The Best (and Worst) Alphabet Activities for the Beginning of the Year

The beginning of the year is always tricky. There is so much to take care of, things to set up, new students to meet, etc…

All of this stuff can be pretty stressful, but I’m here to make it just a little bit easier on you.

Friends, today, we’re talking about how to set your kids up for success when it comes to learning the alphabet.

It’s no secret that teaching the alphabet at the beginning of the year can be challenging – for even the most seasoned teacher.

However, with the tips and tricks I’ll be sharing with you today, your kids will fall in love with the alphabet in no time!

Are you ready?

Tune in now for all my alphabet favs and fails! 

I promise, you won’t regret it.

The Best Alphabet Center Activities for Preschool

If you have an alphabet or literacy center in your preschool classroom, then you definitely need the activities and materials below.

Alphabet Fishing: Alphabet fishing is a super hands-on, fun, and playful activity, which is why my students love it. It’s also pretty easy to set up and doesn’t require a lot of work. In fact, it’s so simple, you can do it on the first day of school with your students.

Alphabet Matching Mats: Your alphabet matching mats don’t have to be super fancy. You can even DIY your own like I do. Matching mats are easy to use; all your students have to do is match the letters to their outlines. No need to worry about them learning the letters or naming them or anything like that. All they have to do is be exposed to them. 

This is a great way for your students to start practicing visual discrimination as well, and also the perfect method for you to assess how familiar they are with the letters of the alphabet. So really, it’s a win-win situation.

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Tree: The Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Tree is a magnetic alphabet tree you can use as an oral language activity (at first). IT’s not necessarily an alphabet learning tool, but it can make it easier for your students to start recognizing letters.

I like this activity because the book I read during it can serve as a scaffold for the children’s play. It always gets a lot of interest from my students as well, since it’s a super fun novelty. To learn more about how I use it, make sure to watch the demo in the episode above!

Big Chunky Alphabet Beads: At the beginning of the year, this activity is more about strengthening your students’ fine motor skills than teaching them the letters of the alphabet. However, it’s a super easy and high-interest activity. And, it doesn’t hurt that the beads are easy to clean up too.

These chunky alphabet beads are a great way to expose your kids to the alphabet. Just don’t expect them to learn it right away.

Wikki Stix: Another super easy and hands-on activity you can do with your students is Wikki Stix. They are fantastic for the beginning of the year. And you can also use them all year long to teach different skills.

To teach your children how to identify letters, all you have to do is print some letters on paper. Then, ask your students to stick the Wikki Stix to the paper to make those letters.

Letter Roads: This activity requires very little explanation or instruction on the teacher’s part, and it’s super high-interest for the children, so what’s not to love? For a demo, make sure to watch the episode above!

The Worst Alphabet Center Activities for Preschool

It is possible to do some of the alphabet activities below at the beginning of the year, but they require a lot of practice and patience. And personally, I’d rather spend my time establishing good routines and procedures than spend it policing the use of tricky materials.

So, without further ado, here are my alphabet fails for the beginning of the year!

Alphabet Stamps: Using alphabet stamps to teach students letters at the beginning of the year is simply too complicated. 

This is because the kids will need to learn how to find the letters and put them back. They’ll also have to learn how not to get ink all over themselves (easier said than done), and how to clean their hands after. All in all, it’s too much effort for when you’re just starting the year.

Letter Locks: Now, don’t get me wrong, I love letter locks, just not for the beginning of the year. Although they’re super fun and engaging, they’re not appropriate for that time of the year. 

Dinosaur Upper/Lowercase Snapping: Finally, this activity doesn’t work at the beginning of the year because it requires fine motor skills that your students simply don’t have yet.

I discuss all of this in more depth in the episode above, so make sure to give it a listen!

Links Mentioned in this Episode:

Get the Ultimate Alphabet Freebie Bundle

Learn how to set up your ABC center

Discover the Fishing for Letters game

More about the alphabet matching mat

Learn how to make your own Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Tree