What does learning the alphabet have to do with health? Learning the alphabet as a young child paves the way to a happy, healthy well-adjusted outlook on life.

Health is not just a matter of wellness; it is having a feeling of well being inside yourself.

If a sense of learning is instilled in your child at a relatively early age and it keeps on being developed as the child grows, it is as if they have their own special suit of armor. It is protection against whatever fate has in store for them. An eagerness to learn and keep learning is the best gift you can give your child. When all else fails for them, they can come back and rely on their inner curiosity and their willingness to learn and plunge forward to create a new world for themselves.

So where do you begin?

Most children start to notice some letters around the age of two or three and by the time they are four or five have pretty much mastered the alphabet.

This means you can generally start around the age of two by reading alphabet books that have pictures of things or animals that the child likes.

Not only will you both have fun; it is an opportunity to make learning a process that is enjoyable. The neat thing here is you can also interject colors and shapes into the learning process.

Reading to a child on a regular basis, stories that are about things the child is interested in, also instills the idea that learning the letters is the first step into being able to read for themselves.

The idea that you need expensive tools like flash cards, special programs or even expensive books is pure nonsense.

As a literate adult you have all the tools you need. You! Your knowledge of the alphabet, your ability to write/print, and the many items in your household are all a great beginning.

The secret here is to make it fun, make it real and to do it on a constant basis. You can make up silly songs, tell silly stories, make it into a game, it does not have to be worth anything, except to you and your child.

If your child is into making "works of art" print his/her name on the pictures and point out the letters one by one, the child will soon learn that those letters spell his/her name.

Until about the age of four most children do not have the ability to write very well if at all. Do not focus on writing the letters, the point here is to have the child recognize the letters and by learning the old and familiar alphabet song is able to put them in order.

Young children learn by various means and it is your job as a parent to make them aware that learning is more than seeing and hearing. Not only will they learn by tasting, smelling and eating, you will be encouraging them to use their senses.

Alphabet soup is a wonderful way to give your child a good lunch and an opportunity to learn also. Baking cookies in various shapes offers a smelling and tasting lesson. Allow your child to smelling different cooking flavorings, take a walk in a garden and smell and discuss the names of the flowers and the letters they begin with. If you are not knowledgeable regarding flower names, talk about the colors. The world is filled with so much that can be used on a daily basis as a teaching tool.

Once you show your child that learning is fun, and that is the important thing in the very beginning. There should be NO pressure to make the child learn it should just be a fun experience, and if the child learns, great, if not at that moment, continue on, but with no pressure.

Sometimes it is hard for us adults to realize that "Rome was not built in a day," and that we did not acquire all our knowledge in one heartbeat. Learning takes time, one step at a time and when you are dealing with a young child is should be FUN for you both!

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