pillow. Does it feel nice and soft? Ask her to fluff it up. Does it puff up a little? Now find another pillow. Is one pillow softer? Test how pillows sound when you thump them.

Q is for Quilt

Can your child find a quilt? If not, find a picture of one. Does she see many colors and shapes in the quilt? Can she trace the patterns and shapes on the quilt with a finger? How does it feel when she touches it? Cuddles up in it? Does it make her feel warm and cozy?

R is for Rug

Invite your child to take off his shoes and walk on a rug. Does he like the way it feels? What sound does he hear when he jumps up and down? Is it a soft thump, thump? Let him touch it with his hands and describe how it feels. Is there a pattern in the rug he can trace with a finger? Can he name the colors in the rug?

S is for Sink

What color is the kitchen sink? Is it shiny? Ask your child to tap the sink and make a sound. If she taps it with a spoon is the sound different? Turn on the faucet and listen to the sound as the sink fills up with water. Can she make a splashing sound with the water? Can she see through the water? Now look and listen as the water goes down the drain.

T is for Telephone

Sit down together and take a close look at your telephone. Ask your child what he sees. Can he say the numbers and letters on the telephone? Would he like to touch the buttons? Invite your child to pick up the receiver and listen for the tone. Can he make that humming sound? Would he like to call someone? Show him which numbers to press. Can he hear the telephone ringing? Hello! Who's there?

U is for Umbrella

Help your child open and close an umbrella, again and again, listening to the sound it makes. Ask her to touch the umbrella fabric. Is it soft and dry? When it rains, what happens to the umbrella? Does it get wet? Does she stay dry? When the raindrops fall on the umbrella do they make a sound? Can she make the sound?

V is for Vase

Invite your child to touch a vase. Is it smooth, sleek and dry on the outside? Does it feel wet inside? What color is the vase? Ask your child to trace any pattern on the vase with a finger. What color are the flowers in the vase? Ask him to touch and smell the flowers. Are they soft and sweet smelling?

W is for Waffle

Enjoy a batch of waffles together. As you eat, ask your child to describe the shapes on the waffles. Can she draw a square shape in the air with a finger? What color are the waffles? What is the color of the syrup? Do waffles taste as good as they smell?

X is for Xylophone

If you don't have a xylophone at home, find a picture of one in an alphabet book or draw one. Ask your child to touch the xylophone or trace the picture with his finger. Are the lines straight? What sounds does a xylophone make? Ping, ding! How does it make a sound? You hit the metal rectangles with a stick. Can he play a tune on the xylophone, or pretend to play a tune by tapping the picture? Do Re Mi Fa!

Y is for Yogurt

Have a yogurt tasting. Invite your child to touch a spoonful with her tongue. Is it soft? What is the flavor? What color is it? Is there fruit in the yogurt? How does the yogurt feel in her mouth? Isn't it smooth? Isn't it quiet?

Z is for Zipper

Let your child slide a zipper up and down. Listen closely: Does a zipper make the sound of the letter Z? Invite her to touch a zipper. Is it rough? Go on a zipper hunt and find zippers on pants, dresses, jackets. Ask her to guess why there is a zipper on her winter jacket. Is it to keep out the cold?