If you’re looking for an interactive way to reinforce the letter learning that your KneeBouncer is doing when they play our games like Balloon Popper or Cookie Caper, then Chelsea Day from Some Day I’ll Learn has a great idea!
Create alphabet balls! Alphabet balls create a multitude of ways to develop letter learning! This fun activity can adapt to your child’s abilities by changing how you play. For example, you can use buckets to match letters, like our Cupcake Catch game, or practice letter recall skills by spreading the balls and asking your child to find individual letters.
There are a handful of great ideas on the blog, but all you need to get started is a pack of plastic play pit balls and a permanent marker.
Start by writing upper case letters on the balls. And, if you have enough, you can make two of each letter and play a letter-matching game with your tot!
Once they mastered most upper case letters, meaning they can identify 15-20 letters, start sprinkling lower case letters in too!
Other Fun Ways to Reinforce Letter Learning
- Use a blanket to create popcorn letters by bouncing them in the air. If a ball falls off, your child has to retrieve it and name the letter!
- Use the balls to work on color recognition and matching.
- Play ABC Hide-and-Seek by hiding different letters for your child to find.
- Practice matching upper case and lower case letters.
- We recommend you use the same color for the upper and lower case letters to build initial recognition. For example, both “A” and “a” should be red, and “B” and “b” yellow, and so on.
- Have your child choose a letter ball and then find an object that starts with the same letter.
- Allow for free play and exploration with the Alphabeth Balls; what your child comes up with may surprise and astound you!
Additional Skills Developed
More than letter learning occurs when your toddler or preschooler plays with Alphabet Balls! Additionally, they are developing fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, gross motor skills, problem-solving, and color recognition.
When your child plays with purpose, the learning goes much deeper than what’s on the surface, so look for other opportunities to stretch and expand play every day!
Updated May 10, 2023, by L. Elizabeth Forry
