Why Kids Are Learning a New Version of the ABC Song
By Movieguide® Contributor
Are your kids singing an unfamiliar version of the alphabet song? Here’s why.
Parents have taken to the internet to share their confusion over their children learning a slightly different version of the traditional “ABCs.” The new version features pauses in different places than the original and ends with “X-Y-Z,” leaving out the word “and.”
“I’m not exactly sure where the version originally came from,” teacher and TikToker Rachel told Good Morning America. She requested that the outlet not use her last name. “I know that in the curriculum that I use at the school I teach at, that’s how it’s written for us.”
The new song is part of a curriculum called Open Court from McGraw Hill, and there’s a good reason for the changes.
“The traditional alphabet song has a few issues,” Jessica Farmer, a literacy advocate and TikToker, explained. “When sung quickly, the letters ‘LMNOP’ tend to blend together, leading many young children to incorrectly believe ‘elemenop’ is a single letter. Additionally, the way ‘Y and Z’ is sung can sound like ‘Y N Z,’ which adds an extra, unintended letter to the song.”
Farmer continued, “It’s worth noting that this version is not actually new; it has been around for decades but hasn’t been as popular as the well-known alphabet song. While the impact may not seem immediate, the goal is to make changes that will ultimately improve literacy rates across the country, starting in early childhood.”
In one of her TikToks, Rachel said, “Kids are still developing phonemic awareness, which is the ability to hear, isolate, and manipulate individual sounds in language. Even a perfectly enunciated traditional alphabet song may still be confusing to kids.”
Many TikTok users have expressed their displeasure with the new version of the song, complaining that it “hits [their] ear wrong” and asking, “Why do we have to mess with a good thing?”
Others have come out in support of the new version.
“I love this better, actually. I was so confused as a child [about] what we were saying at ‘LMNOP’…English is my 2nd language too,” one user wrote.
In her interview with GMA, Rachel shared, “I’m very excited that this video has done as well as it has, because I think it’s a really good conversation starter for parents. So I think that’s really interesting and fun to be a part of.”
