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Preschool Learning
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Alphabet Apple
2-5
YEARS

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Alphabet Apple

Developmental Benefits

Language Development
Language Development
Letters Names Phonics
Letters Names Phonics
Motor Skills
Motor Skills
Reading Development
Reading Development

Developmental Benefits

Alphabet Apple

Language Development
  • Introduces the alphabet, letter sounds and vocabulary.
  • Babies start to babble at an early age and this can be seen as the first signs of language. They are predisposed to pick up the sounds of the language that they hear around them. Adults can facilitate babies’ language development by playing with them, focussing on particular toys, reading books and naming everyday objects. The more babies are exposed to language the faster they will begin to pick up it up. There are social skills involved in language acquisition such as realising that it is necessary to wait until the other person has finished speaking. Babies begin to learn about conversational turn-taking from an early age; if a baby is babbling the adult waits for a pause and then talks to the baby. Babies learn to take turns even before they are using words. Social interaction is important for language development and turn-taking games are a fun and educational way for babies and young children to learn.
    Young children also need to practice their language skills. Toys that name alphabet letters and everyday words satisfy young children’s need for repetition and rehearsal when practicing words and sounds. For instance, young children can press a button repetitively to hear the same sound or word again. Babies and children learn a lot through repetition and pick up words rapidly in this way. Once children begin to read their vocabulary expands enormously.
Letters Names Phonics
  • Teaches letters and their sounds, the building blocks of reading.
  • Phonology is the term used to describe the rules governing the structure and order of speech sounds. The journey towards reading proficiency starts in the pre-school years. Once children understand that there is a correspondence between the marks on a printed/electronic page and spoken language they are able to begin to read. They can then translate the units of print ‘graphemes’ to units of sound ‘phonemes’. Phonological awareness is the ability to detect and use phonemes in words. This skill is crucial for children when learning to make sense of text; they need to be able to relate the sound structure of spoken language to symbols on a page.
    The national curriculum states that children should be taught phonemic awareness and phonic knowledge to decode and encode words. These types of skills can be encouraged in young children by giving them opportunities to notice changes in sounds within words and listen to lots of nursery rhymes. Young children enjoy interacting with toys that give them the opportunity to play with letters and words. The words and letters are often repeated by the child. Young children like to hear letter rhymes and songs repeated over and over again. This is all part of their learning experience and is preparing the young child to become proficient at sounding out words.
Motor Skills
  • Encourages fine motor skill development.
  • An infant’s growth and development in the first year of life is rapid. Many movements that young babies make are in preparation for the next stage of their development. When young babies watch a mobile they are constantly moving their head, arms, legs and even their mouths in response to the movement of the toy. Sound and movement attract a baby’s attention; if a toy is placed almost within reach of babies their movements become more animated. Bath toys provide opportunities to develop and use motor skills to great effect. For example, a young baby has greater control over their leg movements than their arms. You will often see young babies in a bath reaching with their legs towards a floating toy and kicking. All these movements strengthen muscles in readiness for the next stage - walking.
    As babies develop they become more adept at grasping objects. Young infants learn to grasp an object, for instance a cube. The grasping, at first, is quite clumsy but through repetition, and across time, infants become adept at grasping and develop fine motor skills. Infants first use the ulnar grasp where their fingers close against the palm when trying to hold an object. Within another month they are able to move the object from hand to hand. After the first year, infants adopt the ‘pincer grasp’ where they use their thumb and index finger to grasp even very tiny objects. Shape sorters help infants to fine tune their visual perception and hand coordination. Soon infants are building towers with two cubes; this also requires fine coordination skills. As the child grows computer games have been shown to help with hand and eye coordination. Spatial skills can also be enhanced when playing games that require concentration, quick responses and finely tuned motor skills.
Reading Development
  • Improve speed, fluency and expression when reading.
  • Young children often start to read before they are at school. Once children understand the connection between the marks on a printed/electronic page and spoken language they are able to move to another level of communication. They can then translate the units of print ‘graphemes’ to units of sound ‘phonemes’. The ability to detect and use phonemes in words is crucial for children in learning to make sense of words on page. Interactive reading, where the adult discusses the content of a storybook with a child helps with overall language and literacy development. Pointing out letter–sound connections, playing rhyming games, and reading rhyming poems and stories all help in early childhood literacy. ‘Playful’ reading helps children to isolate the sounds in words. Toys and games that use words and sounds can reinforce children’s letter- sound knowledge, awareness of the sounds of different letters, and reading comprehension. There is a difference between the development of reading and decoding skills and the development of comprehension skills.
    Children’s understanding of what they are reading is a crucial aspect of language development. Reciprocal activities where adults take turns with children in reading text help children’s decoding and comprehension skills to develop. Computer based reading activities are most effective when they are supported with the appropriate level of help from adults.
Best for ages:
2 to 5 Years
Highlights
Pick up the Alphabet Apple for an apple a day of learning and play! Twenty-six easy-to-press letter buttons on this interactive learning toy teach the alphabet sequence, phonics sounds, letter names and spelling, and play melodies and sound effects.
Description
Pick up the Alphabet Apple for an apple a day of learning and play! Twenty-six easy-to-press letter buttons on this interactive learning toy teach the alphabet sequence, phonics sounds, letter names and spelling, and play melodies and sound effects. Keep children interested and challenged with progressive learning levels. Start in Phonics World to hear letter sounds, then switch to Discovery Time to learn about words and letter order. Follow the light-up buttons to practice spelling with the Spelling Game. Move the worm clock hand around the play clock to explore time concepts, then switch to Feed the Hungry Worm to practice counting. Ready to practice memory skills? Turn on the Dancing Lights game and try to repeat the light-up patterns on the apple. Go to Music Festival when you’re ready to get up and dance! Find out what you’ve learned by quizzing yourself in Eye Spy. This educational apple helps preschoolers get ready for school. Bring this portable toy anywhere for bushels of fun and learning on the go!

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