https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Fri, 17 Apr 2026 01:41:12 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/alphabet-manipulatives#post-1585254 Wed, 23 Apr 2014 07:57:11 +0000 Mrs. Pen 1585254@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm another fan of the endless alphabet apps! I know it's weird to suggest iPad games, but both the regular and the reader apps really have helped J learn his letters without us instigating it at all. He can identify over half the alphabet and most of their sounds as a result of that game. And it's a very good distraction game for car rides and shopping trips. Since he is only two we haven't done much else. But he does seem to love the chicka chicka boom boom book and likes to name the letters there. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/alphabet-manipulatives#post-1585210 Wed, 23 Apr 2014 07:31:36 +0000 Charm54 1585210@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@T.H.O.U.: great ideas!</p> <p>Some other of my students' favourites are making letters/words out of:</p> <p>-bendaroos (they stick anywhere, are easy to form letters, and don't make a mess !)<br /> -Aqua doodle<br /> -whiteboard &amp; whiteboard marker (not sure why but they LOVE this one??!)<br /> -bingo dabbers<br /> -clay and a golf tee<br /> -stones and sticks</p> <p>For students just learning letters I print out copies of the letter we are focusing on and they use the above materials to form the letter on top.</p> <p>One of my favourite activities is to give them Cheerios while we are reading a book together. If the letter we are working on is "C", then they would place a Cheerio over each C that they see on the page. This activity works well because it provides an authentic setting (reading) for letter recognition. </p> <p>Starfall.com is a great site too! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/alphabet-manipulatives#post-1585196 Wed, 23 Apr 2014 07:22:39 +0000 tinyperson 1585196@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm :heart: ing this thread for later! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/alphabet-manipulatives#post-1585187 Wed, 23 Apr 2014 07:17:13 +0000 T.H.O.U. 1585187@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Also Pinterest usually has great "Letter Animal Crafts". Ways you can make each letter be the animal. This is a great way for my daughter to learn the letters and some fun animals. She still knows that I is for Iguana.</p> <p><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=letter%20crafts" rel="nofollow">http://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=letter%20crafts</a> </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/alphabet-manipulatives#post-1585182 Wed, 23 Apr 2014 07:15:09 +0000 T.H.O.U. 1585182@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: At daycare they really focus on 1 letter per week and really try to drill it in through many ways throughout the week. I find it really helps my daughter. </p> <p>Oh, she also loves painting her letters in the bath with shaving cream. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/alphabet-manipulatives#post-1585178 Wed, 23 Apr 2014 07:14:03 +0000 looch 1585178@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Oh wow, these are all great suggestions, thanks!</p> <p>I am going to print out and laminate some letters to use with playdough...that's brilliant @T.H.O.U.! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/alphabet-manipulatives#post-1585175 Wed, 23 Apr 2014 07:12:47 +0000 T.H.O.U. 1585175@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@tinyperson: I agree, I love the "Endless" apps. </p> <p>Another fun way can just be using anything to draw/trace letters.<br /> - Sandbox (even just a small tray indoors)<br /> - Shaped out of play dough<br /> - Cut out from paper (shape of the letter)<br /> - Glue letters to paper (cut out a bunch of letter A's from magazines)<br /> - Paint letters<br /> - Sidewalk ABC hopscotch<br /> - Pipe cleaner shapes </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/alphabet-manipulatives#post-1585161 Wed, 23 Apr 2014 07:07:24 +0000 mediagirl 1585161@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: how about something like this? They have an uppercase one and a lowercase one. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Kid-O-A-Z-Magnatab/dp/B0039X51NG/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&#038;qid=1398254819&#038;sr=8-15&#038;keywords=trace+letters" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/Kid-O-A-Z-Magnatab/dp/B0039X51NG/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&#038;qid=1398254819&#038;sr=8-15&#038;keywords=trace+letters</a> </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/alphabet-manipulatives#post-1585158 Wed, 23 Apr 2014 07:05:47 +0000 tinyperson 1585158@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I know you're looking for something tangible, but we have the Endless ABC app — I haven't used it for LO yet really (just as a distraction for a couple of minutes maybe 5 or 6 times — she's only 16 months). It's really fun! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/alphabet-manipulatives#post-1585146 Wed, 23 Apr 2014 06:59:23 +0000 looch 1585146@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I am looking for something to help my 3 year old better identify his letters in a fun way. He's not really into reading books any more, which is how we'd been identifying letters, so I was thinking maybe a puzzle or individual letters?</p> <p>I'd like something that has both upper and lower case letters and has multiples of the same letter, so we can use it for spelling later on. Any one have any ideas? </p>