Lawyer&Mom Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 My 18 month old is starting to explore the alphabet. She knows the song, and can recognize a few letters. I'd like to introduce the alphabet sounds. I've read raves about the Leapfrog DVD, but I'd really rather not let her have any screen time yet. Any equally catchy CDs out there? (Or do I have to memorize the Leapfrog song and then teach it to her? I'm allowed screen time!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomatHWTK Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 Have you tried to find the audio for the Leapfrog song? I see the song is on YouTube, etc. Perhaps you could just play the video on your PC and minimize the image so she only hears the audio. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2bee Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 Leap frog letter song is nothing to memorize. It goes like this to the tune of...something vaguely familiar...Farmer in the Dell, maybe? The LETTER says /SOUND/, the /LETTER/ says SOUND every letter makes a sounds, the LETTER says /SOUND/! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErinE Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 My ds has seen leapfrog only a few times but now we just sing the song. It is farmer in the dell sung as above. OPGTR has two poems, breaking the alphabet into short vowel sounds and consonants. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ad astra Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 My kids loved this Leapfrog Letter Factory Phonics toy based on the same song with Letter Factory DVD. http://amzn.com/B00804BCO6 ETA: There is also an audio CD (http://amzn.com/B003UXDNQ2 ) that has most Leapfrog songs but the letter factory song. Below is the track listings: 1. The Learning Path 2. ABC 3. Days Of The Week 4. Counting To 20! 5. Animal Families 6. The Sorting Game 7. Math Is Everywhere 8. Skip Counting 9. Tell Me The Number 10. The Shark Tooth Song 11. Crab Counting 12. Let's Rhyme! 13. Big And Little Letters Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 'They Might be Giants' has an alphabet cd. I haven't seen it but someone else around here probably has. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
go_go_gadget Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 My kids loved this Leapfrog Letter Factory Phonics toy based on the same song with Letter Factory DVD. http://amzn.com/B00804BCO6 Songs are good, but don't map the sound to the visual of the letter as the DVD does. The toy linked in the quote above does do that mapping, and includes a tactile, kinetic component to help solidify that mapping even further. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 If you want something to entertain her while you are in the kitchen, you might want to check out Leapfrog fridge phonics set. My BIL kids like those. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00JLHVX36 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackie Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 I think DD watched the Letter Factory DVD three times and I can *still* sing the darn song. If you want to memorize the song, you won't have to work very hard at it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gil Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 Anything is better than that. Really, anything! Gosh do I hate those obnoxious amphibians more than I hate most awful kids edutainment.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 Gosh do I hate those obnoxious amphibians more than I hate most awful kids edutainment.. Lol, I used the Mr Men Alphabet Adventure. It's twee, but not as painful for me as the Leapfrog vid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah0000 Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 You can also say the sounds while reading ABC books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErinE Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 My 18 month old is starting to explore the alphabet. She knows the song, and can recognize a few letters. I'd like to introduce the alphabet sounds. I've read raves about the Leapfrog DVD, but I'd really rather not let her have any screen time yet. Any equally catchy CDs out there? (Or do I have to memorize the Leapfrog song and then teach it to her? I'm allowed screen time!) I do a focus letter. For example, I'll write down the letter A in my two-year old's composition book as he does "school" with the bigger kids. I'll have him trace it with his finger and encourage him to make dots on the A, but he's not much interested in pre-writing activities although he'll scribble all day. DS has several books he enjoys; Hop on Pop is a particular favorite. After reading a page, I ask him, Can you help me find the big A? He points it out. I sing the Leap Frog song and he usually adds the final /a/ sound. "Let's count the big As on the page." I count once then encourage him to count with me as I do it again. He's slowly building up his letter sounds with this method. He gets to snuggle in my lap and he practices his letter sounds in a real book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawyer&Mom Posted April 15, 2015 Author Share Posted April 15, 2015 Thanks for all the suggestions! I like the idea of singing the song with her while we look at alphabet books together. It's not the words to the song I'm worried about, I'm concerned I won't say the sounds correctly... Maybe I'll just watch the DVD a few times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
