The next installment in my 101 Ways to Teach the Alphabet Series is erasing letters with a Q-tip. This simple-to-set-up activity works on letter recognition, the proper way to write letters, and fine motor skills related to pencil grip.
This activity is best done using a white board. I used white board markers to write several letters of the alphabet on a small white board we own, and then I propped the board up where my daughter could reach it.
I invited XGirl to pick up the Q-tip and erase the letters I called out using the Q-tip.
I encouraged her to erase the the letter exactly as we write the letter.
In essence, she had to “write” over my letter.
And in “writing” over my letter, she (mostly) erased it.
We continued this game until all the letters on the board were gone.
With this activity, she got to practice identifying letters. I strategically picked letters that were more challenging for her, including some she was getting confused with such as b vs d and p vs q. She also got to practice the correct strokes to write the letters. And she worked on her fine motor skills by having to grip the Q-tip and “write” on a vertical surface.
So many great skills being practiced with just this one simple activity!
Have questions about teaching the alphabet? We’ve got answers! Click here to learn more.
More ways to teach to the alphabet
More alphabet posts from Gift of Curiosity:
- Letter hunt sensory bin
- Making letters with straws and play dough
- Spaghetti letters
- Letter puzzles
- Montessori sandpaper letters
- Smash the puffy letters
- Mini letter hunt with a magnifying glass
- Kinetic sand letters
- Crystallized letters
- Letter hop
- Yarn wrapped letters
- Letter tic-tac-toe
- Rainbow letters
You can find more ways to teach the alphabet on my Literacy Activities for Kids page and my Letter Learning Pinterest board.
Follow Katie @ Gift of Curiosity’s board Learning Letters on Pinterest.
Another really cute activity! I will be sharing this one on my FB page as well.
Wow. Very simpleand effective. Thank you for sharing
I love this idea. I would also extend it by writing lower case letters on the white board and having a stack of upper case letters on cards nearby. The child chooses a card from the deck and identifies the letter, then finds the corresponding lower case letter on the white board to erase. Or they can choose a upper case or lower case magnetic letter from a bag and find the corresponding letter to identify and erase.
What a great extension idea. Thank you for sharing!