The 15 Best Alphabet Learning Toys For Children

Bonding with your child during bath time can also be an educational opportunity with this nontoxic, soft foam alphabet set. Water helps the letters cling to bathroom walls, which is a fun way for kids to practice their sensory and fine motor skills. The manufacturer’s age recommendation seems to be based more on developmental skill sets than safety — and many shoppers have reportedly introduced these foam toys to children younger children without issue. It comes with 26 letters and 10 numbers, and there’s an additional animal foam set you can purchase separately.

Best for kids: 3 years and up

One reviewer wrote: “We practiced these at bath every night and it really helped reinforce numbers and the alphabet with our child. She could do her ABC's by 20 months at random, and the same with 1-10.”

These alphabet cloth cards are great for babies to play with (and chew) yet still have the potential to function as a learning tool as your little one grows. It includes a soft card for each letter of the alphabet and a soft storage bag to store them away neatly. Each card has a featured letter on one side and a fun animal illustration on the back. Use them to introduce alphabet sounds and letters through sensory play for infants, or help older children combine or stack them to build their language skills.

Best for kids: 0 to 6 years

One reviewer wrote: “My son loves these, and they withstand him drooling and chewing on them. I love that they will serve a new purpose as he grows instead of just pretty pictures he will be able to learn from the letters.”

Made of squishy foam, this alphabet and numbers play mat is similar to one my toddler daughter has. She loves to organize and rearrange the different pieces by colors, letters, and numbers, and use her imagination and creativity to use them in other ways. More recently, she learned she could stack and connect the pieces into cubes — or “castles” as calls them. Since this play mat includes numbers, kids can use it to learn to count, too.

Best for kids: 3 years and up

One reviewer wrote: “Great foam alphabet and numbers set! My son loves to step on each square while I say what letter or number it is. I believe it’s helping him learn.”

This six-pack of fabric books for babies cover a variety of themes, and one of the books is entirely dedicated to the alphabet. The illustrations are in black and white to help draw your baby's attention with contrasting hues, and the crinkle sounds stimulate their sensory skills as they touch and feel their way around the soft fabric pages.

Best for kids: 0 months and up

One reviewer wrote: “Our baby has enjoyed these since she was 3 months old, and 3 months later, she still loves then. They clean very easily in the washing machine and really like that so many came in the set so we always have a couple available. The textures are great, as well as the different designs and content. It will be even better when she starts to learn the alphabet.”

Here’s an upgraded version of the age old magnetic fridge letters I remember playing with as a kid. In addition to the 26 magnetic letter tiles, this LeapFrog fridge set comes with an electronic magnet (featuring a cute tadpole character on a school bus) your child can learn from. Simply place a letter title into the designated spot on the school bus to hear the letter spoken aloud or used in a word and sentence. The toy also has a button to play three songs — including, of course, the “Alphabet Song.”

Best for kids: 2 to 5 years

One reviewer wrote: “Great way to familiarize your kiddos with the alphabet. My 2 year old knows all of his ABCs now and is working on identifying individual letters with help from this toy.”

This 50-piece set of wooden alphabet blocks by Melissa & Doug is a classic learning toy for toddlers and preschoolers. The blocks feature illustrations, letters, and numbers that are good for sorting and stacking. Plus, the blocks come with a nifty little storage pouch to make cleanup a cinch. Use them to introduce toddlers to the alphabet while simultaneously encouraging creativity and hand-eye coordination.

Best for kids: 2 to 4 years

One reviewer wrote: “My children love these ABC blocks. They are colorful and great for teaching children numbers and the alphabet. My 2 year old loves them and my 11 month old does as well.”

You can always count on Mega Bloks to inspire imaginative play, and this alphabet musical train doesn’t disappoint. It includes ABC blocks that kids can stack together and on the train, and they can even combine them with other Mega Blok sets. Kids can also push the smokestack on the train to activate fun train sounds.

Best for kids: 12 months and up

One reviewer wrote: “I am a speech pathologist who works with pre-k kids. I really like this ABC set. The build quality is excellent and will stand up to lots of use and abuse. The wheels on the train turn easily and the cars can be used separately or in-line together. The blocks and letters are very engaging - bright, colorful, and easy to read. Kids can activate music by pressing on the smokestack, and the ditty that plays is cute and appropriately short - it encourages repeated and frequent activation. This is a great set for parents to use in helping their kids learn their letters!”

This double-sided writing board features letters with magnetic beads that magically appear as your child uses the included stylus to trace each letter. It has a lowercase alphabet on one side and an uppercase version on the other side, and all vowels are highlighted in red. There are even numbered guides on each letter that show which direction to start and end the tracing. When kids are ready to start over, they simply press on the beads with their finger to make the beads disappear.

