Leapfrog Alphabet Sounds

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Jennifer Leos

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Aug 3, 2024, 12:15:31 PM8/3/24

to skeezogwelma

I've really enjoyed Leap Frog's educational DVDs, mainly the Letter Factory that teach sounds each letter makes .I've been looking online for flashcards that coordinate with the alphabet characters in the DVD for a while, and couldn't find any, so made some myself.
So far they've been great, and I was actually surprised how many sounds my son knew from watching the DVDs. I think having the cards with the same clues helps him, and it's nice to review the same clues he's already familiar--not having to watch TV to do so. It seems like he learns a lot more using the cards, since he has to recall info rather than just watch the DVD, but it's fun to have both that reinforce one another.
My mom gave us the Leap Frog DVDs for his 2nd birthday, but I saw them at Costco for $5.99 the other day. So if you would like some ABC Flash cards to go with the Leap Frog sound clues, I'm sharing the ones I made!**Keep in mind I just sketched them so take them for what they are--home made by a non-artist mom.**
Here's links to print your cards:
(I recommend you print them on card stock for durability)Plain cards so you or your kids can color them:Print Black and White cards to color yourselfOr if you don't want to color, save time by using these:
Print Colored cards here

I did try in the sketch to emphasize the actual shape of the letter rather than all the clue crap around them, by drawing the letter in bold marker.
Here's my add-ons once you've printed them off, colored them if you chose that route, and cut them apart.
1. Backed them with scrapbook paper.Just cut 4"x4" squares, and used glue sticks to attach them on the backs of the cards.
2. Printed uppercase and lowercase letters on address labels.I wanted to have just the printed letters on the back, so as he gets better at knowing his sounds, I can easily flip the cards, to test his knowledge of the actual text letters, rather than the cartoon clues. Eventually just using the text backs when he's learned them all, but having the clues for reminders.So I just printed them out and stuck them on, you could obviously print letters on regular paper and glue them on too.
4. Laminated for durabilityI looked into having these laminated at office stores. But it is expensive! $3.00 per square foot, or buy many 8 1/2" x 11" sleeves for $2.00 each.I found this laminator at Costco for $18.99, and it included 100 laminating sleeves.So I decided it was worth it to just get the equipment, since one set of cards would have cost around $15.00 anyway.
It's really easy, I used the 4x6" sleeves for these cards.Just slip in the card, put it in the machine, and it comes out great!
(I did have to trim the extra plastic on the bottoms)
After everything was done, I thought it would have been smart to have used a different, bright plain color on the back of the vowel cards. Then when he's just practicing with the text letters, those would stand out as different. It was too late on mine, but maybe an idea as you cut the paper on the back of your cards.I just bundle the pack with a rubber band to keep them together for now, and they've been great having to wait at doctor's offices, and the post office. They fit in my purse, so I keep them there and just grab a few while we're waiting. They're still new and fun right now, so this entertainment may not last as long as I hope.I also thought it would be a good idea for a gift to give the DVD with a set of these flashcards. Anyway, enjoy!

My 18 month old is starting to explore the alphabet. She knows the song, and can recognize a few letters. I'd like to introduce the alphabet sounds. I've read raves about the Leapfrog DVD, but I'd really rather not let her have any screen time yet. Any equally catchy CDs out there? (Or do I have to memorize the Leapfrog song and then teach it to her? I'm allowed screen time!)

Songs are good, but don't map the sound to the visual of the letter as the DVD does. The toy linked in the quote above does do that mapping, and includes a tactile, kinetic component to help solidify that mapping even further.

I do a focus letter. For example, I'll write down the letter A in my two-year old's composition book as he does "school" with the bigger kids. I'll have him trace it with his finger and encourage him to make dots on the A, but he's not much interested in pre-writing activities although he'll scribble all day. DS has several books he enjoys; Hop on Pop is a particular favorite.

Thanks for all the suggestions! I like the idea of singing the song with her while we look at alphabet books together. It's not the words to the song I'm worried about, I'm concerned I won't say the sounds correctly... Maybe I'll just watch the DVD a few times.

The cd is great but I think it's more for kids who aready know the abcs, or at least not for learning them. They are songs such as: LMNO (they are four letters, not one!), QU being together, Go for G, alphabet of nations (countries listed by abc order). I may be wrong but I can't recall just a simple abc song. It's super cute and funny though.

Thanks for all the suggestions! I like the idea of singing the song with her while we look at alphabet books together. It's not the words to the song I'm worried about, I'm concerned I won't say the sounds correctly... Maybe I'll just watch the DVD a few times.

I don't think we did phonics. If we did any it certainly wasn't drilled into me such that I remember all the sounds 30 years later. I mean I can certainly guess and approximate which sound each letter makes, but I'd like to do it right.

I am third-ing the leap frog fridge phonics toy previous posters have linked. My 2 1/2 yo has had one since he was about 6 months old and he loves the thing! It gives the letter name and sound (both sounds in the case of vowels) in a song and then it uses the letter in a word and sentence.

My son knows his letters and most of the sounds from this toy, which makes me feel like a poor mom, but it's true, lol! He knew his ABCs from day care and I never did any formal "learning" for him to pick up the letter sounds and names.

If you have a smartphone, All About Learning Press has a free app with the sounds so you could brush up and have them at your fingertips. I know they also have a computer version, but I don't know if it's free or just included on CD with purchase.

I don't have advice on CD's, but I do want to make a comment on watching the DVD. Dd started probably about 18 months watching Leapfrog Letter Factory, maybe a little younger. It didn't take her long until I noticed that she was starting to write the letters on her magna doodle. I printed sheets for her to start tracing letters at that point. It is just my experience. Mostly the only things she watched at that age were leap frog things and some lil pim spanish movies.

I think on drawback to learning with a CD is that you are introducing a sound connected to a letter name, or word that begins with that sound, but you have to then make another mental step to connect the letter name to the visual representation of the name. Does that make sense? For that reason I think quality alphabet books read aloud are a better alternative. She sees the letter while hearing the sound - she can make the connection that the symbol "a" makes the sound "ahh" vs see a symbol, recall the name of the symbol ("ay"), and then connect that the symbol named "ay" makes the "ah" sound.