Learning the Alphabet – in a Beachy Sensory Way!
My J.C. is heading to school next year. (Queue the tearful blubbering mama!)
We actually haven’t decided between Pre-K or Kindergarten yet. He qualifies for Pre-K through the school district but qualifies for Kindergarten at my older kids’ charter school. We’re still debating which would be best for him. Both are full days. But much different environments and expectations. There are so many pros and cons to weight – as with every parenting decision it seems. (If you have any experience or insight to share on the issue, I’d certainly welcome it. Join the conversation in this discussion thread in the B-Inspired Mama Facebook Group!)
I’m honestly not stressing too much about him being “ready.” I mean – I’m not going to “prep” him like a drill sergeant. But if an activity is educational AND fun for him, I’m all about that. And if it’s easy for me to set up or naturally weave into our day – even better!
So I was super excited when we checked the mail last week and found our advanced copy of my dear blogging friends’ new book…
100 Fun & Easy Learning Games for Kids
, by Amanda Boyarshinov & Kim Vij of The Educators’ Spin On It.
It’s a beautiful, colorful book full of seriously easy and crazy fun learning games – and it’s where I found inspiration for this fun way of learning the alphabet…
Seashells and Sand Sensory Writing – for Learning the Alphabet
The activity in the book actually focuses on practicing writing sight words. But I just took the idea and modified it for my preschool aged J.C. who’s working on learning the alphabet. It was super easy to set up – and there are countless ways to play and learn.
Disclaimer: This activity has been reprinted with permission from the publisher from 100 Fun & Easy Learning Games for Kids. I did receive an advanced review copy of the book from the publisher. However, all opinions are authentic and my own. Also, this post contains affiliate links. Which just means if you make a purchase after clicking a link, I will receive a small percentage of the sale – without your price being any higher! Thank you for your continued support. For more information, see my disclosure policy.
Materials:
and a 
Directions to Make:
- Write the letters of the alphabet onto seashells. (Or sight words in your child is learning those.)
- Place the seashells in the bowl.
- Spread the sand out on the tray.
Directions to Play:
- Players take turns pulling seashells from the container.
- Once they’ve selected them, players identify the letter and write it in the sand.
- Continue to play until all the letter seashells are discovered and written in the sand.
Game Variations:
- Form words from letter shells in the sand and write them in the sand container.
- Write numbers on the shells for players to discover and write.
- Hide the shells under the sand for players to “dig out” and then say.
While writing the letters (or sight words) in the sand with their finger, kids strengthen their fine motor skills and activate their tactile sensory system. The addition of that rich-textured experience helps to build different neural pathways in the brain – hopefully making learning more rich and permanent for the child.
As another spin on it, J.C. loved using the pointy shells as writing tools, too. Which gave him some additional fine motor skill and also early pencil grasp practice.
After I went through each letter of the alphabet with him, I set up the letters of his name for him to practice identifying and writing his name, too.
Then he just played independently burying and discovering the shells and writing in the sand for another 20 minutes or so.
I think this might be his favorite way to learn the alphabet and practice writing yet!
Want More Easy & Fun Learning Game Ideas?
DEFINITELY – get this book!
I’m not just saying that because Amanda and Kim are my blogging mama buds. I’m saying that because I’m so incredibly impressed with the book – the bright colorful photos, the brilliant learning ideas, the easy to understand instructions, the focus on making learning FUN, right down to the silky thick paper it’s printed on.
You won’t regret buying this awesome book.
More Ideas for Learning the Alphabet:
Disclaimer: This activity has been reprinted with permission from the publisher from 100 Fun & Easy Learning Games for Kids. I did receive an advanced review copy of the book from the publisher. However, all opinions are authentic and my own. Also, this post contains affiliate links. Which just means if you make a purchase after clicking a link, I will receive a small percentage of the sale – without your price being any higher! Thank you for your continued support. For more information, see my disclosure policy.
Leave a Reply