Alphabet Activities for Preschoolers

Alphabet activities for preschoolers are a great way to make learning fun. Children are born as little explorers, wanting to learn all about the world around them. To them, play is their work. When provided with the right resources their play becomes a fun learning experience.

Listening to your little one sing their ABC’s for the first time is an exciting moment. Soon they start learning to recognize letters and letter sounds. Before long they start reading and writing words!

But how do they get to that reading and writing stage? It all starts with creating a strong, solid foundation that they can build on. These fun learning activities will help you build that foundation.

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ABC Activities for Preschoolers

Below you will find a collection of hands-on alphabet learning activities, ideas and great resources to help your child learn the letters of the alphabet in a fun way, continuing their work as play – and learning new skills along the way.

1. Look for letters everywhere – around the house, in stores, on buildings, on vehicles.
2. Sing the alphabet song.
   • When children sing the alphabet they are learning the names of the letters and the order they’re in alphabetically, pointing to each letter as you sing also helps to recognize the letters.
3. Make letters with play dough.
4. Make a book of letters. Have your child cut out letters and pictures from magazines. Use one page for each letter.

5. Use Letter Cookie Cutters

• Use letter cookie cutters to cut out letters with play dough.
• Let your child use letter cookie cutters to cut out letters in foods like jello, a sandwich, watermelon, or cranberry sauce.

7. Make letters with snack foods: pretzels, Goldfish, or cheerios.
8. Paint with sponge letters.
9.  Send postcards to a distant relative. This was one of my favorite activities with my daughter and her Great Grandfather. Working her way from A -Z, we looked for a postcard starting with the letter we were on. When she found one she would dictate highlights of what was happening in her life and mail it off to him.

Practice Writing Letters

9. Practice writing letters in kinetic sand, rice, or shaving cream.
10. Practice writing letters outside with something like a stick or seashell in beach sand, dirt, or a sandbox.
11. Write letters on a chalkboard with a paintbrush dipped in water. 
    Bonus Lesson: Have your child watch the letters disappear. Introduce your child to the word evaporation. Preschoolers LOVE big words!

Letters of their Name 

12. Print your child’s name on a piece of paper and let them
    • Trace the letters with a marker, crayon, or pencil
    • paint over the letters of their name             
    • place dots from dot markers or dot stickers on each letter
13. Write your child’s name on a card and let them find the letters of their name using letter magnets or letter blocks.
14. Use activities like LeapFrog Fridge Phonics Magnetic Letter Set to help reinforce letter sounds in a fun way.

Check out educational shows that focus on the letters of the alphabet like Sesame Street, Super Why, Leapfrog Letter Factory and YouTube videos like Jack Hartman’s Let’s Learn About The Alphabet.

Alphabet Books

Make reading a huge part of your child’s life. Find the best preschool books to read aloud to your child every day. Look for things your child is interested in and then find books about them.

Below is a list of some of the best alphabet books for kids – look for them at yard sales, thrift stores, and the library.

• Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin, Jr
• Dr Seuss’s ABCs by Dr. Seuss
• Bob and Larry’s ABCs (Veggie Tales) by Phil Visher
• A to Z  by Sandra Boynton
• Z was Zapped by Chris Van Allsburg
• Alphabet Mystery by Audrey Wood
• ABCs of Art by Sabrina Hahn (An interesting way to introduce letters and art masterpieces)
• ABC Animals!: A Scanimation Picture Book by Rufus Butler Seder
• An Alphabet Eye Spy (Poke-a-dot book) by Melissa and Doug
• I Spy Letters by Jean Marzollo
• The Alphabet Book by P.D. Eastman
• Sing the ABCs by Cali Books (A fun interactive book that you can sing along with.)

More Fun Alphabet Activities for Preschoolers

You are sure to find even more fun ways to teach the alphabet with this collection of letter activities for preschoolers. You’ll find letter crafts, and great activities to teach letter recognition and letter sounds. These preschool letter activities can easily be adjusted to your child’s developmental level.

1. Awesome Alphabet Activities for Preschoolers by How Wee Learn
2. 50 Easy Alphabet Activities for Preschoolers by Happy Toddler Playtime
3. 25+ Alphabet Activities for Preschoolers by Natural Beach Living
4. 60 Easy ABC Activities for Preschoolers by Taming Little Monsters
5. 50+ Alphabet Activities for Kids by Busy Toddler

ABC Songs

Looking for ABC songs that teach the letters of the alphabet and letter sounds? I’ve compiled a list of preschool favorites on a Spotify playlist for your little one to enjoy.

Also, be sure to check:

• Letter of the Alphabet A- Z
• Pre Reading Skills for Preschoolers
• Best Books for Kids Learning to Read
• Preschool Activities page

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