Why Create A Personalized ABC Book For Your Child?

It's simple really. Personalizing an ABC book aids in learning. It makes your child feel special and makes the learning seem much more important.

Children are naturally self-focused (aren’t we all?) and when they find out that the main character in a fairy tale happens to have their name they get very interested.

So a personalized ABC book takes full advantage of this and is a lot of fun to put together with your child to boot!

How To Create A Personalized ABC Book For Your Child

What You MUST Have:

• Sketch pad
• Glue
• Markers/Crayons (I prefer crayons because you get more colors)
• Magazines
• Photographs of friends, family members and object at home and near home

What You Can Add If You Wish:

• Construction paper (to cut out to make the letters)
• Stencils (for the letters)
• Bright Colored Cloth (as a book cover)

What You Do:

First brainstorm the objects, people and places your child knows about from experience. In most ABC books you can buy at stores the pictures that go with the letters often include things your child has never seen in real life like elephants and zebras. Children learn best from REAL experience so brainstorm what they already know for your book.

A typical list might include:

• Uncle Charley
• Front Door
• Grass
• Backyard
• Clouds
• Mary From Next Door
• Apples

Next you and your child can rummage through magazines for pictures of objects she already knows. Or even better take photographs of these objects as well as the people and places she’s seen if you don’t already have them. Make sure you have at least one picture for each letter of the alphabet before continuing on to the next step.

You and your child can now begin creating your ABC book by drawing a very big version of each letter on the first left page (leave the first right hand page blank), then pasting a photograph or magazine cutout on the opposing page. (Make sure that you have a photo of your child for the page with the letter of her first name.)

Finally, take the first right hand page that you left blank earlier and write the names of the authors of this book--you and your child.

You might also like to add a photograph of the authors as well.