Letter Writing

This is a very simple phonics activity to try at home with toddlers and older kids too. It not only helps with quick recall of the phonics sounds but also with the formation of the letters. It can be easily adapted to be made more complicated with older children. Asking them to write diagraphs (two letters once sound eg. sh) or trigraphs (three letters one sound eg. igh)

Set up:

I used the salt from ourBear Activity Box and an old small baking tray. I also added some wooden letters. If you do not have any you could also create some letter cards by simply writing a few different letters on small pieces of paper or sticky notes. For M I chose ones that I knew she found tricky to write, a, b, d, p. All these letters have very similar formation but M would often start in the wrong place or go in the wrong direction first of all.

F wanted to get stuck straight in with her hands and enjoyed mark making. When I showed her how to form a letter she tried to copy and could attempt to go round or ups and downs. With F my focus was also on getting her to say the sound that the letter made as she attempted to write it. “a, a, a” M used the paint brush that I had set out and to start off with would forget which way to start but then started to get the hang of it. We ended up having a game of quick draw. Where she would start with the paintbrush flat on the table hands on her lap. And the as soon as I said a letter she had to attempt to draw it as quickly as possible. Each time trying to get quicker but also more accurate. This is actually an activity that I have now left out and F in particular will revisit independently and enjoy being the “teacher” and writer!