ALPHABET CUPS
Write letters on the sides of bathroom cups. Let children explore and experiment building with the cups.
*Make a matching game where they match upper and lowercase letters.
*Challenge children to make words (or their names) with the cups.
Hint! Store in a Pringle’s can.
PLAYFUL AND CHALLENGING PLAY DOUGH
Write letters on clear plastic plates, plastic placemats, sheet protectors, or leftover laminating film with a permanent marker. Make play dough from the recipe below. Children roll play dough and place it on top to make the letter. Can they make objects that begin with that letter?
Homemade Play Dough
2 cups flour
2 cups
2 TB cream of tartar
2 TB vegetable oil
2 cups water
Food coloring
Mix ingredients together in a pan until smooth. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture forms a ball and sticks to the spoon. Cool and knead. Store in zip baggie
* Add unsweetened Kool-aid, vanilla, cinnamon, or other spices to give it an aroma.
Alphabet Cookies*Let children press magnetic letters in play dough to make alphabet cookies.
Play Dough Pictionary
Each child will need a small ball of dough to play this game. Call out a letter. Children try and make something from their dough that begins with that sound. Take turns trying to guess what friends molded.
LETTER POPS
You will need jumbo craft sticks, magnetic letters, and E6000 glue (or similar craft glue) to make letter pops. Glue the magnetic letters to the jumbo craft sticks and you’re all set to begin.
Song Props
Pass out the sticks and have children hold up their letter as you sing ABC songs.
Letter Hunt
Ask children to walk around the room and match their letter on classroom print. Can they match their letter to an object in the room that begins with the sound?
Library Pointers
Place the letter pops in a can in the classroom library. Children choose a letter and then match it up with that letter in a book.
Making Words
Let older children get together with friends and make words with their letter pops.
Match Up
Make a set of letter pops with uppercase letters and a set with lowercase letters. According to the number of children in your classroom, use the appropriate number of uppercase and lowercase letters. Distribute uppercase letters to half the class and matching lowercase letters to the other half. Children can walk around the room and match up.