Best for kids: 3 years and up

One reviewer wrote: “Honestly this product exceeded my expectations. It doubles as a sensory and learning device as the magnet balls are perfect for little hands to want to touch and feel. Its fun to trace, even as an adult myself.”

Not only can this activity play set introduce the alphabet to youngsters, but it’s also a toy that can grow with your child because it includes many other learning activities. It has five surfaces to play on, including one with alphabet blocks your child can spin to see corresponding illustrations and words that match each letter. The other four sides include a manual clock for practicing time telling, an abacus, a sliding fish activity, and even a white board to practice drawing or writing skills. All in all, it’s a one-stop shop for building fine motor skills and fostering creativity.

Best for kids: 12 months and up

One reviewer wrote: “My 20 month old granddaughter loves playing with this. It's a great tool for teaching her the alphabet. Seems very sturdy but she can pick it up and carry it around so it's not too heavy.”

This interactive alphabet toy was gifted to my daughter for her second birthday and she still finds joy in it almost a year later. It has many functions to play with, such as quizzes and games, and it also teaches phonics, spelling, and number recognition using the clock dial in the upper right corner. My daughter’s favorite activity is simply exploring the different letters by pushing on the illustrated buttons across the board. It’s a great toy that children can grow with through the years.

Best for kids: 2 to 5 years

One reviewer wrote: “My five year old has some developmental delays and this alphabet apple has been such a big help for him learning his letters. My two year old loves it too.”

As a fan of the whole Fisher-Price Linkimal line, my daughter can’t get enough of this light-up otter alphabet toy (and as a parent, neither can I). On its own, it teaches letters, words, and phrases using the illustrated keyboard on the belly, but the biggest attraction is its ability to sync up with other Linkimal characters. Together they will sing a chorus of melodies that make alphabet learning fun for both babies and toddlers. We love watching it interact with other Linkamil animals she has in her collection (like this Smooth Moves Sloth) as they light up and sing songs together.

Best for kids: 9 months and up

One reviewer wrote: “My daughter loves her linkamals!!! It plays the letter and tells what the [picture] on the letter is to teach her the alphabet and help with some first words.”

This electronic alphabet book was an instant hit with my toddler daughter and includes different modes of play. Her favorite thing to do is flip through the pages and push the light-up buttons to hear different letter sounds, names, and music. There’s also a “skidoo mode” that prompts kids to find certain words throughout all the pages. The illustrations on each spread depict different locations, making it a real adventure for kids to identify objects in different settings.

Best for kids: 3 to 5 years

One reviewer wrote: “Gifted my daughter with this for her second birthday and it is one of her favorite presents she received! It’s easy to use and age appropriate. She just turned 2 and likes to recite her alphabet letters this is a great way for her to listen and learn.”

This is an alphabet toy my daughter couldn’t wait to open. It’s an interactive alphabet game that combines electronic play with physical activities your child completes on a designated pad. To get it set up, plug your tablet (not included) into the included base, download the apps (four in total), and then attach the included reflector on top of the camera to scan what your child is creating on the pad below. The app’s friendly guide, “Mo” the monster, encourages your kid to form letters using the included silicone sticks and rings in both uppercase and lowercase.

There are many other activities and levels to explore with this kit, but my toddler enjoys the letter forming activities most. We work together to find the correct shapes that match what’s shown on screen and she follows along as Mo sounds out letters and words that promote early vocabulary and pre-reading skills. This kit is designed to work with Fire Tablets, but you can get the same kit for iPads instead. Plus, there’s a variety of other kits and games to choose from, like this coding version.

Best for kids: 3 to 5 years old

One reviewer wrote: “We have been struggling with teaching my son his alphabets and this program has been AMAZING! it's fun, its silly, it keeps him entertained and hes learned so much! he can now write so many letters!”

Need something you can add to the walls? Try this interactive alphabet learning poster. It features fun illustrations your child can push to activate sounds and songs, plus a whole array of other activities (like quizzes and letter exploration) to promote word recognition. Bonus points for parents include adjustable volume and a hanging design that comes with a hook for the wall.

Best for kids: 2 to 5 years

One reviewer wrote: “My daughter is absolutely in love with this music alphabet. It has so many different features. She learns alphabet, learns shapes, numbers. It has a lot of songs, my daughter loves to dance. I bought it for her about 2 weeks ago and she plays with it every single day. And the quality is good. Highly recommend it. My daughter can play it for hours which saves some time for myself.”

If you plan on teaching your child the alphabet in both English and Spanish, this soft and cuddly Elmo plush toy is a sweet option. He sings songs and asks questions that prompt your child to learn about letters, sounds, and spelling. One reviewer wrote, “He says so many different things, asking a lot of good questions like ‘What’s the first letter in your name?’” Kids can switch between languages by holding down on the play button for a few seconds.

Best for kids: 18 months to 4 years

One reviewer wrote: “My son loved it! He’s 2 and loves saying the ABCs with Elmo!”