Alphabet letter activities

26 Easy, Fun Alphabet Activities That Give Kids the Practice They Need

Alphabet activities make learning your ABCs more fun. There are so many ways to practice your ABCs, you might be able to do one alphabet activity a day for a year without repeating. We’ve gathered over 25 super fun alphabet activities so kids can play and learn every day.

1. Write letters on dried beans

Large dried white beans are inexpensive to purchase and easy to write on. Grab a sharpie and write all the upper and lower case letters on them. Then put each set in a pile (or baggie) and ask your kids to match them.

2. Letter sort with sticky notes

Write individual letters on sticky notes and then place them all over your house or just on every stair in a staircase. This practice game has a lot of variations—all tied to sorting. Ask kids to sort by:

lowercase
uppercase
letters in their name
straight lines (H)
curved lines (c)
both curved and straight lines (B)
consonants
vowels

For even more practice: have them sort their finds into ABC order, match lowercase letters to uppercase letters, and then, find a way to sort them that’s new.

3. Write letters in shaving cream

Squirt shaving cream on a table and let your kids write letters in the cream. Smoothe it out to erase and start again. Bonus: their hands and your table will be cleaner than ever!

Source: Rose and Rex

4. Bend letters with pipe cleaners

Pipe cleaners have always been a trusted source of good fine motor practice as well as a fun craft resource. Now use them to have kids create uppercase and lower case letters.

Learn more: make and takes

5. Make sensory ABC bags

This one is great because you can change up what you put in here and even move to sight words. You’ll need a gallon bag with a ziplock top. Add letters written on pieces of paper, magnetic letters, scrabble tiles, or anything else you can think of with letters. Then fill the bag with rice or oatmeal and seal it. Kids dig through the rice through the bag to find the letters. When they find them, they write down the letter they find until they locate all 26 letters of the alphabet.

For more sensory ideas: Little Bins Little Hands

6. Find invisible letters with watercolors

This is a classic. Using a white crayon, draw letters on a piece of white paper. Give your kids watercolor, let them paint the paper, and watch the letters appear.

Learn more: Gift of Curiosity

7. Play musical alphabet

Set up letters in a big circle on the floor. You can use magnetic letters or just write them on index cards. Put music on and have your child walk around the circle to the music. When the music goes off, your child tells you the closest letter. Expand on it: ask your child to name three things (colors, animals, etc) that start with that letter.

8. Sponge the alphabet

Cut sponges into letters and use them for sponge painting letters or playing in the tub.

Learn more: Learning 4 Kids

9.

Put together name puzzles

Write the upper and lower case letters in a name and then cut them apart in a simple zigzag. Mix up the letters and ask a child to match them up and put them in the right order.

10. Make letters from nature

Find the alphabet right outside. Choose natural objects that already look like letters, or arrange them to look like them.

To learn more: Right Brained Mom

11. Eat your ABCs

We know from Alphabet Soup that eating your ABCs is plain old fun. So think of all the ways you can practice the alphabet at mealtime. Pancakes can be made into letters, jello can be cut into letters, and noodles can be used to make letters (just to name a few).

Learn more: Parent Map

12. Go on an alphabet scavenger hunt

The fun part about this for grown-ups is that there is no prep. Tell kids to go find objects that start with each letter of the alphabet. To make this game take longer, designate spots for them to bring each item back—one at a time. Every item must be approved before they can move on to the next. This allows for fewer meltdowns at the end when an item is deemed inaccurate.

13. Make your own ABC book

Personalizing the ABCs helps kids process and retain their learning. One of our favorite alphabet activities starts by creating a book out of 26 pieces of paper and staples or hole punches and a ribbon. Have kids write an uppercase and lowercase letter on each page. Finally, have them draw or cut out pictures of things that start with each letter. Voila!

Learn more: Teach Mama

14. Create ABC popup books

Use the following tutorial video to learn how to make different kinds of pop up pages. Then, create a page per week for 26 weeks for each letter. At the end, use a glue stick to glue them all together to make an ABC popup book!

15. Stamp letters in playdough

Roll out playdough and push letter stamps right into the dough. This is both tactile and great for practicing ABCs.

Learn more: I can teach my child

16. Make tactile letter cards

There’s lots of research (and experience) to support the value of using all the senses to learn. Making these tactile alphabet cards will be fun and have lasting benefits.

Learn more: All About Learning

17. Trace letters in spices

This one combines touch, smell, and sight. It gives you an opportunity to talk about what we uses spices for as well. Put the bottle in front of a child and have them write the spice name in the spice to make things a bit more challenging.

