How to Practice Alphabet Writing and Identification

One of the most important things for preschool and kindergarten students to do is work on their letters and eventually learn to read. Recognizing letters and their sounds is a fundamental part of their education. A skill that they will use every day for the rest of their lives. So naturally, we need to work on them daily and get lots of practice! 

It is important to practice the alphabet naturally and in a developmentally appropriate way. With that in mind, it’s beneficial to shake up the methods we use to keep students engaged and prevent burnout. This will give your lessons more variety and make them more engaging for the students! 

Here are some unique and effective ways to practice with letters in your classroom

  • Listen to alphabet songs. There’s nothing like a catchy song that will get stuck in their head! Turn on a song and encourage students to sing along and dance. You could even make letters with your arms! Not only will this help students get their energy out, but it will also help commit the letters to memory. Jack Hartmann has some awesome songs for this. Check it out here! 
  • Sand Writing. This is an exciting and hands-on way for students to practice. Layout a cookie sheet with some sand on top. Students will love getting their hands dirty while writing the letters in the sand. 
  • Finger Painting. This is another great hands-on way to practice. Just make sure to layout plenty of supplies for cleaning up any messes they might make. 
  • Stamp Pads. What kid doesn’t love stamps? Get some letter stamp pads and let students stamp letters onto worksheets. 
  • Pudding Paint. This is a great option if you have younger students who are prone to tasting their paint. All you need is vanilla pudding and food coloring. Make the pudding according to box instructions, separate it into different cups or tins, and add different colors of food coloring. Students can use it to paint their letters on a hard surface like their desk or cookie sheets. 
  • Playdough. Use playdough smash mats and have students create the letter out of playdough. 
  • Sidewalk Chalk. Get outside and practice writing letters with sidewalk chalk! This activity is a great change of scene and students are sure to love it. 
  • Paint Daubers. This is another student favorite! Use paint daubers to create letters. 
  • Shaving Cream. Similar to sand writing, let them write their letters in the shaving cream. Add some food coloring to make it more colorful! 
  •  Tracing Printables. Worksheets like these are always helpful for recognizing letters and writing them. 
  • Back Drawings. Pair your students up and let them draw a letter on their partners back. The partner then has to guess the letter! 
  • I Spy The Letter. The classic game of I Spy, but with letters! 

Want even more alphabet activities? Check out my Alphabet Practice A-Z Bundle!

This resource is a growing bundle that includes crafts and printables for each letter. These provide hands-on options as well as worksheets to help with busy mornings. Students will learn how to work independently after the first couple of letter sets are used because every unit follows the same pattern.

Each letter comes with 16 printables which includes 3 crafts, a spinning game, letter identification, forming letters, playdough letters, BINGO daubing, tracing letters, letter sounds, and beginning sounds of words. 

Use these printables and crafts in centers, whole group, small group, or for homework. Check it out here! 

Looking for some more teaching resources or early elementary? Check out my post on teaching about community helpers here! 

alphabet


 

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