All this week some of the members of the Kid Blogger Network are sharing resources to keep kids learning while school is out. Whether your child has been busy learning letters all year or you’re just looking for some fun ways to expose your child to the alphabet,, this collection of activities should give you tons of ideas for helping kids remember the ABCs. Many of the ideas include a summer twist, but they could be used any time of the year.
**This list is updated with new activities regularly.**
Top 10 Ways to Help Kids Remember the ABCs
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Go on an Alphabet Hunt
- Anytime, Anywhere ABC Hunt-Hide Alphabet Post-It Notes or flashcards and let kids find them all. We love doing this at home and in hotel rooms on vacation.
- ABC Water Balloon Hunt-Label water balloons with the letters of the alphabet. See if kids can find them all without breaking them.
- Car Ride Letter Hunt-Find the letters of the alphabet on road signs and licence plates. Use a checklist or go in ABC order for more of a challenge.
- Grocery Store Letter Hunt-Find the letters of the alphabet on foods and signs in the grocery store. Use a checklist or go in ABC order for more of a challenge.
- Ice Letter Hunt (Reading Confetti)
- DIY ABC Paper Plate Checklist and Neighborhood Walk (And Next Comes L)
- Alphabet Letters in Objects (How Does She?)
- Glow in the Dark Letter Hunt (Inspiration Laboratories)
- Outdoor Alphabet Hunt with Foam Letters (Gratefully Growing in Grace)
- Alphabet Photo Scavenger Hunt (Fun at Home with Kids)
- Free Printable Alphabet Scavenger Hunt Pages (Best Activities for Kids)
Find Creative Places to Practice the ABCs (Think: Windows, Fences, Sidewalks…)
- Window Write and Wipe-Use window markers to write letters on the window. Call out a letter and have kids wipe it away with a damp cloth.
- Alphabet Bug Spray (Toddler Approved)
- Sidewalk Chalk Letter Activities (No Time for Flashcards)
- Alphabet Letter Splash (Teach Mama)
- Alphabet Sticky Wall (Toddler Approved)
- Outdoor Alphabet Track (I Can Teach My Child)
- ABC Fireman Spray (Playdough to Plato)
- Amazing Alphabet Maze (Adventures in Learning)
Play ABCs in the Tub or Kiddie Pool
- Put Them Up, Take Them Down-Toddlers especially love to put letters on the wall one-by-one. Use this time to name the letters as kids play.
- Puppet Play-Use a bath mitt, old glove, or sock puppet to swim through the water and eat up the letters. (My kids LOVE this!)
- Fish for Letters (Growing a Jeweled Rose)
- Magnetic Alphabet Bath (Bath Activities for Kids)
- Alphabet Goo Bath (Bath Activities for Kids)
- Alphabet Soup Bath (Bath Activities for Kids)
- DIY Bath Tub Drawing Board (Parent Teach Play)
- Fishing for the Alphabet Matching Game (The Imagination Tree)
Add the ABCs to Your Sensory Play Activities
- Icy Fizzing Letters (Fun-A-Day)
- Alphabet Shells (The Imagination Tree)
- Alphabet Soup! Water Play (My Nearest and Dearest)
- Alphabet Ice Block Play (The Imagination Tree)
- Messy Play Alphabet Hunt (Growing a Jeweled Rose)
- Alphabet Sorting with Natural Materials (An Idea on Tuesday)
- ABC Ping Pong Ball Sensory Tub (Delightful Learning)
- Hide-and-Seek Alphabet Play (I Can Teach My Child)
- Play Dough and Lego Letters (One Perfect Day)
- Alphabet Soup First Sensory Bin (Plain Vanilla Mom)
- Eye Spy Alphabet Squish Bag (Growing a Jeweled Rose)
- Alphabet Goo (Learn with Play at Home)
- Play Dough and Magnetic Letters (Learn with Play at Home)
- Smashin’ Ice Fun (Glued to My Crafts)
- Alphabet Squish (I Can Teach My Child)
- Seuss-Inspired Alphabet Sensory Bin (Finding the Teachable Moments)
- Alphabet Cups on the Light Box (The Imagination Tree)
Play with the ABCs in the Sand (Box, Bin, or Beach)
- Write the letters. Let kids use their hands, twigs, small toy trucks, anything that will make an imprint.
- Alphabet Treasure Hunt (Playdough to Plato)
- Make and dig for Alphabet Fossils (Playdough to Plato)
- Bury and find some Alphabet Rocks (Thrive 360 Living)
Eat the Alphabet
- Read Eating the Alphabet
- Eat Through the ABCs-Each day for 26 days eat one (or more) food that starts with a letter of the alphabet. On “A Day,” eat apples. On “B Day,” eat bananas.
- Bake alphabet bread (Nurture Store)
- Use ABC cookie cutters to make your own alphabet foods. They are great for watermelon, cheese, thin breads, and well…cookies! Preschoolers will enjoy helping make snack and learning letters at the same time.
- Use foods to make letters. Try using carrots, celery sticks, small crackers, halved grapes, or pretzel sticks.
- Find some ABC food inspiration in this list of A to Z Party Food Alphabet Ideas (Learn with Play at Home)
Read ABC Books
You can find alphabet books for almost any topic that might interest your child. Have fun exploring some new ones together. Here are a few lists to give you some fresh ideas.
- 50 Fantastic Alphabet Books for Kids (No Time for Flashcards)
- 15 Awesome Alphabet Books for Kids (MeMeTales)
The list below includes some summer-inspired ABC books that would be great to read while school is out.
