According to Howard Gardner, who introduced the theory of multiple intelligences in 1983, states children learn in a multiple of ways. Learning the alphabet is one of the first things taught in school and according to Gardner it is ideal to have the students employ more than one of the multiple intelligences to truly comprehend the alphabet.
Alphabet Activities
Linguistic (Word Smart): Printing or outlining the letters. Traditional alphabet activities are employed for the linguistic multiple intelligence.
Logical (Number Smart): Students organize the alphabet in order. The teacher shuffles alphabet cards and students in groups or pairs organize the cards.
Visual/Spatial (Picture Smart): Drawing pictures that relate to the alphabet. Have students choose their own pictures that they can relate to. If a child only uses the same words to identify the alphabet, the students who do not connect with the word will have a difficult time remembering the letter.
Kinesthetic (Body Smart): Have students use their bodies to represent a letter or the sound of the letter. Active alphabet created in Australia has a physical movement for each of the letters. This gets the student moving and learning the alphabet.
Musical (Music Smart): Sing the alphabet. Often this is the first way children learn the alphabet. Be careful with m n and o because sometimes students believe it is one letter. As the children sing the alphabet, point to each letter.
Intrapersonal (Myself Smart): Students choose an activity to master the alphabet. A student can print the letters, sing the letters or any other activity.
Interpersonal (People Smart): Students will present a letter to the class and chose how they will represent the letter. As students teach other students they are mastering the skill.
Naturalistic (Nature Smart): Get outside and identify items in nature to represent the different letters. Have students touch an acorn for the letter a.
