When I teach young learners English (ESL, EFL) I always spend a bit of time on the letters of the alphabet. In class I use flashcards with a letter and an image on it (A, apple, B, bird), or a video. More below the video:
Teaching the Alphabet without Phonics Sounds
When I first started teaching, all of the teachers around me were teaching letters with phonics sounds. In general, I see no problem with this. However, there are many different sounds for each letter. For example, say out loud “orange, owl, otter, orangutan” same letter “o” with different sounds.
I did some research, and found that teaching just the letter name, and a word that it begins with is also excellent for learning. The students start to recognize that letters have different sounds. They also learn letter recognition, and vocabulary.
I made the A to Z Alphabet Animal Chant to use this idea of teaching a letter, and a word that starts with this letter. We also have on YouTube an A To Z Vehicles chant.
I recommend doing your own research and finding the best way to teach your students. I use a bit of phonics, and a bit of letter recognition, and so far I have had great results in getting my young students to learn to read in English. Happy teaching!