This is the perfect time of year to teach your preschoolers all about letters. With these alphabet activities for Christmas, they’ll be learning and having fun! This is just one of many free Christmas printables I have on my site.
Grab you free printable at the end of this post, and be sure to read all the different ways you can use this single printable.
One Printable – 3 Alphabet Activities for Christmas
I love doing activities that involve letters, especially during the holiday season! There’s just something special about being surrounded by winter wonderland decorations and holiday music. It really brings out the holiday spirit while learning important literacy skills.
This abc printable is one you’ll want to use through all your December lesson plans because there is more than one way to use it. I’ve highlighted several alphabet games below! Then you’ll find even more free alphabet printables for Christmas at the end of this post, right after your download!
FAQ About Teaching the Alphabet
Preschoolers need a lot of exposure to the alphabet. They need explicit instruction as well as plenty of indirect alphabet instruction.
That’s where letter knowledge builds through playful and natural activities in day to day life. To start teaching your preschooler the alphabet, try these things:
~ Read lots and lots of picture books!
~ Point out print around you.
~ Teach your child the letters of his name.
~ Teach each letter explicitly.
~ Do lots of whole alphabet activities, too.
~ Do hands-on alphabet activities.
~ Sing letter songs.
The alphabet should not be taught in alphabetical order. Teaching the alphabet in order puts a big focus on those beginning letters. Those are probably going to be the ones that your child sees and remembers most, since that Alphabet Song is so catchy!
Instead, teach the letters in order of how frequently they appear easily decodable words. Letters like s, t, r, m, n, a, o, and p should be taught first. These are “high-frequency” letters and emphasis on these letters first will allow children to quickly start reading simple words.
Many preschool alphabet activities that are done in the classroom can also be done at home. Beginning sound activities like these Beginning Sound Picture Seek Mats are a good option, as well as these Beginning Sound Fill-in Cards and these Year Long Alphabet Find and Circle Worksheets.
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Don’t Forget About Christmas Picture Books
One of the most effective ways of teaching any literacy skill is to read picture books to children. Here are some of our favorite picture books for Christmas time, and some are even Christmas alphabet books!
Christmas Lights Alphabet Activities for Preschoolers
It is fun to sneak in learning….even at Christmas time! Whether you teach in a classroom or at home, it is easy to incorporate learning the alphabet, name recognition, and even sight words with a Christmas theme. That’s what this freebie can do!
Materials
- free alphabet matching activity
- scissors
The Set Up
Print and cut apart the lowercase Christmas tree lights cards. Do the same with the uppercase light bulbs. You can go all out and cut apart each light bulb, or just cut apart the grid. Laminate for added durability.
Put the uppercase letters in one pile, and the lowercase letters in another. Then invite your preschooler to join you in some Christmasy letter learning fun!
Don’t have a preschooler? Keep reading to find out how you can use this printable for your kindergarten literacy center, too!
How to Use These Christmas Printable Activities
Like all my favorite alphabet activities for preschoolers, there’s more than one way to use these alphabet worksheets. You can do more than just letter matching! Keep reading to see how I use them for name recognition and even basic CVC word building.
Match Upper and Lowercase Letters
The most simple way to use these Christmas alphabet cards is by simply matching the uppercase letters with the lowercase letters.
Your preschooler will probably be overwhelmed if you set out all the cards at once. That would be 52 cards to sort through. Instead, try setting out only a handful of letters at one time. This will be more manageable for your preschooler and will help them feel encouraged by their success.
Use These Cards for Name Spelling
Since these are a set of letter cards, you can use them for name recognition activities. If your preschooler is still learning how to spell his name, then pull the letters to make his name. Write the name in large letters on a piece of paper and then invite your preschooler to copy the spelling of their name.
As they work, be sure to have them say each letter name out loud so they can practice name recognition, too. Then, have them point to each letter and say its sound.
Put the Letter Cards in Alphabetical Order
Of course you can always use these cards to put the letters in alphabetical order. Have your preschoolers sing the alphabet song while doing so.
Use the Letter Cards for Word Building
Older preschoolers and especially kindergarten students can use the letter cards to build words. I am a huge fan of word building and include such activities in all my printable preschool centers.
Word building helps children in the following ways:
- It helps children learn to listen to all the sounds in a word and to sound out every sound in a word.
- Word building helps children sequence those sounds in the correct order.
- It helps children understand that every letter in a word is associated with a sound — that letter symbols relate to letter sounds.
Christmas Lights Alphabet Printable
This Christmas lights alphabet match printable is a fun and festive way to practice early literacy skills during the holiday season! Keep these printable instructions with your Christmas lights alphabet to maximize the learning possibilities.
Materials
- Free Christmas Lights Alphabet Printable
- Scissors
Tools
- Laminator (optional)
Instructions
- Print and cut apart the lowercase Christmas tree lights cards. Do the same with the uppercase light bulbs.
- Option 1: Match uppercase and lowercase letters. Start with only a handful of letters at a time.
- Option 2: Use the letters for name recognition activities. Separate out the letters of a child's name. Write the name in large letters on a piece of paper and then invite your preschooler to copy the spelling of their name.
- Option 3: Put the letters in alphabetical order, singing the alphabet song as a guide.
- Option 4: Use the letters for word building, CVC words, or sight words.
Notes
Laminate the printed letters for extra durability.
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Get Your Free Christmas Alphabet Matching Activity Here
Think you need to try these letter learning activities in your Christmas lesson plans this December? I agree! Your preschoolers and kindergarten students are going to love these literacy activities.
Fill out the form below, then keep reading for even more Christmas printables.
More Christmas Learning Printables
I’m Sarah, an educator turned stay-at-home-mama of five! I’m the owner and creator of Stay At Home Educator, a website about intentional teaching and purposeful learning in the early childhood years. I’ve taught a range of levels, from preschool to college and a little bit of everything in between. Right now my focus is teaching my children and running a preschool from my home. Credentials include: Bachelors in Art, Masters in Curriculum and Instruction.