- Discovering Nature’s Alphabet
- Summer Stinks
- Into The A, B, Sea: An Ocean Alphabet Book
- The Ocean Alphabet Book
- A Swim Through the Sea
- S Is for S’mores: A Camping Alphabet
- H Is for Hook: A Fishing Alphabet
- The Butterfly Alphabet Book
- Alpha Bugs: A Pop-up Alphabet
- The Icky Bug Counting Book
We also have a list of our favorite fall ABC Books.
Make Your Own ABC Book
ABC Books are great to make with young kids. Help set up a book that your child can make and read over and over again. Some topics you might consider…
- ABC Yarn Book (Small Types)
- Personalized ABC Book (This Fine Day)
- ABCs of Summer
- ABCs of Our Family Vacation
- ABCs of Your Child’s Favorite Things
- ABCs of a special interest-dance, bugs, sea life-anything that your child is interested in.
Form Letters with a Variety of Materials
Use this Floor Tape Letters idea from I Can Teach My Child for kids just beginning to form letters. Encourage others to construct the letters without a guide.
- Pipe cleaners (Make and Takes)
- Wiki Stix or Bendaroos
- Craft Sticks
- Spaghetti noodles (try both dry and wet)
- Marshmallows and toothpicks
- Small toys (blocks, toy cars, Legos, dominoes)
- Items collected from nature (Rubber Boots and Elf Shoes)
You’ll see some of these and many more ideas in the 125+ Ways to Practice Making Letters (In Lieu of Preschool)
Play ABC Games
- 12 Games to Play with ABC Sticky Notes (Fantastic Fun and Learning)
- ABC Slam! (Toddler Approved)
- Alphabet Sound Machine (The Imagination Tree)
- Alphabet Mail Pretend Play (No Time for Flashcards)
- Hungry Bear Alphabet Game (Fantastic Fun and Learning)
- Printable Alphabet Hop Board Game (Boy Mama Teacher Mama)
- Alphabet Parking Lot Letter Matching Game (I Can Teach My Child)
- Alphabet Car Game (Little Family Fun)
- Alphabet Gems Letter Match (Thrive 360 Living for Housing a Forest)
- Don’t Spill the Letters Game (Common Core Connection)
- Cardboard Tube and ABC Stickers Letter Matching (Testing Yet Trying)
- Letter Delivery Game (Growing Book by Book)
- Magnetic Letter Sorting Ideas (Fun-A-Day)
- Jack and the Beanstalk ABC Game (Fantastic Fun and Learning)
- Alphabet Balloon Touch (I Can Teach My Child)
- ABC Beach Ball (Playdough to Plato)
- Alphabet Bowling (Making Boys Men)
- Water Balloon Target Practice (Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas)
- Musical Alphabet Game (Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas)
- ABC Puppet Show (Coffee Cups and Crayons)
- Train Set Letter Play (Inspiration Laboratories)
- ABC Straws Busy Bag and Matching Game (The Educators’ Spin On It)
- ABC Ice Cream Gross Motor Game (Coffee Cups and Crayons)
- School Bus ABC Game (Fantastic Fun and Learning)
- Alphabet Letter Charades (Coffee Cups and Crayons)
- Alphabet Letter Monster (How Wee Learn)
- Alphabet Construction Site (My Nearest and Dearest)
- Runaway Letter (Growing Book by Book)
The list below includes some great ABC games if you are looking to add some to your game collection.
Eric Carle ABC Game
Super Why ABC Letter Preschool Game
Dr. Seuss Super Stretchy ABCs
Goodnight Moon My World ABC Game
Spot It! Alphabet
Grandma’s Trunk Alphabet Game
Melissa & Doug Undersea Alphabet Soup Game
Alphabet Squiggle Game
Learning Resources Pop for Letters Game
And don’t forget about alphabet apps. There are some terrific ones for kids! See our full review of Avokiddo ABC Ride to learn more about this interactive app with 26 engaging scenes.
The Alphabet Mega Pack from Playdough to Plato
The Alphabet Mega Pack is a set of 20 fun, motivating games that teach kids letter names, ABC sequencing, letter formation and uppercase-lowercase pairing. The easy to follow directions make it perfect for parents and teachers alike. Take a peek at what’s inside and then purchase your own set for just $9.99.
With so many terrific ideas out there for learning letters, there is no way I could include them all here. You can find even more great ideas in these collections from other members of the Kid Blogger Network.
50 Incredible Alphabet Activities for Preschoolers (Hands On As We Grow)
The A-Z of Learning Letters (Learn with Play at Home)
25 Alphabet Activities for Kids (No Time for Flashcards)
I know this post was long, but I hope you find it useful. Thanks for reading along! Happy letter learning!
More About the School’s Out! Series
Visit This Reading Mama to learn more about School’s Out: A Top 10 Series and check out all the resources shared by over 20 mama bloggers from the KBN.
Click on the image below to find the School’s Out! Pinterest Board.
Blogs Participating in this Series
Sunday ~ This Reading Mama | The Educators’ Spin on It | Kitchen Counter Chronicle | Rainbows within Reach | Kindergarten & Preschool for Parents & Teachers | Monday ~ Train Up a Child Learn as We Go | Housing a Forest | Royal Baloo | Living Montessori Now | Tuesday ~ Toddler Approved | Play Trains! | 3 Dinosaurs | Wednesday ~ The Outlaw Mom | Teach Beside Me | Hands On as We Grow | Thursday ~ JDaniel 4’s Mom | All Done Monkey | Fantastic Fun & Learning | KC Edventures | Playing with Words 365 | Friday ~ Teach Mama | The Usual Mayhem | Nature and Play | True Aim Education | Saturday ~ Creative World of Varya | Craftoart | My Buddies and I