Did you know that magnetic letters are a powerful literacy learning tool? That’s right, you can create “gold nugget” activities right now that will help your kids learn the alphabet and other important emergent literacy skills.
You know you have oodles of magnetic letters stashed away in your closet, or maybe they’re all over the floor of your classroom. Either way, we all have a set (or two, or three) of magnetic letters that are gathering dust somewhere.
The best part about these activities is that you won’t break the bank or spend hours toiling away in your classroom to create stellar literacy activities, just grab a set of magnetic letters and you’re good to go!
Ways to Use Magnetic Letters
Using magnetic letters daily can help young children in preschool or kindergarten begin to internalize the shape and feel of letters. This internalization builds alphabet fluency, which is a predictor of future reading success.
1. Put magnetic letters in your sensory bin for alphabet sensory play.
2. Attach a picture of a palm tree to a cookie sheet and invite your kids to retell the story of Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archembault.
3. Use metal cans to create your own magnetic Chicka Chicka Boom Boom tree your kids can use to re-tell the story.
4. Put magnetic letters in a pencil pouch to make a personalized name kit for each child that they can use to spell their names on cookie sheets or at home on the fridge.
How to Use Magnetic Letters
5. Use a permanent marker and a cookie sheet to create a t-chart. Students can sort letters “in my name/not in my name”.
6. Create a quick and easy alphabet fishing game with a wooden dowel, string, and a round magnet.
7. Make a t-chart with a permanent marker and a cookie sheet. Invite students to sort upper and lowercase letters on the cookie sheet.
8. Place a sun-bleached letter matching mat on cookie sheet and invite children to match the letters to the correct spaces.
9. Invite your little learners to spell their names in metal pencil cases from the dollar store.
10. Add magnet tape to a paint stick and invite children to spell their names.
11. Use a permanent marker and a cookie sheet to create a t-chart. Students can sort the letters by determining if they have holes or no holes.
12. Invite your kids to use magnetic letters to spell words and their own names in play dough.
Teach the Alphabet with Magnetic Letters
13. Use stove burner covers from the dollar store to create a magnetic alphabet soup game.
14. Make a quick and easy alphabet car parking lot for your kids to practice letters in your block center.
15. Match magnet letters to objects that have the same beginning sound.
16. Place letters and small objects with same beginning sound in plastic eggs.
17. Put letters in a bottle to create an alphabet discovery bottle.
18. Place letters on the sticky wall (sticky contact paper).
19. Use a permanent marker and a cookie sheet to create a t-chart. Students can sort the letters by determining if they have curves or straight lines.
20. Try this super fun Feed the dog activity.
21. Make an easy and engaging bingo game using magnetic letters, paper, a marker, and cookie sheets.
Magnetic Letter Ideas Video
