From Numbers to Letters: Exploring Alphablocks After Numberblocks

By Sean Connick | Published: 26th June 2025

After our deep dive into Numberblocks and how it brings early maths learning to life through its colourful and creative characters, I decided to follow the trail further and check out Alphablocks. While Numberblocks has certainly carved out a niche with its musical charm and playful approach to numeracy, Alphablocks focuses on literacy. It helps children learn how letters sound, blend, and form words. The premise is similar: a cast of animated blocks, each representing a letter of the alphabet, who interact to demonstrate phonics in action.

The characters are straightforward. Each block is a different letter and says its own sound. For example, "A" says "aah," "B" says "buh," and so on. The show often brings several Alphablocks together to spell out simple words. When they do, there is a kind of visual "spark" moment where the letters fuse into the word, complete with sound effects and often a little animation to show what the word means. It is all designed to help children hear how sounds come together and understand how written words are built.

The storytelling is light and often just a vehicle for phonics practice. There are occasional small plots, such as Alphablocks going on a picnic or trying to fix a broken toy, but these stories mainly provide a backdrop for the spelling challenges. In one episode, for example, "C," "A," and "T" come together to make "cat," and then a cartoon cat appears and joins the fun. It is simple, effective, and clearly aimed at helping early readers decode words through repetition and sound blending.

That said, in my experience, Alphablocks is less enjoyable for adults watching along, such as parents, caregivers, or guardians. Unlike Numberblocks, which balances maths content with humour, storytelling, and the occasional pop culture reference, Alphablocks feels much more narrowly focused. Its appeal is very age-specific, and it does not offer many easter eggs or moments that older viewers can enjoy. There is less variety in tone and fewer surprises along the way. While the educational value is certainly there, especially for children just beginning to learn phonics, it lacks the imaginative spark that makes Numberblocks so rewatchable.

My five-year-old, who is currently in the first year of formal education, had a noticeably different response to Alphablocks. While he happily sat through episode after episode of Numberblocks, with Alphablocks his attention started to wander. He liked some of the characters, particularly the more animated letters like "Z" or "X", but overall he found it less engaging. When I asked which show he preferred, he did not hesitate. Numberblocks was the clear winner.

To be fair, Alphablocks is not trying to do the same thing. Its mission is much more focused on foundational literacy, especially early phonics and letter recognition. For children at the very beginning of their reading journey, it can be a useful tool to reinforce those skills in a structured way. However, from a storytelling and entertainment perspective, I found it does not quite manage to strike the same balance that Numberblocks achieves between learning and fun.

In summary, Alphablocks is a solid choice for introducing children to phonics and letter sounds, and it can definitely support early literacy. But as an overall viewing experience, especially for families watching together, it falls a little short. While Numberblocks brings learning to life with charm and creativity, Alphablocks can feel more like a lesson than a story. And of course, all views shared here are solely those of the author and not of the Digital Education Awards.

If you have any suggestions for our next review, drop us an email! We'd love to hear what educational shows, games, or tools you think are worth exploring next.

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