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Writer's pictureRosalie Thompson

April 27 - May 1, 2020: Letters

Updated: Nov 9, 2022

Letter Day!

It is a great accomplishment when a child recognizes the beginning letter of his/her name. This week, we are celebrating our very own special letters! The following activities can be changed to fit your child’s letter recognition readiness. Like before, there are many ideas listed. Just pick and chose what works for you! Have fun!


Teacher Rosalie's Read Aloud Book: S Went Surfing

Activities:

  1. Magic Letters: On a white piece of paper, use a white crayon to write your child’s first letter of his/her name multiple times all over the paper. Next comes the magic! Have your child use water color paints to hunt for his/her special letter hidden on the paper, saying the letter out loud as he/she finds them! Practice counting by counting up all the magic letters! If your child is ready, you could include all the letters of his/her name. Click here for the full tutorial!

  2. Painter’s Tape and Paint: On a piece of paper or canvas, create your child’s first letter of his/her name using painter’s tape. Encourage your child to paint around it and/or over it. Once the paint has dried, pull the tape off carefully to reveal his/her very special letter!

  3. Find the Letters: Write the first letter for each person of your family on your driveway or sidewalk using chalk. Call out his/her letter first and use your body in a variety of ways to get to that letter. You could say an action to go along with finding the letter. For instance, “hop to the T”. Practice saying the sound as you get to the letter. Play along with your child as you find the letter. Click here for the full tutorial!

  4. Paint with Water Over Letters: Once you have finished playing the “Find the Letters” game, grab a paintbrush and tub of water. Have your child dip his/her brush in the water and trace over the chalk letter!

  5. Playdough Letter Mats: You can help your child roll the play dough or he/she could smash it into the space to form the first letter of his/her name. Click here for the full tutorial.

  6. Swat the Letter: Write your child’s first letter of his/her name on a few balloons and hang them from the ceiling. Draw a basic shape or a number on some other balloons if you’d like to include those too. If you have multiple color of balloons, use could use those to incorporate finding a color. Call out the letter, shape, number or color and once he/she spies it, have him/her swat the balloon using hands, spatula, or anything you have on hand. Another variation would be to writing them onto paper and practice swatting them with a fly swatter or spatula!

  7. Splash Your Letters: Write the first letters of your child’s name on various places outside such as on a fence or on cement. Fill up a spray bottle or use the hose to hunt down his/her letter and give it a bath by spraying it! He/she will probably need help spraying until his/her little fingers are strong enough to spray on his/her own.

  8. Become a Letter Finding Paleontologist: Write your child’s name on a strip of paper. Next, fill up a tray, storage tub, or box with rice, sand, beans, or anything small you have on hand. Hide letters inside the container. You could cut print up letters and cut them out, write letters on rocks, paper or glass beads, use foam letters, etc. Find a paintbrush or basting brush and have your child slowly and carefully try to find letters from his or her name. Once they find their letter, have him/her use tweezers to extract the precious letter. Finally, have him/her match it up to the letters on the strip of paper with his/her name on it.

  9. I Spy: Tape up pieces of paper with your child’s first letter of his/her name in various places in your home or outside for a letter hunt. Next, make a flashlight out a toilet paper roll. You could use paper or a sharpie to put the first letter of your child’s name on the seran wrap that will project through the end of the tube. You could also form his/her letter by punching in little holes on a piece of paper in the shape of his/her letter. Turn out the lights and use this flashlight to hunt down the letters around your house. Have your child put them in a bag when he/she finds them, say the sound and count them up at the end!

  10. Make a Letter Maze: For this activity, grab a car, various shapes with your child’s first letter of his/her name written inside and painter’s tape. Next, use the tape to create a maze on the floor. Place your child’s letter(s) along the path to be collected along the way. Say the letter and shape as it is collected. Finally, count them up! If you use all the letters of your child’s name, line them up at the end to spell out his/her name.

  11. Letter Tracing: With your help, hold and guide your child’s finger over the dotted lines of the first letter of his/her name to practice recognizing his/her letter and how to write it. You could work on other letters as a challenge too! Click here for the tutorial.


Prewriting Sheets (if your child is ready):

Songs:

  • “The ABCs to Mary Had a Little Lamb” by Alina Celeste

  • “Learning Letters Song” By Jack Hartmann

  • “Phonics Song, Alphabet and Sign Language Children Song for Kids and Baby” by Patty Shukla

Books:

  • Dr. Seuss’s ABC by Dr. Seuss

  • The Sleepy Little Alphabet By Judy Sierra

  • LMNO Peas By Keith Baker

  • The Letters Are Lost By Lisa Campbell Ernst

  • A is for Angry By Sandra Boynton

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