Hello friends, welcome back to Azy Reading Journey website. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We had a great time and we are still amazed to see how using games increase attention span when teaching kids the alphabet.
Azy is still learning the letters of the alphabet, and we are now including letters “M” to “R.” In making preparation for Thanksgiving, we missed some lessons.
However, we are planing to find more activities with games, so that we can get back on track and continue on Azy’s reading journey.
Help Kids Get Interested In Learning
Azy is still showing interest in learning, and even though we were not doing the lesson on the regular schedule, he still wanted to do something.
He is now asking to do the lesson before he goes to daycare, and even before he goes to bed. This is very interesting, and he continues to surprise us.
Azy is also asking to watch the LeapFrog Letter Factory DVD instead of doing the regular lesson with the 2-1 Magnetic Matching Puzzle. Read more about the DVD here. 
When we first started teaching Azy, at times, he was very reluctant to use the same materials repeatedly.
However, as we continued to teach him, we looked for ways to help get him more interested and make learning fun.
We decided that we would allow him to choose the activity that he wanted to do.
Since he reacted positively to doing that, we are still giving him the opportunity to choose the activities that he wants to do.
You can read here to learn more about Azy’s focusing problems.
Read here to learn what we did to try to help him. We also learned that using games increased attention span.
When Azy first started to watch the LeapFrog Letter Factory DVD, he was not showing any interest.
He would just sit and watch and does not respond to what he was watching. Read more about that here.
However, as he continued to asked to watch it, we would encourage him to say what they were saying on the DVD.
Gradually, he started to get involved and was reacting to the activities on the DVD.
The videos below show Azy watching the LeapFrog Letter Factory DVD.
Using Games Increase Kids Desire To Learn
Azy have two more LeapFrog DVDs plus other DVDs that he watches regularly. These include Adventure Time, Walking with Dinosaurs and PBS kids – 20 Incredible Tales.
Using his portable DVD player makes it easy for him to move from one area to another while he is watching the DVDs, and he loves that freedom.
The DVDs and other materials were purchased to help make the learning process more fun and for Azy to keep learning when he was not doing the lesson.
Including these materials along with the educational toys and alphabet activities, we are seeing more and more how using games increase attention span when teaching kids the alphabet.
At this time, Azy is using the 2-1 Magnetic Matching Puzzle as the main educational toy to learn the alphabet.
See more about that here. This is helping him because there are pictures on the puzzle pieces to help him know what each letter is for.
However, when he watches the LeapFrog Letter Factory DVD, the letters do not always have pictures to help him identify what the letters are for.
So, when he is watching the DVD, he is being challenged to remember what each letter represents. I believe this will help him to start recognizing and identifying the letters.
Azy is watching the LeapFrog Letter Factory DVD to help him recognized and identified the letters.
We will also be going back to playing games using the magnetic letters on a regular basis.
This will help him in those areas as well. See more about learning with magnetic letters here.
When playing the magnetic letters games, Azy will go back to using the Double-Sided Learning Board, 3D Wood alphabet letters puzzle board and trays.
Azy still loves playing with the 2-1 Magnetic Matching Puzzle.
However, I believe that it is necessary to let him take a break from it sometimes to see how he is progressing in knowing the letters.
Using Creative Ways To Get Azy Interested
We are still working on finding different fun ways to help Azy learn the letters of the alphabet. This is important, because we want to make sure that he can recognized and identified the letters whether he sees a picture or not.
I believe that we have more than enough materials to use at this time. However, when he is watching the LeapFrog DVDs, he is asking for other DVDs that are being advertised.
So far, we have not purchased any. Even though Azy is doing far better than he was, we are prepared to slow down if necessary. We want to make sure we are laying a solid foundation for his learning journey.
Overall, we are seeing a lot of progress. We are also seeing how using games increase attention span when teaching kids the alphabet.
Azy has settled down, he is more focused and willing to do the lesson.