Source: Frog in a Pocket

18. Study a letter of the week

Many PreK and Kindergarten classes do a letter of the week, and for good reason. Teachers all share that instant recognition of letters and practice writing them is so important for learning to read. Doing alphabet activities for one letter each week reinforces knowledge and recollection.

For weekly activities: Preschool Mom

19. Do the yoga alphabet

Show kids this video and take the time to learn each yoga pose. Connecting the mind and the body is great for learning.

20. Sing songs about the alphabet

Everyone loves to sing the alphabet song, but did you know there are lots of other songs to sing that can help you remember the alphabet? Try out this Sesame Street favorite:

21. Draw pictures from letters

Using letters as a starting point, teach kids how to draw. If this is too difficult at first, just write a letter and then draw a picture around the letter.

Learn more: Felt Magnet

22. Highlight letters on a page

Print a page of text or grab your favorite magazine and a highlighter. Ask kids to highlight as many of one letter as they can find. This is also great for sight word recognition.

Here’s a freebie from The Inspired Apple to get you started.

23.

Do-A-Dot letter tracing

These dot markers make tracing letters more fun and help kids with directionality and remembering how to write and recognize letters.

Free Dot tracing sheets: DTLK’s Educational Activities for Kids

24. Play letter slap

Make 2 sets of index cards with all the letters on them (52 cards in all). Shuffle the cards together and deal them so each kid holds 26 cards. Together each player takes their top card and turns it upright. The player with the letter closest to A wins the hand and takes the card. If two of the same letter are played, the players slap the card. The one on the bottom of the slip wins the hand. The game ends when one player holds all the cards.

25. Match plastic Easter egg letters

Surely you have some plastic Easter eggs hanging around your attic. Use a Sharpie or letter stickers to put an uppercase letter on one half and a lowercase letter on the other. Then separate the two and throw them all in a basket. Kids pull them out and match them up. Tip: Add difficulty by not coordinating the colors.

Learn more: Crystal and Co.

26. Create loose part letters

What are loose parts? Loose parts are exactly what they sound like—a collection of loose materials or objects. These can be small pebbles, bottle caps, random LEGO bricks, seeds, keys, anything. Draw big letters on a piece of paper and have kids line up loose parts to make the letter.

Recognizing letters is a fundamental part of learning how to read. Without it, children struggle to learn letter sounds and identify words. Beginning readers who know their alphabet have a much easier time learning to read. Making alphabet practice a part of every day in fun ways helps create a lifelong love for letters and words.

What games and activities do you like to use for practicing the alphabet?

Plus, our favorite activities using alphabet beads and the best alphabet books.

100+ Alphabet Activities that Kids Love

This is a list of the best preschool alphabet activities we've done! They are all fun, hands-on ways to teach the alphabet and letter sounds!

My son enjoyed all of these fun, active and hands-on letter learning activities.

Alphabet Activities for Kids

I love that there are an infinite amount of ways to teach the alphabet to preschoolers and kindergarteners.

There are alphabet games, fine motor activities like play dough mats, clip cards, crafts and so many other fun, hands-on ways to teach the alphabet.

Forget the flashcards and try some of this engaging alphabet activities instead!

Alphabet Skills

This list covers a variety of alphabet learning skills such as:

letter identification
letter sounds
uppercase and lowercase matching
beginning sounds isolation
letter formation

We are always adding more alphabet and letter sounds printables and activities to our site, so stay tuned for even more alphabet activities that will engage your kids and make learning and teaching the alphabet fun!

You may also like this alphabet activities printable bundle. It is jam-packed with engaging ways to teach the alphabet to your students!

Get the Alphabet Activities Printable Bundle

These alphabet printables and activities are perfect for preschool and kindergarten students. They cover letter recognition, letter sounds, uppercase and lowercase matching, beginning sounds isolation and more!

With over 300 pages of printable alphabet activities, this printable pack is sure to keep the kids engaged!

Click the button below to head over to the purchase page.

Keep scrolling to find our big list of free alphabet and letter sounds printables!

Alphabet Activities for Kids and Preschoolers

Since I have so many preschool alphabet activities on my blog and I am going to be adding even more, I made this page to keep all the posts together and easy to access for my readers.

I will continue to add my new activities to this page, so you can always come back and find them here.

I hope this will be a huge resource for you! Make sure you pin or bookmark this page, so you can revisit as needed and see everything new that I've added.

