My little one is working on identifying a few lower case letters and letter sounds. Here are some effective, hands-on activities that we have been doing at home! With her, each day she will do an activity based around letter recognition, letter sounds, and writing (this can all be altered to meet your child’s needs- if your child has mastered their letter sounds, move on to blends such as “Sh-” “Ch-” and “Th-”)
Upper/Lower Case Recognition
I scatter post-it notes on our floor, call out the letter and she hits them with a fly swatter! (Dollar Tree!)We did this during Easter, but can be done with any themed Do-a-dot sheets. I like to use ones from The Resourceful Mama! Print it out, write in sharpie the letters your child is still working on and have them color coordinate to match the upper case letters. We used do-a-dot markers. If you do not have those, you can have your child color in with crayons. Kinetic Sand– so much fun and you can use stamps or magnets to teach letters. Stamp the upper case and have your child find the matching lower case letter to stamp (or vice versa)I saw this idea on Pinterest– and you probably have a ton of boxes right now from ordering online! I used jumbo craft sticks and stickers. Sliced a slot for the popsicle stick to slide in with a knife. This was a Target box so it was a little too busy to write on directly so I slapped a piece of paper on it. Not very time consuming and Rowan really loves it. If you don’t have letter stickers, you can write them! It’s something she can do independently and it gives me a chance to see which ones she’s still struggling with. Write letters on either TP rolls or paper towel rolls and have your child match the letters! You can focus on the letters your child is still working on. (These label stickers can be found at Dollar Tree)
Letter Sounds
Something about pulling out of a brown paper bag is just so exciting 🤣 I put all these stamps in the bag and Rowan pulled one out at a time to stamp it. She had to think of the beginning sound for the picture and find that letter stamp and then write the letter. 3 step activity she really enjoyed. Utilize stickers! They are a great fine motor tool and can be used in a lot of other beneficial ways too! Either pre-pick them or have the child pick 10 or so and stick them to a piece of paper. Then write the beginning letter sound for each. Rowan actually asked to do this activity two more times in one day! I added a step this day and she found the letter sticker then wrote the letter. Make a DIY touch and feel box- this one we did with nature and then talked about each item and it’s letter sound! (Stick- “s”) Can also be done with items around the house and it is F U N!!! Go on a nature hunt and write the sounds for each thing you find. Have your child cut pictures from a magazine and then write the beginning letter sound.Rowan loves a surprise! This has been one of her favorite activities to do! Put small toys or items from around the house in an plastic eggs and have them match letter sound. (we used magnetic letters)She’s also had to practice writing the letters. ✍🏼
Writing Practice-
Smear Shaving cream on pan and have your child practice writing letters! If you have a chalkboard, write the letters and have your child trace with a little water and a paint brush! Works better with a chalkboard that’s not on an easel (water tends to drips down) but this is what we have at home and it’s working! Can also be done with a wet Q-Tip! (For younger children- write one big letter at a time, for older children- practice writing sight words)Writing Sensory Bins- this is rainbow rice and a dry paint brush but it can be done with anything you have at home- rice salt, sugar, sprinkles, sand, etc!
Hi!!! I’m Karrah. A preschool teacher in Norfolk. I have a Master’s in Elem. Education and certified PreK-6. I have two daughters, Teaghan and Rowan. I love to come up with fun, hands-on learning that will hopefully instill a love of learning for young children!
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