displace Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 'They Might be Giants' has an alphabet cd. I haven't seen it but someone else around here probably has. The cd is great but I think it's more for kids who aready know the abcs, or at least not for learning them. They are songs such as: LMNO (they are four letters, not one!), QU being together, Go for G, alphabet of nations (countries listed by abc order). I may be wrong but I can't recall just a simple abc song. It's super cute and funny though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2bee Posted April 17, 2015 Share Posted April 17, 2015 Thanks for all the suggestions! I like the idea of singing the song with her while we look at alphabet books together. It's not the words to the song I'm worried about, I'm concerned I won't say the sounds correctly... Maybe I'll just watch the DVD a few times. Are you worried because you have an accent or you never learned phonics in school? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawyer&Mom Posted April 18, 2015 Author Share Posted April 18, 2015 I don't think we did phonics. If we did any it certainly wasn't drilled into me such that I remember all the sounds 30 years later. I mean I can certainly guess and approximate which sound each letter makes, but I'd like to do it right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest izzyboomama Posted May 2, 2015 Share Posted May 2, 2015 I am third-ing the leap frog fridge phonics toy previous posters have linked. My 2 1/2 yo has had one since he was about 6 months old and he loves the thing! It gives the letter name and sound (both sounds in the case of vowels) in a song and then it uses the letter in a word and sentence. My son knows his letters and most of the sounds from this toy, which makes me feel like a poor mom, but it's true, lol! He knew his ABCs from day care and I never did any formal "learning" for him to pick up the letter sounds and names. There is also a number magnet and a phonics magnet that makes up 3 letter words. I only just purchased the latter and we aren't quite ready for it so it's in our school closet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted May 2, 2015 Share Posted May 2, 2015 The Sing, Spell, Read, Write preschool or K level CD would probably suit your requirements. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawyer&Mom Posted May 3, 2015 Author Share Posted May 3, 2015 I bought the fridge phonics. She loves it! Thanks for the great suggestion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyJoy Posted May 8, 2015 Share Posted May 8, 2015 I don't think we did phonics. If we did any it certainly wasn't drilled into me such that I remember all the sounds 30 years later. I mean I can certainly guess and approximate which sound each letter makes, but I'd like to do it right. If you have a smartphone, All About Learning Press has a free app with the sounds so you could brush up and have them at your fingertips. I know they also have a computer version, but I don't know if it's free or just included on CD with purchase. (FTR, Leapfrog Letter Factory was MAGIC for DS at 18 months. He learned 19/26 by 19 months and 22/26 before age 2. The last few followed quickly. It was his first screen exposure.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Geek Posted May 11, 2015 Share Posted May 11, 2015 My 18 month old is starting to explore the alphabet. She knows the song, and can recognize a few letters. I'd like to introduce the alphabet sounds. I've read raves about the Leapfrog DVD, but I'd really rather not let her have any screen time yet. Any equally catchy CDs out there? (Or do I have to memorize the Leapfrog song and then teach it to her? I'm allowed screen time!) I don't have advice on CD's, but I do want to make a comment on watching the DVD. Dd started probably about 18 months watching Leapfrog Letter Factory, maybe a little younger. It didn't take her long until I noticed that she was starting to write the letters on her magna doodle. I printed sheets for her to start tracing letters at that point. It is just my experience. Mostly the only things she watched at that age were leap frog things and some lil pim spanish movies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Targhee Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 I think on drawback to learning with a CD is that you are introducing a sound connected to a letter name, or word that begins with that sound, but you have to then make another mental step to connect the letter name to the visual representation of the name. Does that make sense? For that reason I think quality alphabet books read aloud are a better alternative. She sees the letter while hearing the sound - she can make the connection that the symbol "a" makes the sound "ahh" vs see a symbol, recall the name of the symbol ("ay"), and then connect that the symbol named "ay" makes the "ah" sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kubiac Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 Abadaba Alphabet has a CD read by Jim Weiss. Takes about 10 mins to play through. Sometimes I play it for DS2 while we are doing the school run. All that said, the minute you crack on screen time ;), Leap Frog Letter Factory is THE BEST. BTW, Another similar, out of print video is Rusty and Rosie's Letter Sound Songs. I switch between the two. (I'm just here to corrupt your children and lead them down the path to watching Real Housewives while eating Lucky Charms straight from the box.) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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