Preschool Learning: Carnival Letter Toss Activity

Turn your backyard into an alphabet carnival! Not only will your preschooler get to practice learning letters, but he'll practice his aim, too! Remember: The sillier the activity, the more your child will be willing to stick with it!!
What you need:

• Sheets of paper or paper cups or other containers, like coffee cans or baskets (depending on the age and level of your child)
• Markers to write the letters of the alphabet
• Something tossable: Beanbags, cardboard markers (like for hopscotch), even small stuffed animals! Or how about water balloons for summer, or snow balls for winter?

How to do it:

• Write a different letter on several sheets of paper and spread them out on the floor or on the ground.
• For older children: Use plastic cups or containers labeled with various letters of the alphabet.
• Have your child stand an appropriate distance away from the letters.
• Call out a letter for your child to find.
• Using bean bags, markers, or any other throwable item, your child can then aim for the letter you just called out.
• Advanced version: Ask you child to name the letter's sound as he makes his toss.

Brain Building Bonus: Spread the letters out randomly and have your child try to hit the letters in alphabetical order. Or instead of calling out a letter, tell your child to hit the target that is the letter AFTER J or the letter BEFORE X. Tricky, eh? How this builds brains: Not only does this game work your child's gross motor skills and helps develop eye-hand coordination, but it's great for practicing letter identification. Sure, it's easy to identify a letter right in front of you, but it gets a bit trickier when you have to find that letter amid lots of other letters. Picking out each letter's specific features from any distance is a great way to smarten your kid's brain!
Get more brain-building activities for your kid! Check out our Brain Building Boot Camp with Dr. Christine Ricci.