Toddlers are constantly learning from play, their environment and their interaction with you as a parent. There are many ways to combine letter recognition and play in a way that encourages early literacy in your child.
1. Play dough Letters
Make letters with play dough and have your child rub his or her finger across the dough to feel the shape of the letter.
2. Sensory letter hunt
Make a sensory bowl out of beans or rice and add the letters to it. Have your child look for the letters and call them out once they find them.
3. Dance to letter songs
Listen to this vowel song and hold up letters while you sing it. Alternatively you can dance on a letter mat, or take it outdoors and dance on letters written with sidewalk chalk. But get moving and have fun learning.
4. Play Alphabet Peek-a-Boo with a paper bag and letter sticker.
5. Wear an alphabet T-Shirt
Wear a shirt that has large letters on it and talk to your child about the letters they see.
6. Find foods in the grocery store that are based on letters
Sometimes we see alphabet cookies, Alpha-bits cereal, Alphabet pasta and more. Having letters to eat is a fun way to learn letter recognition. Have your child name the letters then eat them.
7. Play with alphabet bath toys
Foam letters that float in the bathtub are so much fun. They also stick to the bathroom walls. Try mixing all the letters in the tub and then have you child find the letter “B.” If you have a set of upper case and lower case letters have your baby match them.
8. Match foods to their corresponding letter
Put a few letters on a paper plate and have your child point to each letter as they hold the plate. For added fun place a small piece of food next to each matching letter. S for strawberry, R for raisin, C for cereal, etc
9. Put letters on clothespins
Write letters on clothes pins and have your child try to pick up the corresponding letter from a bowl.
10. Write letters in sand
On the beach or in a park or even salt in a tray.
11. Make letters out of foods
Like raisins or blueberries before eating them.
12. Hide letters under cups
And have your child guess which letter is under each cup.<
13. Play alphabet games with hand puppets
Have a puppet hold up a letter and talk to you child about all the things that begin with that letter.
14. Make letters with whipped cream
Create letters on a plate with whipped cream.
15. Make letters with straws
16. Play with refrigerator magnet letters
Let your child play with refrigerator magnets letters
17. Write on a dry erase board
Write letters on a dry erase board and have them erase them as they say the letter.
18. Read books!
Don’t forget to read alphabet books.
Additionally everything I wrote about with teaching your child sight words can be applied to learning letters. Instead of writing the sight word on the balloon, sidewalk, etc, just write the letter.
Moms, do you teach you child letter recognition? What methods do you use? What activities would you add to this list? Share in the comments below
Angele is a wife to a wonderful creative husband, mother to two beautiful intelligent daughters and a lover of art, education and laughter. She is the creator and author of ABC remix.