I love using wood for learning materials because of their durability, their aesthetic, their versatility, but it can get costly very quickly. So I started making various learning materials out of these inexpensive tumbling blocks and have been so pleased with them.
MATERIALS
- Jenga Blocks/Generic Wooden Tumbling Blocks
- Sheet of Adhesive Mailbox Letters
INSTRUCTIONS
Though it hardly seems necessary…
- Peel and stick. (If the sticker adhesive begins to fade I plan to seal these with a coat of Mod Podge, but so far they’ve held up just fine without it.)
- I began with just one sticker per block, but have since gone back and added a second letter to the flip side to make it easier to spell words with repeat letters.
ACTIVITIES
- Scavenger Hunt— Print out any sort of worksheet that has the alphabet on it. Hide the letter blocks and have your child find them. Help your child to cross off each letter as it’s found.
- Letter Manipulatives for Spelling Practice— If you plan to use these for practicing spelling, you’ll definitely want to make multiples of some letters. Practice spelling names or words from books or flashcards.
- Letter Match— These letter blocks can be paired with the free printable alphabet flashcards. Match the letter block with the corresponding letter flashcard. We usually lay out just a few at a time for little ones.
- Alphabet Soup— Write up a few different “recipes” for alphabet soup. Have the child follow the recipe and add the letter blocks listed on the card to the pot.
- Stacking—Even without an organized activity, these can also just be played with by your child with particular intention given to narrating and naming the letters as you play with them. “Let’s see if this ‘A’ will work here…” or “Can you pass me the ‘L’, please?”.
