Sensory nature letters {101 Ways to Teach the Alphabet}

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Thanks to the warmer weather, it’s time to get the kids outside more. So it’s the perfect time to start incorporating natural elements into your children’s learning activities.

The next installment in my 101 Ways to Teach the Alphabet Series is an activity I call sensory nature letters.

Make sensory nature letters using natural elements to help children learn their letters. What a great way to teach the alphabet! || Gift of Curiosity

I previously created a set of printable Letter Outlines for kids to learn their letters.

I’ve shared how we use these Letter Outlines to make Button Letters and to do Rainbow Writing.

I also make use of my Letter Outlines with this sensory nature letters activity.

101 Ways to Teach the Alphabet: Hands-on, multi-sensory activities for teaching the alphabet to children ages 2 to 7.

I printed outline versions of several letters and placed them on a tray with some glue. I then encouraged my kids to go outside and collect natural elements they could use to “decorate” the letters. My son started by collecting acorns.

Once he had collected enough acorns, he filled the letter outline with glue.

Then he began placing the acorns on his letter.

Here is his completed sensory nature letter – a ‘d’ filled with acorns. (He told me afterwards he wished he had used the acorns to fill in an ‘a’ since acorn starts with ‘a.’)

My daughter created this ‘e’ filled with leaves.

And my son also made this ‘f’ filled with flowers. (He was very pleased with himself for selecting flowers to fill in the ‘f’ since ‘f’ is the first letter of ‘flower.’)

In addition to acorns, leaves, and flowers, your children might also try filling in their letters with pebbles, sticks, small shells, seeds, dirt, sand, small fruits, or anything else they can find in nature.