Sunglasses Alphabet Matching Free Printable

So, you’ve spent the last year prepping your preschooler for pre-k or kinder, and now we’re headed into summer. Do you have enough alphabet activities to prevent the “summer slide?” These summer alphabet activities will help keep your preschooler practicing (and remembering) his letters all summer long!

Sunglasses Alphabet Matching Activity for Summer

Ok…so who doesn’t love a preschooler or toddler in sunglasses? I mean, does it get any cuter than a little kid in adult sunglasses?!

I think not.

My youngest loves to wear my sunglasses. He puts them on and pushes them up on his nose with his grubby palm, leaving smudges and fingerprints so thick the lenses become opaque. I see myself in the blue polarized lenses, and my son smiles a giant smile that happens to look just like mine, and then says, “Look at me, Mommy!”

“Look at you in my sunglasses,” I say back to him.

And then he says to me, “So cool! So cool!” as he does what looks like the chicken dance.

It’s stinkin’ cute!…even though I hate it when he touches my sunglasses. I can look past the smudges and the potential of having to purchase a new pair when he bends the springs backward because my son is so stinkin’ cute with those oversized sunglasses slipped down his tiny nose.

That’s what inspired this sunglasses alphabet activity for preschoolers.

At first glance, this may just look like a single summer alphabet activity, but I’m actually offering five different ways to practice letter matching and letter identification with just this one printable. Be sure to read all about those extra letter activities!

5 Summer Alphabet Activities for Preschoolers

Why waste time searching for more alphabet activities when you can use a single printable like this one to play so many different letter games? Just print once and your preschooler can practice the letters of the alphabet all summer long.

Sunglasses Alphabet Matching Activity for Preschoolers

Ok, this first one is pretty obvious. These sunglasses are meant to be cut right in half and used as letter identification and matching puzzles. Prepare the puzzles for your preschooler by printing on heavy cardstock and laminating for added durability. Then, cut the rectangle around each pair of sunglasses, and then snip down the middle of the sunglasses along the gray line to make each pair into a puzzle.

If you have a young preschooler, offering the entire alphabet at once can be overwhelming. Start with just a few letters. But, if you have a preschooler who is heading to kindergarten this fall, then offering the entire alphabet at once may be manageable. One tip though…if the sunglasses pieces get mixed up while you are cutting them apart, start the alphabet activity by having your preschooler sort the upper case and lower case letters.

Alphabet Memory Game for Preschoolers

Any summer alphabet activity like this one can be easily turned into a memory game. (I grew up calling this game Memory, but some people call it Concentration.) Select a handful of letters, maybe twelve letters for a soon-to-be kinder, and just four letters for a very young preschooler. Mix up the upper and lower case letters and then lay them face down on a table in rows. The object of the game is to match the letters by taking turns flipping over two cards you think might match. The risk is that if the cards don’t match, you have to turn them back over and remember where every letter is!

What’s Wrong? Alphabet Game for Toddlers

My toddler has been loving this game lately! I have trouble getting him interested in letters,  so I’m glad I’ve finally found a game he will respond to.

Arrange the sunglasses puzzles in matches, to make the prep for each round easier. On a tray, who your toddler two puzzle pieces that match, and one that does not match. For example, you might show your toddler the letters, S, s, and G. Have your toddler name each letter, and the sound if he knows it. If he doesn’t, offer the letter names and sounds and then ask your toddler to say them after you. Then, have your toddler do the sunglasses puzzle that matches. (Letters S and s in this example.) Rearrange the three pieces on the tray and repeat the above three times in total.

Then cover the tray with a tea towel and secretly remove one puzzle piece from the tray. Have your toddler remove the tea towel from the tray and figure out which piece is missing! I always say to my son, “Uh-oh! What’s wrong? Something is missing!” And then he names the missing piece.

Try Some of These Alphabet Activities for Preschoolers, too!

Just click on the image to read more.

               

Name and Race Summer Alphabet Activity for Preschoolers

This letter game is another favorite at our house and even better during the summer.

Select a handful of sunglasses puzzles and separate the upper from the lower case letters. Tape the upper case letters onto the wall and then hold onto the lower case letters. Stand about fifteen feet away from the wall (or on the other side of the room). Have your preschooler draw a puzzle piece from your hand, name the letter and sound, and then run to the wall to find the matching piece. If possible, allow your preschooler to tape the match to the wall to make a complete set of sunglasses.

Letter Jumps Summer Alphabet Activity for Preschoolers and Toddlers

Ok, I love gross motor activities because I don’t know about you, by I can never keep up with my preschoolers and toddlers! Some children even. learn better by having a kinesthetic component to their learning.

To do this letter activity, divide the upper and lower case letters into two piles. With each round, both the child and the adult (or two children if playing in the classroom) draw a sunglasses card. Each name the letter they drew. If the two letters from both the child and the adult make a match, then everyone stands up and says the alphabet, hopping with each letter, until the letter drawn is named. Then everyone sits back down and the game continues.

Other Summer Activities for Preschoolers

What else can you do with these printable sunglasses puzzles? I’d love to hear your ideas in the comments. Here are some other summer activities for preschoolers you might like. Just click the image for more information. 

And be sure to grab your free alphabet printable from the end of this post.

                 

Get Your FREE Sunglasses Alphabet Activities Here

Think your preschooler or toddler will love these cute sunglasses puzzles as much as real sunglasses? Just click the image below to have your freebie sent to your email.