Vowels can be a tricky part of learning aleph-beit, even for adults. Since vowels are not part of the Hebrew alphabet, but are a combination of dashes and dots placed underneath the letters, the concept of vowels may be difficult for a child to grasp, since it is a bit more abstract than learning the letters. Yesterday, I suggested making up songs and stories based on the shape of the letters. Since vowels do not have such brilliant designs, it may be more of a challenge to make learning vowels as fun as it was to learn letters. Obviously, it is a good idea to teach your child letters first, and then allow him or her to “graduate” to vowels, with the “carrot” that he or she will soon be able to read after mastering vowel sounds.
A colorful diagram of vowels is a good place to start. The bright colors are engaging to a child, and help stimulate the desire to learn. Memnotic devices are good for any type of learning, and it is a good idea to encourage your child to invent his or her own. Most people would be embarrassed to share with the world their little hints for remembering things, but I always remembered “Kubutz” with the three dots forming a diagonal line as three little guys living on a Kibbutz. Sometimes, when it comes to memorization devices, the sillier the better, since silly things are more memorable.
When I was at a Judaica store, I found Hebrew alphabet cards with little “wheels” at the bottom that allow you place different vowels under the letter. For instance, on the aleph card, you can turn the wheel so that it becomes an aleph with a segol underneath, then a Patach and so on. This will give your child a constant review of all of the vowel sounds for all of the letters, and is a great tool for a child who is almost ready to read.