Welcome to our mini teaching guide on alphabetizing!
Alphabetizing is an essential literacy skill, and the resources in this post will make it easy for you to teach it. Let’s dig in!
Even with modern technology, alphabetizing is used in many areas of our lives. In fact, you’ve probably used your alphabetizing skills this past week without even realizing it. Maybe you looked up a friend’s phone number in your contact list, or maybe you’ve looked something up in a book index.
Here are some other common uses of alphabetized lists:
Children go through four stages when learning to alphabetize.
Here are hands-on activities and tips for each stage.
At this beginning stage, kids learn to arrange letters in A to Z order. You can use letter tiles, Scrabble tiles, or squares of paper, or you can download our free ABC Caterpillar activity.
This adorable hands-on activity promotes letter recognition and builds pre-reading skills. And as an added bonus, you can use the letter cutouts from this activity for some of the additional activities described in the tips below!
Follow these tips to help reinforce Stage 1 alphabetizing skills:
Once a child has mastered putting the letters in alphabetical order, teach him that words can be alphabetized, too.
Sorting the seed packets in this hands-on activity from All About Reading Level 3 is a fun (and colorful!) way to practice alphabetizing words according to the first letter.
In real-world applications, your child will come across multiple items that start with the same letter (for example, the names of children’s authors Sendak, Seuss, and Silverstein). The next step is to look at the second or third letter to alphabetize them correctly.
Alphabetizing to the second and third letters can be tricky—but not when you can play “Who’s Coming to My Party?” from AAR Level 4. This engaging activity will make learning this skill seem more like a party than a lesson!
When your child is more advanced and is consistently able to alphabetize words to the second and third letter, you’ve reached the fourth stage of alphabetizing. Now your child will learn what to do with last names such as McAfee, Macauley, and O’Kearney; book titles that start with The; and numbers.
Although alphabetizing is more difficult at this level, this handy quick-guide takes all the guesswork out of applying more advanced alphabetizing skills.
Remember, alphabetizing is an important skill, but it doesn’t have to be a boring one. With these tips, your child will be alphabetizing like a pro in no time!
Jordyn
says:Thank you, my students found these really enjoyable.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome, Jordyn. Let me know if you need anything else. 😊
Keryn Jasper
says:Love ideas that teach clearly that can be a joy! Thanks
Vivian Asiedet
says:Thank you, so helpful
Heather Hinz
says:Thank you for a great info. Also the pdf with the rules for advanced alphabetizing was very useful!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome, Heather.
Shelby
says:This was very informative.
Jill
says:Fun ideas. Thanks!
Dorothy
says:I am always re-alphabetizing books at the library or bookstore…comes from working in a library at one time, I suppose!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceI know what you mean, Dorothy! And offering to pay your kids to alphabetize movies or books is a great way to get them to happily practice alphabetizing. 😊
Susie
says:I’m a school librarian, continually frustrated by students who don’t know how or why to alphabetize and are unwilling to do the work to figure it out. Books are shelved in alphabetical order! Dictionary skills! Indexes! This is a skill I’ve used often throughout life and it isn’t on the standardized tests so it isn’t emphasized in class. Thanks for promoting this practice!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome, Susie. Even in this modern age, alphabetizing is an important skill!
L. James
says:The information is very useful, I am happy for them
Katy
says:Highlighting the levels is really helpful, and remembering they come in stages and ages is really helpful. One step at a time!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceI’m glad this was helpful for you, Katy. We tend to think of alphabetizing as one skill, but there is a lot to it!
Nikadomi
says:Thank You for the useful and straightforward information.
Aalonzo
says:Thank you
Mary
says:My boys really enjoyed these.
Jennifer
says:Thank you
Susana
says:Thanks!!!
Rachelle
says:I didn’t know all the rules of advanced alphabetizing. This is so helpful. Thanks!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome, Rachelle. Some of those advanced rules are tricky, but once your student knows them he or she can find any book, video, file, or whatever anywhere alphabetizing is used!
Tara
says:This is so helpful, thank you.
Shelley
says:Thank you
Sheila
says:This information came just in time. I need to incorporate alphabetizing into our lessons.
Rachel Tankersley
says:Thank you for explaining, especially the reason why. I have had the thoughts of ‘is this really necessary?’
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceYou are welcome, Rachel. Alphabetizing may seem a marginal skill, but it is used a lot.
Jenn A
says:Thanks for explaining these awesome ideas so clearly!
Gale
says:Great ideas! This is something we need to work on.
Katherine Blundstone
says:Thank you. Helpful to have the stages outlined as you have.
Thia
says:As an Occupational Therapist who works with children with writing delays, I am constantly emphasizing alphabetical a-z knowledge. Classroom teachers who have so many things to teach often miss this skill. I LOVE this post, particularly your example of the functional uses of the alphabet. Thanks!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceThia,
Interesting that you need to emphasizing alphabetizing in your Occupational Therapy work, but it makes sense now that I think of it. Thank you for sharing this.
Rebecca
says:Thank you for the download!
Heidi Crawford
says:What a great guide! Thank you!
Christine Nadolny
says:My boys found it tricky at first. I put alphabetizing lists in our review.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceChristine,
Some students do find alphabetizing, especially alphabetizing to the second letter and beyond, tricky. Adding to your regular review is a great way to ensure they master this important skill!
Christina
says:Great ideas!
JJ Lea
says:Love the rules download!
Machalah
says:I am excited to use the alphebetizing seeds activity that you wonderful people provided. My daughter is not quite to that point, yet as we are still on Level 2.