A fun way to learn letters (or numbers!) is to stamp them into playdough! It is simple, but so much fun. Not only can you expose your little ones to the letter, they are working on so many different skills at once:
- Fine motor skills by rolling playdough
- Sensory play with squishing the playdough
- Hand eye coordination when stamping the letters
- Cause and effect to see the imprint when the letter is pulled off
- Language skills by discussing about each letter
When we do this activity, I like to take out a handful of letters (don’t take out the whole alphabet or else it might overwhelm them). Start with a few that they might already be familiar with and repeat the letter while they are playing with the playdough.
For example, S. This letter is S. “ssss” “ssss” “S”. S makes the sound SSS. What starts with S? Can you think of any words that might start with the letter S? What about Star? Snack? Sweet?
Continue this type of back and forth talk with your little ones while they are engaging in play. By repeating and exposing them to each letter, they are more likely to be engaged and remember.
