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Letter formation can be learned in a variety of ways!
One of my favorite ways to bring forth learning the letters of the alphabet, is to make it fun.
Having taught both my littles, this was a very fun and engaging way for them to learn pre-writing skills.
I’ll be sharing below the many ways you can go about using this alphabet letter formation printable.
Related: Looking for an all in one Preschool Activity Binder? This is our favorite Preschool Learning Folder.
Get the Letter Cards Below:
Letter formation activities are filled with benefits:
Pre writing skills
Hand eye coordination
Fine motor skills practice
Sensory input
Phonemic awareness
Letter recognition (letter sounds)
And, more.
Teaching Letter Formation
Uppercase Letters and Lowercase Letters
I’ve provided uppercase and lowercase letters within the letter formation printable we used.
I suggest working on lowercase first and then moving over to uppercase letters.
Why is this?
In the real world, most of what is written is all in lowercase.
It can be a bit confusing for littles to learn the alphabet in uppercase first.
This is how we like to work on learning letter formation, letter sounds.. But I always like to say do what works best for you and your child/student as each child is different. 🙂
Letter Sounds
When it comes to learning the formation of a letter, we usually tend to write it out or “play it out” (play it out – adding stickers, manipulatives..).
While doing this we will say the letter sounds aloud.
Learning letter sounds is a wonderful way to learn and incorporate pre-reading skills.
When we read, we sound out the words and so this is a big help in practicing letter formation while also practicing letter sounds.
Letter Formation Activities
We love practicing fun ways to write letters.
Instead of using a pencil or marker, we love using manipulatives to make it fun!
I am a big fan of learning through play and play to learn activities.
These are some of the manipulatives we use in this specific alphabet formation printable:
Jelly Beans
Jelly beans and kids cereal snacks are also fun for learning alphabet letter formation.
Stickers
Use stickers to make it fun while also practicing fine motor skills.
Finger tracing
You can’t go wrong with finger tracing. It is a classic and perfect way to incorporate sensory, hand eye coordination and fine motor skills.
Pipe cleaners
Pipe cleaners are a wonderful way to practice letter formation. They are bendable, can be made into different sizes and work wonders in practicing letters.
Pom poms
Pom poms are a wonderful way to learn letters, practice counting and color recognition. Use a little elmers glue to make it more fun!
Glitter Glue/Glue
We love using glue or glitter glue to make things sparkly and fun for learning the alphabet.
Playdough
Playdough or Slime is a wonderful way to mold playdough/slime into letters and the alphabet. Benefits: fine motor practice.
Crayons and markers
A good old classic is to use crayons and markers. Make it fun by creating designs like hearts , stars, stripes and lines.
Sequins
Another fun way to practice letter formation is to add sequins. We used these Easter sequins for learning letters in a fun way!
Dry erase marker
Dry erase markers are a great way to reuse the letter cards over again. Laminate the cards, take them on the go and practice letters with your dry erase marker!
Q tip painting
Q Tips are a wonderful way to practice letter formation. Get creative, use many colors and dot away!
Washi tape
Washi tape is a great way to practice tracing letters.
Watercolors
Create designs with a white crayon and use watercolors to make it extra fun!
Stamps
Tracing with stamps is a wonderful way to practice making letters.
Mini erasers
Use mini erasers to create an epic set of letters. Talk about play to learn fun! 🙂
Salt tray
We love making salt trays. This is one we made for a March theme and was so much fun for practicing letters formation.
If your little one is not practicing handwriting at the moment, some of these manipulatives can be a wonderful way for them to practice letter formation.
Here are even more letter formation and alphabet printables:
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