Our preschool program is going through a complete change, and I am basically in charge of it (it's a long story). I am looking for any center ideas for teaching letters. The other teacher I work with think worksheets are the best method, and I am trying to show them otherwise.

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we are working on handprint letters, we do two-three a week. I brought sticks of various sizes inside and the kids all made letters with them, pasting macaroni (or whatever) onto a carboard cutout of a letter, there are many, many things besides worksheets (don't get me wrong, I use these as well, but it's mainly for one kid who learns best that way)

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We are working with letters right now. I try to mix up what I am doing so that we don't get bored. We have made a collage of letter C and a Cat, Dd was a dog and dinosaur as well as glueing little sparkly sequins on C for dazzling dots, Ee I did a sensory bin with Eggs, Ee's and elephants, we made an elephant stick puppet, Ff is this week.. We glued feathers on letter Ff and are making frogs.
Well you get the idea. Look on my facebook page to see them.
www.facebook.com/MrsSteinelsHouse

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Worksheets are a good way to practice and a fine way to assess the child's knowledge, but not the best way to teach them in the first place. I'll mull over this today. I have lots of ideas that are kind of adult intensive; I'll try and think of some that are center-appropriate.

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I just made a duck matching game (purchased ducks from oriental trading).

I put matching letter stickers on the bottom of the ducks and they have to find the matches. I only did letters A-F for now. They have to say what letter they picked when they pick their duck.

Kids have had a blast! My kids ages are 2-5 years.

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I like the matching game idea. I have found that children learn their letters through play at their own pace. Labeling, file folder games, displays, hands-on games through music, even dramatic play or the art center, etc. are effective ways for children to learn. I rarely use flashcards and/or worksheets but do interact through play by asking open-ended questions through conversation and with materials available through "free choice" in my home child care environment. Books are placed everywhere with center signs as well opening the door to even more letters and which ones are uppercase or lowercase. I have found that my children score well on the testing that is done the first day of kindergarden. Just some ideas......

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I took DVD cases, flipped the title paper over and glued cut out letters to the white background. Like giant scrabble tiles. We love them.

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Mailbox magazine makes two great books Center Time From A to Z and Circle Time From A to Z. Both books have great activites for each letter of the alphabet. There is also a blog called totally tots that has some really cute ideas.

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Brilliant! Off to raid my husband's office!!!

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You can make a matching game (like memory) with the letters and pictures or objects that start with that letter sound. You can do sorting activities the same way (sort all the objects that start with B into one pile and F into another pile, etc). You can make matching games for upper/lowercase too.

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alphabet bingo

use a low bin and put sand in it. add a bunch of letters (set them out on top first and take photo-frame the photo) mix it up, set the photo next to it and play "I Spy" You might want to do this with only some of the letters at first and add more over time.

magnet letters and a magnet board....children's name cards in a bin next to it....the children can spell out their names....you can name the letters as they do it

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom! I highly recommend the book and the video

matching is great as well....put the letters in a bag and let the children pull one out without looking , you (or they) name the letter and match it to letter board/poster. This could also be fun if you put a large poster on the ground and each time they pull a letter they try to toss a beanbag to the matching letter

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Thank you everyone. Please keep the ideas coming, I love what I have gotten so far.

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Use plastic Easter eggs. Depending on what you are doing that day, they match the halves of the egg. (Works for colors too.) Put capital A on one half, lower case a on the other. Put a B on one half and a picture of a bee on the other.

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1. Letter Bingo
2. Matching: have the children match the uppercase letter to its lowercase form. I usually do this with magnets.
3. Write the letters on construction paper and put them on the ground. Have the children "hop" onto a specific letter.
4. ABC font search. Print out the letters in a variety of fonts and cut them out. Lay out a grid (either on paper if the letters are small or with masking tape on the floor if the letters are big) and have them sort the letters.
5. Find the letters in text. Have each child point out a specific letter in a book.
6. Rainbow letters. Write a letter on a piece of paper and have the child trace over it with different colored crayons to make a "rainbow."
7. Cut out the letters of each child's name and have them glue them in the appropriate order on a sheet of paper.
8. Lines in the letter: have the child sort the letters according to how the lines are (straight lines, curvy lines, and a mixture of straight and curvy lines)

Alphabet Products:

1. Alphabet Puzzle
2. Alphabet Matching
3. Alphabet Books
4. Alphabet Tracing Cards

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