Room of Colors/Alphabet/Shapes, etc.
Try to create a "room of colors" as described in my first book. This is literally what got Zachary talking...along with the Dr. Seuss' ABC video/software (available in both). If you don't have the time to paint a room like this, try to make "cut out" Velcro letters in various colors and sizes...always provide variety. Mix the letters around to provide more of a "challenge".
Note: Right mouse click on the image below and select "View Image" to enlarge...make sure you read notes below pictures, too!
I made sure Zachary could literally touch each letter, number, shape, etc. If you don't want to paste these to your walls, try pasting them to a huge colored piece of cloth and hang that in a room...or just put it on the floor and play there with your child. There are many things you can do that aren't hard...you just have to be a little creative. Once Zachary started saying his letters, a whole new world opened up for all of us!
Once I knew he knew his letters, I moved on to teaching him the phonics for each letter... saying "A says..."a" (as in apple)...sometimes "a" (as in cake). I didn't tell him the words "apple" or "cake"...I just sounded out the "a" sound for each. I made sure I told him vowels are "a, e, i, o, u" (sometimes "y"). I'd repeat "a", "e", "i", "o", "u"... over and over...saying, "those are vowels". I made sure I told him both the short and long sound for each vowel. I'd say, "all the other letters are consonants" and would go on... "b" says "buh", and so on. Before teaching him the concept of vowels and consonants (he still has a little trouble with that one)... but he definitely knows his vowels...I made sure he knew the whole alphabet.
Again, there is a lot of information in my first book on actual tools (videos, software, etc.) we also used to help teach concepts like opposites, seasons, etc. They are listed under the sections on "Zachary's progress". I provide the name of the video/software, along with the name/telephone number of the manufacturer/distributor.