Favorite things letter identification can be used as a means of reinforcing previously taught letters, or as an introduction to new letters.
Begin with a magnetic board with magnetic counters. (I used round magnets with colored dot stickers on them.) On a sheet of paper, draw a large picture of something your child adores. For William it was a train, Corinne a butterfly. I also drew a helicopter and a puppy. Once you are satisfied with the design, trace over it with marker, then add several dot stickers and laminate or place in a clear protective plastic sheet. Then, once it is protected with plastic, use a wet erase marker to write the desired focus letters on each dot. Prepare a dice with the same letters.
Invite your child to roll the dice and identify the letter name on it. Then, have your child use a magnet to cover up a letter on the favorite things drawing that matches.
While Corinne knows about half her letters, I chose to have her practice shapes instead, following the same steps as above. Because I laminated these sheets and then used a wet erase marker to label the dot stickers, they can be erased and used for multiple purposes.
Enjoy!
Join our community!
I am Sarah, an educator turned stay-at-home mama of five! I am 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 range of levels, including preschool and college, and a little bit of just about 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
Anna @ The Measured Mom says
August 8, 2013 at 4:25 amI love this! For my 3 year old, it would be a cowboy. 🙂 Although I would need to find something to trace, because I definitely don’t draw as beautifully as you! Thanks for a really great idea.
preschool in phoenix az says
August 10, 2013 at 11:21 pmWhat an idea! It is realy so cute and glorious. I really enjoyed looking at all your beautiful string quilts. Wow. I am inspired to add one to my ‘need to try’ list. Thanks!
Rebecca says
August 30, 2013 at 11:42 pmIs there a post where you list the place you buy school/activity supplies? I have read several posts where I like the activity but I am not sure what the materials are called. For this post I am curious about what brand your laminator is. I love the idea of dressing up the magnets too. Such a creative way to learn so much and economical with the dry erase. Thanks for all the wonderful ideas!
Sarah says
August 31, 2013 at 10:14 pmI purchase a lot of my materials on Amazon, including the laminator I use (Scotch Thermal Laminator). It is just a cheap one, but it works very, very well for me and i have had no issues with it, although sometimes I wish it were bigger. Much of my supplies were also purchased from large school supply companies from my days teaching elementary school. I will try to link to sites when using specific materials.
Rebecca says
September 1, 2013 at 11:30 amThank you. I have heard great things about that laminator too so I will probably go with that. We are stepping up homeschool this year with many fun activities instead of mostly bookwork. I think I found the geometry type pattern game on amazon like you said. Maybe I will have to make a trip to a school supply store. I am sure it would be fun. 🙂 Thanks again for all the wonderful posts and inspiration!