If you’re searching for toys that start with an A, you must teach letter sounds or an alphabet-themed unit. Either way, you have come to the right place. I have gathered a list of toys with an A that you can use in your lessons. Let’s dive right into 20 toys that start with an a.
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I have been teaching my 3-year-old letter sounds with corresponding objects that match those letter sounds. We follow the Montessori approach, so we are learning about letter sounds and creating a letter sound cabinet to hold some of the toys mentioned in the article.
Whether you follow the Montessori approach or not, adding toys to your alphabet theme is a great way to get kids to recognize letter sounds, which is crucial for early reading and writing skills.
Should You Teach Letter Sounds or Letter Names First?
There are many opinions on whether a child should learn letter sounds or letter names first. Contrary to what you may have heard, a growing number of studies have started to show that children learning both letter sounds and names at the same time do pretty well.
I follow the Montessori method, which proposes you teach letter sounds first. I had every intention of teaching my 2-year-old letter sounds first, but she was really interested in letter names at the time, so thats the path we took.
As a preschool teacher, im a huge advocate for following the childrs interest when teaching new concepts.
At what age should you start teaching letter sounds?
Typically, children start recognizing letter names by age 3 to 4 and later learn letter sounds around kindergarten.
However, this doesn’t have to be typical for every child. My 2-year-old knew all the uppercase and lowercase letters by age 3. She started to learn letter sounds at the age of 3. She has shown interest in learning, so we followed her lead.
Follow your child’s interest. If they are ready to learn early, go for it! If they aren’t ready, wait until they show interest. Contrary to society and social media pressure, children learn at their own pace, and it isn’t a race.
Is there a specific order to follow when teaching letter sounds?
This comes down to preference. As a preschool teacher, I have taught the alphabet in order, and I have taught it in different sequences. It honestly doesn’t matter. The most significant thing I would suggest for parents to do is to break the alphabet up.
Children can digest it better when you aren’t throwing all 26 letters at them. I say start with 3-4 letters at a time. Move on when they have mastered them, and you can add more if you feel they can handle it.
20 Toys That Start With An A
Depending on which letter sound you are teaching, pick toys that align best with that, whether it’s short a or long a sound.
- Alligator
- Ants – Terra By Battat Insects World 60 pcs
- Astronaut – Safari Ltd Space TOOB Out of This World
- Alphabet Blocks – Melissa & Doug Deluxe ABC 1-inch Blocks
- Ariel from The Little Mermaid – Disney The Little Mermaid Doll
- Ambulance – JOYIN Emergency Vehicle Play Set
- Anna from Frozen – Disney Frozen Anna Doll
- Apron – Kids adjustable apron
- Acorn activity set – Alphabet Acorns Letter Set
- Apple – Le Toy Van – Wooden Honeybee Apple & Pear Set
- Apricot – Learning Resources 10 Pieces Bushel Of Fruits
- Avocado – JOYIN kid’s plastic play food
- Airplane – Melissa and Doug Wooden Airplane
- Art Easel – Steam Life Tabletop Art Easel
- Abacus – Imagination Generation Wooden Abacus
- Animal Figures – Assorted Mini Wild Animal Terra By Battat
- Artic Animals – Wild Republic Artic Animals
- Africa Puzzle – Geo Puzzles Africa and Middle East
- Asia Puzzle – Asia Map Puzzle Educational
- Antarctica Puzzles – Safari LTD Antarctica Figures
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