Alphabet Hunt: A Fun and Educational Adventure
Alphabet Hunt: A Fun and Educational Adventure
by Dewi Griffith Ph.D
In the name of fun, how could you help your child learn to remember things?
Kids’ learning doesn’t have to be drudgery.
An alphabet hunt does not have to take place in the rain. Learning the letters of the alphabet doesn’t have to be a dull chore. Every parent knows that one of the most difficult exercises in learning is sticking with something new.
I remember reading very early books until I learned to read without help, and I remember my father sitting and patiently waiting while I worked on my reading skills.
This patience, however, only went so far.
If my reading lessons deviated too much from the syllabus of the current week, Dad was likely to pronounce them over and move on to another activity.
As a parent, you might find yourself wanting to mix things up, to break the cycle of repetitive, “sit-down” play.
And as an educator, the pursuit of ‘playful learning’ might also be a passion of yours. Whatever your situation, read on to discover how to use a simple alphabet hunt as a form of early literacy development.
Why Alphabet Hunt?
Alphabet Hunts are a wonderful way of helping children start to master and associate printed letters with the sounds they represent.
Think of a fun, pre-reading primer.
Think of it as a fun way to start reading. A well-known expert on reading development, Dr. Jeanne Chall, says that it is very important for kids to learn letters and sounds early on (Chall, 1983).
So while a child is searching for letters, he’s not just looking for shapes. He’s thinking about the sound those shapes make and making an association between that sound and that shape – a big step towards reading and writing.
Ever wonder why kids learn better when they are up and moving, rather than sitting down with a pile of flash cards?
Field trips, hide-and-seek, and Alphabet Hunts are all good for the body and beneficial for the brain.
When you turn your home into an alphabet scavenger hunt, kids get a chance to move around and search for those letters in places where they don’t usually exist; this is the exact approach recommended by Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences, which holds that young children learn better when they incorporate their bodies in the learning process (Gardner, 1983).
How to Conduct an Alphabet Hunt
1. Preparation
What You’ll Need: Alphabet flashcards; a list of objects beginning with each letter of the alphabet; a basket or bag in which children can place the items as they find them; an indoor or outdoor space that’s used as the ‘hunting grounds’.
Scatter alphabet flashcards around a section of the room as pictured, without hiding them completely.
The cards should not be flat on the floor or tucked in corners, nor should they be just exposed enough for easily noticeable blunders.
2. Conducting the Hunt
Explain the Game: Tell kids that they have to search for all the letters of the alphabet hidden somewhere in the room or elsewhere outdoors.
Search and Say: Every time the kids find a letter, have them call out the letter and name an object nearby that starts with the letter. For instance, find the ‘B’, then point to the ‘ball’ before continuing the search.
Debrief: Once the hunt is over, reproduce the letters. Then, ask the kids to remember the objects they linked with each letter.
3. Variations of the Hunt
Themed Hunts: Build a list of items in a specific theme (such as animals, colours or foods), and the children locate in the environment the letter they link to that item.
Letter Sound Hunt: Children do not focus on the letter when finding items but use a letter sound.
Tips and Tricks for a Successful Alphabet Hunt
1. Keep It Age-Appropriate
Scale the hunt to both the age and abilities of the children. For younger children, provide a simpler hunt with larger, more visible letters; for older ones, more complex hunts with smaller, more concealed letters.
2. Make It a Group Activity
Use it as a team-building exercise by turning the Alphabet Hunt into a game children can play together: finding all of the letters as a group reveals the possibilities and fun of collaboration.
3. Incorporate Technology
For a hi-tech spin, use a tablet or smartphone to set up a Digital Alphabet Hunt app or game to guide them through a hunt.
Highlighted Aspects of the Alphabet Hunt
1. Multisensory Learning
Sight, sound, and touch provide learners with multisensory connections to the concealed letter. Alphabet hunts draws on learning research in which children learn more successfully when more senses are used (Carter, 2014).
2. Flexibility
The activity can be effortlessly adapted to different contexts and levels (from pre-school to home, classroom, or outdoor play), to develop verbal, physical/visual or vocational skills.
3. Fun and Engagement
For the art teacher working with a group of children on a long morning alphabet hunt, the fun and games-like nature of the work keeps their interest and attention, keeping and reinforcing what they are learning in a fun way.
Distraction and Overwhelm
Children may be easily distracted or overstimulated in a large or cluttered space, which makes it harder for them to learn.
Solution:
Start small and create a more controlled setting when first offering the activity, and then add more complexity as children grow comfortable with it.
Potential Issues and Challenges
Differing Skill Levels
It will be hard for these kids to keep up with other kids if they are learning to recognise letters and phonemes in a group.
Solution
You can pair kids who need different things, so that they can help each other, or you can make a differentiated task like a puzzle where each child has a piece that is right for their level of ability.
Lack of Interest
Because some kids won't be interested in it at first, especially if it's too easy or too hard.
References and Further Reading
References
Carter, R. (2014). The influence of multisensory learning on the cognitive development of young children. Early Childhood Education Journal, 42(3), 153-161.
Chall, J. S. (1983). Stages of reading development. McGraw-Hill.
Gardner, H. (1983). Frames of mind: The theory of multiple intelligences. Basic Books.
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