One of the major concepts students learn in preschool and kindergarten is the alphabet. Research has shown that alphabet knowledge is one of the strongest predictors of reading success by third grade (NAEYC, 2009). This is why it is so important to teach the alphabet and teach it to mastery in preschool and kindergarten. In this post I'm going to show you 4 alphabet centers that you can use in your classroom to help students develop that alphabet knowledge. These centers help students identify the upper and lowercase letter, identify the order of the alphabet letters, produce the letter sound at the beginning of words, and practice the formation of the letters.
1. ABC Mitten Match
In this center students match the upper and lowercase letters on each mitten. There are 3 colors to help students scaffold their learning but still requires them to focus on the letter.
2. Beginning Sound Igloos
Students will identify the letter sound written on each igloo. The students will then find the pictures that have that sound as their beginning sound. Students will fill in all the spaces on the igloo according to the beginning sound.
3. Snowman ABC Order
There are 2 letters printed on each snowball of the snowman. Students will identify which letter belongs between the two letters to complete the abc order. Students will write in the missing alphabet letter. Repeat with other snowman cards until all the missing letters are complete.
4. Snowflake Writing
Students can use the snowflake cards to practice writing upper and lowercase letters. These snowflake cards can also be used as regular flashcards to match upper and lowercase letters or put letters in abc order.
These are just a few activities you will find in my classroom this month. Each one of these activities foster necessary skills students need to become successful readers. All of these centers are available in my TPT store- Family and Child Development Lab.
