From A to Z: Teaching the Alphabet with Fun Activities
Kara Hornung OTR/L
Is your kiddo having difficulty learning their ABCs? Learning the alphabet is an important first step needed for reading and writing skills. Help your child master their letters by making learning a multi-sensory and fun experience with some of these ideas. If your child is just starting the process or having a difficult time, start with a few letters at a time. Work on those letters until they are mastered and then continue through the alphabet. If your child is more advanced or just needs review, try these with the entire alphabet!
Letter Scavenger Hunt
- Try with uppercase and/or lowercase letters.
- Make it festive with a holiday theme! (ex. Have the child find a letter and place them on a separate paper shaped as a Christmas tree, turkey, pumpkin, Easter egg, etc.)
- If your child is having a hard time remembering a letter:
- Try giving them a flashcard so they can remember which letter they are looking for. Give them one letter to search for at a time. For example: give the child the “A” card and cue the child to look for all the A’s before giving them the B card.
- Give lots of cues for them to say the letter out loud! Even if you must identify the letter for them, have them teach it back to you. For example: “We are looking for D. Can you find the letter D?” “Here I found a letter D. Can you tell me what letter this is?”
- Give a lot of praise even if you must assist with each letter. Tell your child how smart they are and how hard they are working! Your child will be much more excited to participate.
Roll the Dice
- Dry erase dice are available at the Dollar Tree in the education section.
- Roll the dice to target a select few letters.
- Make it fun by rolling it down a slide or knocking down pins!
- Connect it to the scavenger hunt game.
Cover the Letter
- Use paper or Play-Doh to have the child cover up a selected letter.
- Try it with a variety of colors to make it more fun!
- You can let the child use dot markers to cover the letters.
Arts & Crafts Time
Use craft materials, toys, and other supplies you already have at home to create letters. Get creative! Use lots of repetition and ask the child to tell you what letter they are making.
Ideas:
- Play-Doh
- Shaving cream
- Small toys like Legos, cars, etc.
- Popsicle sticks
- Pipe cleaners
- Paint, crayons, markers
- Label stickers
Worksheets
Check out these sites for good printouts to work on letter recognition!
- Preschool Play and Learn
- 123 Homeschool 4 Me
- Teachers Pay Teachers (Scroll down and look on the left for FREE!)
If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s development, our therapists would love to help! Visit our website or give us a call at 859-353-3666.
