Young children need plenty of opportunities recognizing and forming letters before they can become proficient at writing them. Since the fine motor dexterity to form letters on paper sometimes doesn’t come until late in the preschool years, creativity is key! When an activity blends multiple domains of early childhood development, this helps to engage your child even more. Here are just a few ideas for teaching letter recognition and letter formation in a fun and engaging way!
Window Streamer Letters
All you need for this activity is several small suction cup hooks and crepe paper streamers.
Place the suctions in the shape of the specific letter you are working on. Then tear off small pieces of the crepe paper streamer and let your child place them on the suction cup hooks to form the letter. The wonderful thing about this activity is that it blends language development (learning to recognize the letter) with fine motor development (the small muscles in the hands used to attach the streamer to the suction cup hooks).
Magic Wand Writing in the Air
Attach several pieces of ribbon or yarn to one end of a
dowel rod. Let your little one create the letters in the air using the “magic wand.”
Playdough Snake Letters
Write a large letter on a piece of paper. Show your child how to roll the playdough in order to create a “snake.” Then have him (or her) trace the shape of the letter using the playdough snake!
What fun ways do you and your child practice forming letters?
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Heather says
That sounds like a blast! Both my boys love, love, love playdough – what a great way to incorporate learning as well!
Lin says
I love the playdoh with the alphabet. I use it in my sunday school class with a large printable alphabet letter. (2-3yr olds)