I’m always looking for fun ways to learn ABC’s; to make it feel like play. When we were learning our letters, this game was very helpful and fun!
I was a little nervous that my son would wake up, see letters taped to his cars, and throw a fit about his beloved toys being covered in letters.
Luckily, he didn’t. The game was a hit! This isn’t fancy: It’s masking tape, sharpie, toy cars, and blocks.
Supplies:
Toy Cars
Masking Tape
Sharpie
Blocks (or boxes, Lego – anything to make a little town. You could even just use tape as parking spots on the floor)
Game:
Label Cars and Buildings with letters that match. Ideas:
- capital/lowercase – a car would have a lowercase letter and the house would be capital (or vice versa)
- Lowercase/lowercase- great if you are working on recognition of lowercase letters
- Capital/capital – if you are working on recognition of capital letters
Scenario 1
“Play” Hotwheels. Each car has its own home. Zoom them around and then head to the correct homes. Declare that you are lost and have your child help find the correct home for your letter.
Scenario 2
Have all the cars meet up for a race, then drive them all to their correct garages.
Scenario 3
Ask if one of your child’s cars will run back to their house to get some fresh strawberries (or a toy, etc)
Scenario 4
Have extra time? Also make a parking lot using the tape with corresponding letters in the spaces would give more areas to match up.
Have fun with it! There is no wrong way!
As long as you are sending the cars to their homes and making sure they are matching up correctly, you are doing it right!
Starting with only two or four letters at a time is perfect for a beginner. I have found that introducing letters as sets is very helpful because they are able to compare the shapes of the symbols as opposed to simple memorizing one symbol at a time. This method comes from How To Raise an Amazing Child the Montessori Way by Tim Seldin.
First set: c m a t
Second set: s r i p
Third set: b f o g
Fourth set: h j u l
Fifth set: d w e n
Sixth set: k q v x y z
A few times, my car would go to the wrong house and need an expert to help find the right house. Who doesn’t love to be an expert?
Let your child be the expert and gain confidence as they learn ABC’s with Hotwheels!
Let me know how you liked this activity! Be sure to check out a fun way to learn ABC’s with Don’t Break The Ice!
For more fun with learning letters, Check out the Free ABC Snack Cookbook!
(I am an All About Learning Affiliate…and huge fan, but this product is free.)
