Using hands-on activities to explore letters of the alphabet is one of the best ways to help introduce young children to the ABC’s. Here’s a collection of over 75 alphabet activities that will help kids learn letter recognition, letter sounds, letter formation, letter writing, and more! (This post contains affiliate links.)
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Letter Learning with Young Children
Introducing children to the alphabet is one of the topics I get most excited about both in the classroom and with my kids at home! It’s so exciting to help kids grow an interest in letters and develop a positive feeling towards reading.
One of the things I’ve learned as a parent is your child is never too young to be introduced to letter learning. There are so many fun ways to practice the alphabet with fun, hands-on activities.
Instilling a Positive Feeling in Your Child Towards Reading
My biggest piece of advice is to pay attention to your child’s interest and stress or anxiety level when doing any learning activity, especially activities related to reading. The last thing you want to do is hinder your child’s love of reading. (If you’re interested more on this topic, I invite you to check out my 5-part series on teaching your child how to read. It’s one of my earliest posts so the photos aren’t the best quality, but it’s full of all kinds of useful tips!)
Children are all different and respond to learning in different ways. Lucy (now 8) was always interested in letters. She was playing with her wooden alphabet puzzle from age 1 and, from playing it with me almost daily, she learned to recognize all the letters of the alphabet and almost all letter sounds by age 2. She was always interested in working with letters through play and wanted to know the letter sounds and practice them together often.
Theo, my preschooler, is very different from Lucy. If we try to sit and do the same activity Lucy enjoyed as child, he gets frustrated and loses interest quickly. I’ve had to work on integrating his interests into playing with letters- like driving his toy cars on letter-shaped roads (which you can find in the collection below) or doing more gross motor and active games with him. (Now they even now sell road tape! You can use it to make road letters for your child to drive his or her cars on.)
No matter what your child’s interest or learning style, you’ll find all kinds of creative ways to help your child with learning the letters of the alphabet through play in this collection. I’ve divided the letter learning activities up by subject and/or learning method to make it easier for you to find just what you’re looking for!
75+ Hands-On Ways to Explore the Letters of the Alphabet
Fun Ways to Practice Letter Recognition
ABC Flower Garden from Buggy and Buddy
DIY Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Play Set from Buggy and Buddy
Alphabet Construction Site from My Nearest and Dearest
Seek-N-Find Alphabet Tube from Mama Miss
Sticky Alphabet Tree from Sugar Aunts
Alphabet I Spy Game from I Heart Crafty Things
Feed the Alphabet Monster from I Can Teach My Child
Alphabet Flower Hunt from Learn Play Imagine
Clay Alphabet from Sugar Aunts
Shark Alphabet Game from I Heart Crafty Things
Alphabet Squish from I Can Teach My Child
Alphabet Maze from Hands On As We Grow
Alphabet Ball from Playdough to Plato
Alphabet Running Game from Frugal Fun for Boys
Fishing for Letters Game from No Time for Flashcards
Fun Ways to Practice Letter Sounds
Alphabet Photo Scavenger Hunt from Fun at Home with Kids
Egg Carton Letter Sound Sorting from Mama. Papa. Bubba. for CBC Parents
Letter Sound Alphabet Game from Mom Inspired Life
Fingerprint Alphabet Art from Easy Peasy and Fun
DIY Alphabet Box from Living Montessori Now
Lego Beginning Sounds Activity from Growing Book by Book
Alphabet Flashlight Hunt from Parenting Chaos
Letter Sounds Race from Inspiration Laboratories
Rainbow Hop Letter Sounds Game from Mom Inspired Life
Building the Letters of the Alphabet
Building Letters of the Alphabet with Pretzels from Buggy and Buddy
Alphabet Lego Cards from Wildflower Ramblings
Building Letters of the Alphabet with Pipe Cleaners from Kids Play Box
Building Letters with Licorice from Kids Play Box
Printable Alphabet Puzzle from This Reading Mama
Letter Constellations from No Time for Flashcards
Window Streamer Letters from No Time for Flashcards
Build a Letter with Junk Materials from Growing Book by Book
Letter Construction with Straws and Pipe Cleaners from Lemon Lime Adventures
Building Letters with Foam Blocks from Gift of Curiosity
Letter Formation with Baked Cotton Swabs from Sugar Aunts
Build Giant Letters Outdoors from And Next Comes L
Writing the Letters of the Alphabet
Beginning Name Writing Practice from Buggy and Buddy
Tracing Letters of the Alphabet with Cars from Buggy and Buddy
Free Printable ABC Cards from Mama Miss
Writing Letters of the Alphabet with Chalk and Water from Playdough to Plato for I Can Teach My Child
Find and Write Scavenger Hunt from Coffee Cups and Crayons
Writing with Squishy Bags from Learning 4 Kids
Alphabet Sensory Exploration
Playing with Letter Stones from Buggy and Buddy
DIY Felt Letters of the Alphabet from Buggy and Buddy
Make Alphabet Soup from My Nearest and Dearest
Icy Fizzing Letters from Fun-A-Day!
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Sensory Bin from Mama Papa Bubba
Letter and Playdough Activity from Frogs and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails
Alphabet Learning Sensory Table from Teaching 2 & 3 Year Olds
Sensory Letters Using Puffy Paint from Learn Play Imagine
ABC Eruptions from Learn Play Imagine
ABC Seed Sensory Bin from Growing Book by Book
Alphabet Hide & Seek Tray from Learning 4 Kids
Alphabet Rocks Construction Site from The Imagination Tree
Sorting the Letters of the Alphabet
Sorting Magnetic Letters from Fun-A-Day
Sort Letters of the Alphabet by Lines (Using Rocks) from You Clever Monkey
Letter Sort: Curvy or Straight? from Playdough to Plato
Letter Sorts Inspired by The Very Hungry Caterpillar from Growing Book by Book
Alphabet Sorting on the Light Table from And Next Comes L
Rainbow Letters Sorting Game from Still Playing School for NurtureStore
Comparing Uppercase and Lowercase Letters
Bubble Wrap Letter Matching from Kids Play Box
Alphabet Match with Clothespins from Learn Play Imagine
Memory Match Letter Game from Kids Play Box
Big Letter, Little Letter, What Do You See? from Growing Book by Book
Alphabet Road: Letter Sorting with Uppercase and Lowercase Letters from No Time for Flashcards
Exploring Capital and Lowercase Letters from Teach Preschool
More Fun Ways to Explore Letters of the Alphabet
30 Fun Alphabet Songs from Fun-A-Day!
Make a Magnetic Alphabet Board from Mama Miss
Homemade Watercolor Alphabet Chart from Homegrown Friends
Alphabet Bean Bag Toss from Meri Cherry
Alphabet Muffin Recipe from Willowday
Recipe for Homemade Alphabet Soup from Homegrown Friends
DIY Alphabet Bead Craft from Hello Wonderful
Create a Literacy Table from One Perfect Day
How to Make an Alphabet Letter Box from Fun with Mama