Entertaining toddlers and preschoolers can be a challenge. Add the stress of the pandemic and it becomes overwhelming. I am not a teacher, but the following routine with my young daughter has been wonderful for both of us. It introduces her to her alphabet with little supplies and prep. It is low cost and laid back. In addition, it helps create an adventure in our own community.
1) Write One Letter of the Alphabet and Let Child Place Stickers On It
All you need for this first step is paper, a writing utensil, and stickers. I used an extra notebook instead of single pieces of paper that way we could easily review letters we have done in the past. You could easily just staple letter papers together to keep track of them though. I purchased circle stickers from amazon but any stickers will work. My daughter likes to do different color combinations of these stickers.
On a blank piece of paper, draw the letter. Then have your child place stickers over the letter. This activity helps develop fine motor skills. You can also work on counting by counting the stickers as your child places them.
2) Read Books with Letter of the Alphabet You Are Trying to Teach
The second step involves books. You can either use books you already have or obtain library books. Edwardsville library offers a great grab bag service that works perfect for this activity. I call the library at (618)692-7556 and speak to a librarian in the children’s department. I tell the librarian the age of my daughter and the letters of the alphabet I want to work on. You can make additional requests such as author preference or style of book if you want to do so. The librarian then picks books and emails me when they are ready for curbside pickup.
As my daughter and I read the books, I ask her to find the letter we are working or I randomly point to the letter and ask her to identify it. We talk about uppercase and lowercase versions of that letter.
3) Go Outdoors and Find Things That Start with the Letter
The last step involves finding somewhere fun outdoors that has something that starts with the letter you are working on. For letter F, we went to Joe Glik Park to see the fountain and fish. For letter G, Willoughby Farm has goats and a garden. Drost Park in Maryville would also work for G because there is a garden and grass there. So many possibilities in our area! I know with certain letters it may be tricky to do step 3 but if you can’t find an outdoor activity to go with a letter, that is no biggie.
Here are some examples of places you can go for each letter.
A: Apple (Mills Farm, Liberty Apple Orchard)
Airplane ( Edwardsville Township Park)
B: Butterflies, Bees, Birds (SIUE Gardens)
C: Caboose (Miner Park in Glen Carbon)
D: Ducks, Donkeys (Tri-Township Park)
F: Fish, Fountain, Flowers (Joe Glik Park)
G: Goats, Garden, Grass (Willoughby Farm)
H: Horse (Happy Hooves Equine Rescue)
L: Lion water fountain (St. Jacob Township Park)
P: Pond, playground (Most Parks)
T: Turtles, Tree (Ray M. Schon Park)
These steps don’t have to be done everyday. I have liked how this strategy makes it easy to incorporate learning her ABCs into every day activities. If you don’t have the time to go to parks throughout the week, that is ok. You can easily have your child look for the letter of the day wherever you go. That could be in a store, at the gas station, or on signs as you drive by. I hope this routine is fun for you and your child. 🙂