If he continues this way, and we continue to do what we are currently doing. He might be able to learn all or most of the letters by the end of the year.
If that happens, it would be wonderful. If not, we will continue in the new year and take the time needed, for him to learn the letters.
As always, thank you for travelling with Azy on his learning journey. I would love to hear what you think about what we are doing in using so many alphabet activities.
Teaching Azy is helping us to see how using games increase attention span when teaching kids the alphabet. I would like to hear if you are learning anything useful from what we are doing.
Please also feel free to share any games that we can use. Thanks
Hello, my name is Jackie. My family members and I are teaching my grandson Azy to read and I am writing about the challenges and the joy that comes from doing so. My goal is to write articles that will encourage and help parents and others who want to do the same for their kids or other children. Thanks for travelling along with us. Blessings, Jackie
Hi Jackie,
Games have definitely helped my kid in learning faster. In fact we bought Leapfrog 10-dvd Mega Pack. My son is loving these, i sort of bought these blind not 100% sure what i was getting. Our friend had letter factory. Although the one she had was not included this is a great set and a steal of a deal. The songs are catchy. They get your little ones sounding out words, learning numbers, basic reading skills. Honestly these are perfect for the car which is why i grabbed them but he’s been watching them non stop in the house as well.
Hi Satz
Yes, I am happy to hear that games helped your kids to learn faster. I have looked at the LeapFrog 10-dvd Mega Pack several times, but have not bought it yet. I am glad you bought it and got it for such a great deal.
Also glad to hear that your child loves to watch it. The dvds will definitely get kids to start getting involved in what they are watching, and they are learning something valuable and beneficial.
Azy currently have three LeapFrog dvds, and he loves to watch them. Now I might buy the 10 packs to give him more choices since he is responding well to the three. The LeapFrog dvds really help to make learning fun. Thanks again.
Hi Jackie, What a wonderful journey you have taken me through in this article. I feel like I know Azy too now.
For me, you have really driven home the point that unconditional love, patience, and a unending desire to teach will be Azy’s building blocks for a solid foundation.
Although I don’t have an Azy in my life I felt drawn and compelled to read on to the end. What a great experience.
Thanks Brian
I am glad to hear that you enjoyed the journey in reading through the article.
Yes, teaching Azy, does require “unconditional love, patience and the desire to teach.” Especially patience, for those times when he wants to play and not do the lesson.
We are definitely trying to build a solid foundation, to make sure Azy is off to a good start on his reading journey. Thank you for reading the article to the end.
Blessings
Great article Jackie. I have a 3 year old daughter who has started to recognise letters. She has been learning to spell her name in nursery so now everytime we are out and about and she sees any of the letters from her name she points at them and shouts them out. After reading this article, the games look like a fantastic way of getting them to learn the letters, and I like how some videos will challenge them to remember too so it gets them thinking. We have had leapfrog learning toys but never thought of leapfrog DVDs, in fact, I didn’t know they did DVDs lol. I think we will try some of the games you have spoken about here as she loves to learn so it’s best to take advantage of that 🙂 thank you and looking forward to more tips
Thanks Lee
So nice to hear that your 3 years old daughter has started to recognized letters, and is learning to spell her name. So good that she can recognized the letters in her name. I am looking forward to when Azy can easily recognized and identified letters.
Glad to hear that you learned something from reading my article. Using games to teach Azy really works, because he loves to play, so we have to make learning fun to keep him interested.
I too, like videos that challenge kids and tell them to do something. I believe that they learn more that way. That was what I was expecting when I bought the LeapFrog DVDs. However, even though they do not do that, Azy is still enjoying them.
Like you, I was unaware of the LeapFrog DVDs until I started to teach Azy. I was aware of some of the other educational toys that they make. Yes, the DVDs does challenge them to think and remember.
I hope you will try some of the games, and your daughter will love them. Looking forward to hearing about it. All the best.