10 Hands-On Literacy Activities (ages 3-6)
Most preschool and kindergarten aged children are tactile, kinesthetic and visual learners. Activities that engage these learning styles are the most effective way to supplement your child’s education at home. Whether playing games, using flashcards, singing rhymes and songs or drawing pictures, using a variety of activities will engage your child so you keep their interest and have fun while learning. Need some ideas for age and developmentally appropriate activities for your preschooler? Here are 10 hands-on literacy activities for ages 3-6.
1. Online Games – Playing games on the computer has a general appeal for kids. Using these resources teaches them technology skills, hand-eye coordination, gets their brain moving. Check out these cool literacy building online games: Funbrain Reading and Vocab, The Magic School Bus Gets An Earful Sound Game, Scholastic Building Language Game (Naming, Letters and Rhyming), pbs kids: Super Why Rhyme ‘n Roll Game
2. Board Games – Board games can get the whole family involved! Teach your kids valuable life lessons while learning about literacy – like taking turns, cooperation, being a good sport, supporting others, and social interactions/communication. Try these board games: Alphabet Squiggle Game
3. Puzzles – Puzzles come in tons of variations, and get small motor skills going as well as improving cognitive skills. Here are a few ideas: Melissa & Doug Alphabet Letter Puzzles
4. Flashcards – You can buy alphabet and phonics flashcards at many stores, even the dollar store. Try Speakaboos online interactive alphabet flashcards. OR, Course Hero is an awesome online source for creating your very own personalized flashcards! It’s mainly used by older students as a study tool, but you can make them for your child and print them out or use them in conjunction with the free app.
5. Manipulatives – Manipulative are small items your kids can use in a ton of different ways to learn things from counting to upper and lowercase letters while developing fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. They usually come in fun, bright colors which are appealing to kids and teach preschoolers colors as well! You can find manipulatives in lots of stores, and here are a few kits to try out: Alphabet Soup Sorters
6. Colorful Catapult – Alter this catapult game from Spoonful by writing letters on plates instead of numbers.
7. Fly Swatter Letters – Delia Creates shares really fun ideas for learning while playing outside. In addition to the fly swatter game, she also shows how to play the letter game with squirt guns, how to write letters with a spray bottle, and how to play Number and Letter Twister!
8. DIY Salt Tray – Check out This Mummas Life for directions on making this salt tray, a fun way for kids to trace letters and practice writing.
9. Letter Walk – This fun take on a scavenger hunt uses super simple, everyday items to teach kids letters and starting sounds, while getting them up and moving around! Check it out on Learning and Playing in 2 Bedrooms or Less.
10. Flashlight Alphabet Game – If your kids are anything like mine, they’ll go nuts over this fun hide and seek game – played in the dark with the aid of an alphabet puzzle and a flashlight. It’s super easy to set up – go get the details on Happily Ever After Mom.
Playing with kids is a great way for them to learn without even realizing it! Are you looking for more fun learning activities for 3-6 year old kids? Try these 8 Hands-On Science Activities!
Kimberly Mueller is the “me” over at bugaboo, mini, mr & me, a blog that highlights her creative endeavors. She especially likes to share kid crafts, sewing attempts, recipes, upcycled projects, photography and free printable gift tags/cards. When she’s not enjoying being married to her best friend, chasing after the natives (AKA her three kids) and attempting to keep the house in one piece, you can find her with a glue gun in one hand and spray paint in the other. Aside from DIY pursuits, she also enjoys writing, reading, music, singing (mostly in the shower) and the color yellow. Kimberly recently published a craft book entitled Modern Mod Podge. You can also find her on Facebook, Pinterest, Bloglovin’ and Instagram. Email her at: bugabooblog(at)yahoo.com
Puzzles and flashcard are more beneficial for kids in my views