Don't forget to check out my alphabet Pinterest board. I pin all kinds of fantastic, hands-on ideas there. I also have tons of preschool learning activities of all kinds on my activities for preschoolers board.

Even more awesome ways for kids to learn the alphabet.

Check out the alphabet activities category on Pinterest. There are thousands of activities! Or check out this Pinterest board with tons of engaging ways to teach the alphabet.

I just love this post with 50+ incredible activities for teaching the alphabet.

These 25 alphabet games and activities are so much fun!

Here's a big list of hands-on ways for kids to learn the alphabet. So many genius ways to teach the alphabet here!

Looking for alphabet printables? Check out this post to find some, along with a bunch of other hands-on activities.

The ancient Russian alphabet was used to designate the military operation in Ukraine

Everyone who follows the reports of the front has at least once wondered why strange letters Z and V are inscribed on Russian tanks. The official version says that they are left over from the exercises and designate two groups troops - "West" and "East". But it turns out that these letters have another meaning - sacred. And to know it, you need to look into the history of the Russian people.

Az am Z

The emergence of the Cyrillic alphabet common to all Slavs is associated with two Orthodox monks, Cyril and Methodius. And it just so happened that the Cyrillic alphabet, as well as the earlier and more intricate Glagolitic, carries a lot of secrets. Many people know that the message of ancestors to descendants is hidden in it, but few know that there are much more meanings in it than it seems at first glance. nine0003

Each letter has its own name. The letter "A" is called "az" and means the pronoun "I"; "B" - "beeches" means letters, the alphabet, and, possibly, also being; "V" - "lead" - means "to know." And the entire Cyrillic alphabet means the main message for the Slavic peoples: "Because of the beeches. The verb is good. Live green, earth, and like people, think of our peace. Rtsy word is firm." Usually these words are translated as follows: "I know the letters. The verb (that is, the word) is good. Live firmly on earth, as befits people. It is our peace, carry (speak) the word firmly." nine0003

This seems to be just a mnemonic device to help me remember the alphabet faster. But this is only at first glance. In fact, the Cyrillic alphabet is filled with another - a higher meaning. For example, the first letter "az" also means God, who in the Bible says about himself: "Az am Alpha and Omega", and in Persian this letter is called "Adam". That is, az is also the beginning of everything that exists on earth.

The letter "lead" means divine wisdom, "verb" again refers us to God from whom it all began: "In the beginning was the word (verb), and the word was God, and the word was with God. " It is God who gives the Russians "good", "belly" (life) and "earth" - something without which the existence of the people is impossible. He also gives a person P - peace, I - truth and M - the ability to think. And even some despicable "worm" suddenly appears before us as a "womb" or "scarlet", that is, decorated. nine0003

That's where the letter Z comes from on our tanks. And it's not the English "z", not "zombie" and not even "west". This is the Slavic letter Z, ζ, taken, as was customary in the early writing of the Cyrillic alphabet, from the Greek alphabet. Z is "land", a symbol of the unification of Russian lands, given by God himself. Another symbolic detail: on the keyboard layout with a double font, the letter Z is located in the same place as the letter "I", that is, "az" is the first letter in the alphabet, which essentially means the beginning of a special operation.

The whole world - in letters

But the sacred meaning of Cyrillic letters is just one of the facts. In the Cyrillic alphabet, everything is subject to the laws of Christianity, even in the inscription of letters, secret meanings are hidden. For example, the symbol of the chalice, the chalice for the Eucharist, was hidden in the letter "Ch", and the letter "X" was always considered as the cross on which the Apostle Andrew the First-Called was crucified. The letters Ѳ - "fert" and "fita" meant masculine and feminine. It got to the point that words with fita in Russian were considered indecent. For example, the word fetyuk - fetyuk - was offensive for a man, because it came from an "indecent letter". And the letters "from" (Ѿ) and "omega" (Ѡ) meant father and mother. nine0003

Predictions that come true: Top 5 prophecies about Ukraine

At the same time, every word in Russian had its own sacred meaning, because it could be read not only by letters, but also by the names of the letters. For example, the word "Lord", which Russians used to address God, literally meant: "He speaks the word of peace, he is good." And the word "wisdom" meant "Think of the good rtsy he is the word."

