What you need:
- Sticks.
- Tape, yarn, hot glue (or something else to attach the sticks together).
- String or yarn.
Directions:
- Gather sticks from outside.
- Lay out the different letters you want to make using the sticks collected.
- You might have to go collect a few more.
- Attach the sticks together so the letter shapes stay how you want them.
- Attach string to the letter so that you hang them outside or around the house.
- One friend can hide the letters and the others go on a hunt to find them!
Ways to Expand the Activity:
- During the hunt for letters, create a rule where you have to find the letters in a certain order. For example, if you hide all the letters in your name, you have to locate them in the order your name is spelled.
- Make numbers too! How can you make a double digit number?
- Point out letters in everyday life and make their sounds. Use product packaging, books or signs to help teach letter identification. For example “I see the letter ‘B’ on this bread wrapper. That’s what makes the ‘buh’ sound that helps me read the word ‘bread.’
What Kids Learn:
- Letter recognition. Being able to identify letters is a building block for reading and language.
- Compare and contrast. Children learn the critical skill of visual discrimination when they compare letter shapes and structures.
- Spatial or visual thinking. Being able to imagine the positions of objects and how they interact is an important skill for learning math.
- Fine motor skills. Kids practice using the small muscles in their hands later used for writing.