Alphabet Wall Mural

For about 3 weeks we’ve been writing on our playroom wall, well on paper attached to the wall. Both my kids, friends who have come by and even my husband and I have contributed to this ongoing alphabet wall mural.  My daughter loves to write on vertical surfaces and she is just starting to point out letters in books and other print so I figure we could fill both those needs and create a cooperative project for my son and her as well.

1. Gather your materials. You will need some painters tape (don’t buy the cheap stuff, I did and it’s cheap for a reason), butcher block (aka craft paper), marker and then the materials to decorate things like crayons, markers, stickers…
2. Clear a large wall space, part of the magic of a mural is it’s size so to make a simple project like this super make it big. Hang the paper up.
3. Write out the alphabet. I thought I had it spaced well but poor little z got almost no space.
4. Add kids.  Sometimes I ask her to find a letter and color. Often I just put the crayon jar on the floor and watch.
5. We added stickers. My son put them on the matching letter and directed my daughter where to put them too.  Stickers are great little fine motor exercises especially peeling them off their original sheets.
6. Now every time we are in the playroom (many times a day) someone adds something. Not sure how long we will leave it up but for now we are having fun with it. Below is the mural today – check out all the stars on the letter S, it’s my daughter’s favorite word these days!

Alphabet Books

Alphabet Under Construction by Denise Fleming is a wonderful example of what an alphabet book should be. Perfect for toddlers and preschoolers learning their first letters. The text is short, the letters are front and center and the illustrations are fun and interesting. My son loves this book! I grabbed it at the library after remembering how much my Pre-K class loved it too. Many alphabet books are too long to read entirety at circle time or in one shot with a toddler. But for this book, my 19-month-old will sit through Z every time. {This review is from when my son was 19 months old in 2008. His love of this book was really a jumping off point for his love of letters in general. I wish I could say I taught him his letters. But really reading this one particular book over and over at his request probably did the trick.}

 

Chicka Chicka ABC  by Bill Martin Jr. and Jim Archambault is a fantastic board book with the perfect amount of text for a toddler. The illustrations by Lois Ehlert are so bright and bold that even very young babies will respond to it!  Of all the alphabet books we have at our house this is the one my daughter who is 19 months grabs the most. She loves the way the text leads whoever is reading it to a sing-song voice. Especially her brother who practically sings it to her. It’s a great first alphabet book for toddlers.

Al Pha’s Bet by Amy Krouse Rosenthal is a rare find. A book that can keep a 5-year-old who says alphabet books are for babies? You can’t go wrong! The story follows Al who has bet himself that he can win a contest ordered by the King figure out an order for the brand new 26 letters that were just invented. In a string of adorable events and a little chance the alphabet as we know it is put together. My son thought it was hysterical that P was put in the lineup after Al went pee. It’s a cute idea for a book and abstract enough to be a bit of a challenge for preschoolers. But it’s just the right level of interest for kids that think they know it all when it comes to the alphabet.

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For more quick tips on helping your child learn to read check out my book; Raising A Rock-Star Reader. It is packed with fun ideas for families, book lists, and advice for parents.