Mysterious in Cyrillic and full of secret meanings and designations of numbers with letters. Why the letter "beeches" is excluded from them is not clear. Perhaps because it is one of the few that does not carry a secret meaning, but only means what it means? At the same time, many previous alphabets, which Cyril and Methodius seemed to rely on when creating the Slavic alphabet, always included the second letter in the numerical designation. In the Greek alphabet, the letter "beta" means the number 2, in the Hebrew beth is also equal to two, the same number means the Phoenician letter "bet" and the Albanian "ba". In general, there are many mysteries, but the Cyrillic alphabet is one. It is completely unique and ideal for encryption, because there are a lot of meanings in it. nine0003

Az am the scourge of God

The second letter on Russian tanks is V, or "Izhitsa", which closes the Cyrillic alphabet. In fact, this is the divine "omega" - the end, the completion. This letter was used very rarely, and people who mastered the letter had to memorize all cases of its use. An interesting fact, but it was the "Izhitsa" that acquired a special meaning in Russian history. It was she who meant severe punishment for an unlearned lesson, that is, spanking. "Izhitsu" was prescribed to negligent students. It was believed that the very writing of the letter resembles a whip. Strict teachers liked to say: "Yat, fita and zhitsa, the rod is approaching the body." nine0003

Thus, the two letters Z and V contain a deep mental message from "Az alpha and omega" and the unification of Russian lands to peace enforcement and punishment of criminals. It was done on purpose or it happened by chance, the universe or God himself, it’s not so important. It is important to finish what you started.

Why did they use more ancient symbols to denote the denazification operation?

These symbols existed before the separation of Ukrainians and Russians

They are called to restore community to the peoples

They mean the Slavic brotherhood

Bioterrorism and God's gene: why fantastic scenarios about experiments in Ukraine can be true

Maya Novik

Article
Special military operation in Ukraine
Slavs
History

comments: 14

Disappeared letters of the Russian alphabet

The history of the Russian alphabet illustrates how the system of letters changed at different times. In the modern alphabet, 16 letters from ancient writing have been lost. By completing the tasks of the project, we will find out what these letters are and why they disappeared from the Russian alphabet.

The modern Russian alphabet has significant differences from the Old Russian alphabet based on the Old Slavonic Cyrillic alphabet. It was created in the 9th century and consisted of 46 letters. Over time, several letters disappeared, they were considered superfluous. For example, S (green), I (and decimal), Ђ (whose), OY (ouk), Ѡ (omega), Ҁ (koppa), Ѣ (yat), Ѧ (small yus), Ѫ (big yus ), Ѯ (xi), Ѱ (psi), Ѳ (phyta), V (izhitsa). Over time, some letters returned back, others disappeared. Changes in the Old Russian alphabet occurred in connection with the reforms. The alphabet was reformed with the participation of Cyril and Methodius, Yaroslav the Wise, Peter I, the Academy of Sciences, Nicholas II, etc.

The first step towards the modern Russian alphabet was taken in 1708, when Peter I introduced the civil alphabet. The writing of individual letters has been simplified, and the letters "xi", "psi", "omega" and others have been completely removed. In 1735, the Academy of Sciences abolished some letters.

In 1917-1918, the alphabet lost the letters "yat", "izhitsa", "fita" and "er". What are the reasons for their abolition? For example, the letter "yat", reminiscent of the sign of the image of the planet Saturn, is ѣ. She had the same sound with the letter "e". The use of the letter "yat" was subject to difficult-to-learn rules and complicated the learning process. There was a saying: "know well" - it means to know very well, to know the most difficult thing. The letter "er" (b) up to 1917-1918 had an extra function - the designation of the hardness of the final consonant in the word, for example: garden, table. For this she was nicknamed "loafer", "loafer". A lot of time and paper was spent on this letter. For example, in the 19th century, advertising signs on the streets looked like this: "Warehouse of manufactured goods. " It is clear that the letter "er" is superfluous here.

Officially 33 letters of the Russian alphabet have been used since 1942. The reason for the disappearance of letters was that their meaningful function was used only in writing, and they sounded the same. nine0003

But the disappeared letters of the alphabet still "live" in proverbs and sayings. For example:

From Aza to Izhitsa.

Sit on the basics.

First, az and beeches, and then science.

Az and beeches will not get rid of flour.

Don't poke your nose, Izhitsa, go ahead.

Each letter of the Old Russian alphabet has its own name. If we read these names in alphabetical order, we will receive a wise instruction for posterity: "Az beeches vede. The verb is good. Live green, earth, and like people, think our rest. Rtsy word is firm - uk faret kher. Tsy, worm, shta ra yus yati! nine0003

In translation, this means: "I know the letters: a letter is a treasure.