Preschool is the very first step into formal education for most children. This is where we learn the basics of counting, distinguishing colors, and learning about animals. With all of these options to choose from, where should teachers start to set a foundation for further understanding and learning? With the alphabet! and...which letter does the alphabet start with? A! So here are 20 of our favorite simple and effective activities for your students to use in their journey of communication and literacy.
1. A is for Apple
This simple and associative activity connects the letter "A" with the word "Apple". Young learners can link an idea or concept to a letter sound to help with letter recognition. This alphabet craft idea uses paper apple trees and playdough to improve a preschooler's motor skills and memory, as well as introduce basic counting.
Learn more: Fun with Mama
2. Hockey Alphabet
This paper plate activity was inspired by a game with remembering names, but it can be used to learn the alphabet too! Write some simple words that start with the letter "A" on paper plates, and also include some words that do not. Take turns letting your students try and hit the letter "A" words into a goal with a hockey stick!
Learn more: How We Learn
3. Contact Paper "A"
This fun letter alphabet craft uses contact paper to make cutouts of "A" and "a" so your preschooler can paint all they want and not cover them up. As the child paints, the color stays on the regular paper, but cannot stick to the contact paper. So when they are done, the letters are still white and visible surrounded by bright colors ready to hang on the wall!
Learn more: Fun with Mama
4. Magnet Animal Fun
This fun activity uses magnetic letters hidden around the room to help students remember "A". Have a letter hunt around the room and play a song that sings different words that have the letter "A" in them. Students can run around the room and try to find the letters that make up this word.
Learn more: No Time For Flashcards
5. Letter Slap!
This super simple hands-on activity needs a fly swatter, some alphabet letters, and you! Arrange the cutouts for letter sounds on the floor and give your preschooler the fly swatter. Make it an exciting challenge by inviting their friends or doing this in the classroom to see who can slap first.
Learn more: Pinterest
6. Palm Tree Painting
This alphabet tree craft is an awesome sensory activity for kids to mess around with different materials, textures, and colors. You can find a palm tree stick-on at your local craft store and some foam letters too. Find a big window and stick it on your tree. Foam letters can stick on the glass when they get wet so kids can play around with forming words on the window.
Learn more: Pre-K Pages
7. Musical Alphabet
This exciting letter sound jumping game involves a foam letter mat, some fun dancing music, and your kiddos! Start the music and have them dance around on the letters. When the music stops they must say the letter they are standing on and a word that begins with that letter.
Learn more: Mom to Posh Lil Divas
8. The "Feed Me" Monster
This printable letter A activity can be made at home using a cardboard box and some color paper. Make a monster cut out with a big mouth hole so your kids can feed the monster letters. You can say a letter or word and have them find the uppercase letter and put it in the monster's mouth.
Learn more: Happy Tot Shelf
9. Alphabet Bingo
This useful listening and matching letters game is similar to bingo, and fun for kids to do together. Print out some bingo cards with alphabet letters and get some dot markers to mark the cards. You can also use little letter stickers you preschoolers can place on the spaces to save paper.
Learn more: Fun Learning for Kids
10. Alligator Letter Face
This alphabet activity focused on creating the upper case letter "A" in the shape of an alligator head! This example is simple and easy for your preschooler to recreate with some sticky notes, or regular paper and a glue stick.
Learn more: The Simple Parent
11. "A" is For Airplane
This makes your kiddos letter creations into an exciting race of fun and motor skills practice! Have your kids write all the "A" words they know on a piece of paper and then show them how to fold it into a paper airplane. Let them fly their airplanes and practice reading the words they wrote.
Learn more: The Kindergarten Connection
12. Bath Tub Alphabet
This letter activity will make bath time a blast! Get some thick foamy soap and a letter tile or board for writing. Kids can practice letter formation and letter patterns by drawing them with soap as they get cleaned up!
Learn more: Pinterest
13. Counting Ants
This idea for letter learning is great for motor skill development. Fill a bucket or container with some dirt, plastic toy ants, and some individual letters. Have your kiddo fish for ants and letter "A" then count to see how many they got!
Learn more: Stir the Wonder
14. Alphabet Soup
Whether it's in a bathtub, a kiddie pool, or in a big container, alphabet soup is always a fun activity for preschoolers. Grab some big plastic letters and throw them in the water, then give your child a big ladle and see how many letters they can scoop up in 20 seconds! When time is up see if they can think of a word for each of the letters they fished.
Learn more: Coffee Cups and Crayons
15. Pool Noodle Madness
Pick up a few pool noodles from the swim shop, cut them into small pieces, and write a letter on each piece. There are tons of fun games and activities you can play with chunky pool noodle letters. Spelling out names, animals, colors, or sound recognition games for easy alphabet practice.
Learn more: Simply Kinder
16. Play-dough Letters
This activity is hands-on giving your young learner a better chance of remembering the letter they are creating. Grab some play-dough and a printout of capital "A" and lower-case "a" and have your child or students mold their play-dough to match the shape of the letters.
Learn more: Fun with Mama
17. LEGO Letters
Preschoolers and kids of all ages love building and creating things with LEGOs. This activity is simple, just using some pieces of paper and LEGOs. Have your child write the letter "A" on their paper nice and big, then have them use the LEGOs to cover the letter and build it up as much as they like with their own unique design.
Learn more: Little Bins for Little Hands
18. Memory Cups
This game will get your preschoolers excited to learn and remember letter "A" words in a fun and lightly competitive way. Get 3 plastic cups, some tape you can write on, and something small to hide underneath. Write simple words starting with "A" on your pieces of tape and put them on the cups. Hide the small item under one cup and mix them up for your kids to follow and guess.
Learn more: Playdough to Plato
19. Sidewalk Alphabet
Getting outside is a great start to any lesson. Grab some sidewalk chalk and have a list of simple "A" words for your preschoolers to write on the sidewalk then draw a picture of. This is super fun, creative, and gets your kids excited to share their chalk masterpieces.
Learn more: Toddler Approved
20. "I Spy" Letter "A" Search
A car is not typically the place you would choose for an alphabet lesson, but if you are going on a long trip this is a fun idea to try! Have your little ones look for signs or objects that start with the letter "A". Maybe they see a sign with an "arrow", or they see an "angry" dog barking. This activity is an engaging letter search that will make the drive fly by!
Learn more: Pinterest
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