Happy August! I don’t know about you, but we are soaking up as much sun and fun as we possibly can, before our little nugget heads off to kindergarten in a few weeks. Which means that we’ve been spending a lot of time combining learning activities with water play…in our own backyard! On Tuesday, we shared our favorite Sight Word Stomp + Splash activity. And today, we’re sticking with the same water-play/literacy theme, and sharing one of our favorite activities from years past…this simple Summertime Letter + Number Match!
It’s important to master the letters of the alphabet before you start learning to read…so, for the previous two summers we spent a lot of time focusing on letter recognition. At the same time, we worked on number recognition – an equally important and valuable skill. And I always tried to find fun, new ways for our daughter to practice. As I mentioned in our previous post…magic happens when you make the learning process fun! When learning is fun, children are more excited and engaged!
How do you make a letter and number recognition activity fun for little ones on a hot summer day? It’s easy! You combine colorful foam letters and numbers, sidewalk chalk, and refreshingly cool water – and you turn it all into a giant matching game!
Summertime Letter + Number Match
Supplies:
- Foam Letters and Numbers
- Sidewalk Chalk (we love this Crayola set of 72)
- Water Table or Large Plastic Tub (this is the water table that we have)
Instructions:
- Using a piece of sidewalk chalk, start by writing all of the letters in the alphabet (upper and/or lowercase), as well as the numbers 0-9, on a concrete surface (patio, driveway, sidewalk, etc.).
- Fill a water table or large plastic tub with water (we used cold water from an outdoor faucet/hose).
- Dump all of the foam letters and numbers into the water and give them a good swirl.
- Instruct your kiddos to pick a letter or number from the water, and place it on top of the matching letter or number (written on the ground in chalk).
- Repeat the process until all of the letters and numbers have been matched!
Do you want to make the activity even more engaging? As your child matches a letter, ask them to tell you a word that begins with that letter. If they match a number, ask them to count up to that number (or back down from that number).
If your little ones are anything like mine, they will want to place the letters and numbers back in the water table…and start the activity all over again. π When they have had their fill, you can simply spray the sidewalk chalk with a hose…or just wait for a thunderstorm to roll through.
Another similar activity (that can be done during any time of year) is an ABC + Number Window Wipe! All you need is a window (or sliding glass door), some washable window markers, and a wet paper towel or wash cloth.
Using the window markers, write letters and/or numbers on the glass. Hand your little one a wet rag, and take your places next to the glass window or door. Call out a letter or number, and have your child erase that letter or number with the wet rag…until all of the letters and numbers have disappeared. This is a great way to work on differentiating between uppercase and lowercase letters. And you can even ditch the wet rag, and use the same colorful foam letters and numbers from before (they will stick to glass if you dip them in water first).
For more letter recognition activities, make sure to check out our DIY Alphabet Magnet Puzzle, our Alphabet Train, and our Hidden Letters – Watercolor Paint Resist Activity. For more number recognition activities, make sure to check out our Counting Caterpillar, our Number Buckets, and our Counting & Number Recognition Activities.
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