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Original poster

good toy for learning alphabet recognition

26 replies

mckenzie · 04/01/2005 19:02

I'd like to buy DS (3 and a half) a toy to help with him learning to regocnise the different letters of the alphabet. Can anyone recommend one please?

OP posts:
GeorginaA · 04/01/2005 19:04

We've had great success with foam sticky on letters in the bathtub, to be honest. Cheap too

Whizzz · 04/01/2005 19:04

We got DS a LeapFrog Phonics writing desk - which he likes - it does sounds + encourages writing the letters.

Original poster
mckenzie · 04/01/2005 19:05

do you remember where you got them from GeorginaA?

OP posts:
Zephyrcat · 04/01/2005 19:05

dd learned the alphabet with a wooden fframed toy (can get them in elc) with blocks that spin round and have a relevant pic on one side and the letter on the other. She learnt all the letters really quickly with that when she was 2 and a half

GreatBigFatHeiferEnid · 04/01/2005 19:06

pen, paper and mum at the ready

lowcalCOD · 04/01/2005 19:07

lol at your new name

gothicmama · 04/01/2005 19:07

same as zephyrcat elc letter frame

lowcalCOD · 04/01/2005 19:07

books?

Original poster
mckenzie · 04/01/2005 19:09

we do a lot of reading and I do write words down for him all the time when he's in the mood. I just thought with his christmas money that we might have bought a toy to encourage him even more. He shows absolutely NO interest in picking up a pen/pencil himself!

OP posts:
lowcalCOD · 04/01/2005 19:12

I know
I woudl save your money though
they just get it
ds2 has waited till he was 4
grrrrrrrrrrrrrr

GeorginaA · 04/01/2005 19:17

We got ours from Tescos - ours are like jigsaws with a companion picture, but plain foam letters I'm fairly sure I've seen in Mothercare.

GeorginaA · 04/01/2005 19:18

We do have other stuff to encourage letter recognition too btw... and he's doing stuff at nursery. But it's the bath letters he really gets excited about and always wants daddy to go through them with him at bathtime. One of our best buys!

coppertop · 04/01/2005 19:19

If you can put up with the irritating voice the Vtech Playtime Bus is good. They cost about £15 I think.

Hulababy · 04/01/2005 19:21

We have some of those foam letters - all lower case. Got them from somewhere like Superdrug for less than £5 a tub.

Depends on how much you want to spend really on other toys/devices.

I looked at this for DD - My Alphabet Phonics Learning Book, £19.99 I liked this and if we hadn't got the VTech VSmile and her Leappad at Christmas would have got this.

Leappad is also now reduced in Argos to £24.99 and some of the books to £4.99

Hulababy · 04/01/2005 19:30

Argos have other things too, including the bus mentioned below.

In the same there is this VTech Smart Book and 2 Books reduced by £10 to £14.99 Write up says it teaches phonics, in addition to other stuff.

This is a desk which is an educational electronic learning desk with stool, featuring several activities that teach the alphabet, words, phonics, spelling, numbers, counting, colours and shapes. For age 3 plus. Half price and down to £17.49. I like the look of this one and seems good reduction!

This one is probably too young - can't remember age you mentioned now. It's a IQ Builders Alphabet Apple, half price at £7.49

Kayleigh · 04/01/2005 19:38

We have the tub of letters for the bath too. Father Xmas bought them for ds2 and i'm reliably informed he got them in a large sainsburys for around £3.99

Morgan · 04/01/2005 19:48

bath letters also in Wilkinsons - v good buy says my sister

Frizbe · 04/01/2005 19:52

M&S also have the frame letters, should be on sale now!

Original poster
mckenzie · 04/01/2005 20:19

thanks very much everypone, and thanks especially for the links to Argos. They have some sale bargains dont they? Think I'll get the spongy letters to start with thgouh and save my money. Oops, sorry, my son's money!

OP posts:
mishi1977 · 08/01/2005 18:09

hi my ds has the leapfrog fridge phonics set which was 10 in asda he loves it and i must`admit its quite catchy even does kiddi a and adut A iy u understand my meaning...lol

stripey · 09/01/2005 15:35

We have the leapfrog fridge phonics and I think its fantastic. Its a fridge magnet thing and you choose a letter put it into the middle of the main magnet and press the letter and sound are sung or you can play the whole alpabet. I would definitely recommend it. Ds2 whos 2 loves it and can sing most of the alphabet from playing with this.

Hulababy · 09/01/2005 16:22

stripey - that sounds interesting. Where did you get it from, and how much is it? Not sure I have seen that before.

stressedmummy · 09/01/2005 16:27

The letterland bus is good.

Bozza · 09/01/2005 16:40

Also recommend the bath letters. However DS knew his letters before we got them because we had an alphabet puzzle - it was from M&S and is a train with one carriage for each letter of the alphabet - £6 IIRC. When DS was 2 and going through his mad puzzle phase he quickly learned all the letters.

stripey · 11/01/2005 22:29

hulababy I got it from a toy shop think it was Gamleys it is also the one mishi is talking about think made by leap frog.

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