Help children identify the sounds and names of letters. Katrina Lybbert of Brightly Beaming Resources suggests teaching children the sounds of the letters first while working with one letter for about one week at a time. You can use magnetic or foam letters and ask your child to pick a letter to learn. Say the sound while asking the preschooler to repeat after you, then say the name of the letter. Point out the letter and sound on objects, packages and signs you see around the house and while you are out and about.
Use creativity to teach letters to preschool children. Cay Gibson of Learning Treasures recommends relaxing about teaching letters and let the ABC song be your guide. She offers many ideas for creatively engaging your preschooler such as spelling the letter "a" with apple seeds, wearing blue for the letter "b", making a letter "g" with green glitter and making Mom queen for a day to celebrate letter "q". Use your imagination to teach letters to your preschooler and you will both enjoy the process.
Show your preschooler how to write letters with salt, sand or paint. Tracing and writing letters with paint or in salt is an effective way to begin teaching preschoolers how to write letters. They will become familiar with the appropriate direction and and formation of the letters before they need to master holding a pencil at the same time. Traci Geiser of Education.com recommends pouring about a cup of salt or sand in the bottom of a pan to demonstrate how to write letters. Choose a magnetic or foam letter and put it at the top of the pan. Say the sound and show the child how to write the letter. Allow the child to trace the letter, smooth out the salt and start over writing the letter alone. If the child becomes disinterested put away the activity and bring it out at another time.