Read alphabet or counting-themed books to the students each day. "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom" by Bill Martin, Jr. and "Dr. Seuss's ABC: An Amazing Alphabet Book" are alphabet-themed books, while "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle and "The Baker's Dozen" by Dan Andreasen have counting themes.
Play games that focus on the alphabet or counting skills. Young children love to play games and often don't realize they are learning at the same time. Go through the alphabet and let the students come up with a word that starts with that letter. Or play alphabet bingo with letters instead of the letter/number combinations of a typical bingo game. For counting, play a counting board game such as "Hi-Ho Cherrio." You can also ask the class a question to which students who answer yes should raise their hands, such as, "Who is wearing yellow?" Let the students count how many students raise their hands.
Write the letters on the board and go through the alphabet verbally with the students to help them learn to recognize each letter. Use both capital and lowercase letters, but start with the capital letters as children recognize them more easily.
Complete activities and worksheets that incorporate counting or the alphabet. The more exposure students get to the alphabet and counting, the easier both will become.
Display the alphabet and a list of numbers from one to 10 prominently in your classroom. Even when you are not actively going through the lists, the students will absorb the information.
Sing the alphabet song on a daily basis. Many children enter nursery school familiar with the song. Singing it also helps children adjust to a school setting because it is something familiar.
Point out incidents in daily life where the alphabet and counting appear, such as counting out milk cartons for snack time or spelling names and other words.