By this age, your toddler may enjoy listening to an alphabet song and singing along. This quick and simple activity will help to bring your toddler’s attention to printed letters in his environment. During these preschool years, it’s all about exposure to letters. After seeing letters in books and in the environment over and over again, your child will begin to master letter names and sounds.
- small sticky notes
- marker
Step 1: Look for objects in the room that have print on them. In the kitchen, you may see letters on food items, dishes, wall art or other decorative pieces. In your child’s bedroom, you may see letters on a toy box, books, bedding or toys. Outside, look for letters on play equipment, riding toys and yard ornaments.
Step 2: On a sticky note, write the first letter or any letter on the object and stick the note on it.
Step 3: As you walk into the room and discover a sticky note, bring it to your child’s attention. Using a surprised voice, you might say:
Jesse, What is that on the milk container? I see a sticky note. Can you go get it and bring it to me? Look, the sticky note has a letter on it. That’s the Letter M. I see the Letter M on the milk container.
You might sing or say: M for milk, /m/ /m/ M.
Look, there is another sticky note on Daddy’s cup! Let me see, this is the Letter C. C for coffee, /c/ /c/ C.
Step 4: Encourage your child to place the sticky note back on the object he found it on. As he does, sing or say the letter sound again. Invite him to sing or say it with you. Look for more sticky notes and sing the letter sounds and names together.
Step 5: Try this game in another room at another time.
