Looking for the best alphabet activities for kids? Kids learn the alphabet best in context and through hands-on, playful learning (rather than flashcards). This engaging list of easy alphabet activities is perfect for at-home play, daycare learning, or preschool classrooms.
What are the best alphabet activities for kids?
Are you wondering how to teach your child the ABCs?
Curious how to do it and what the best approach is?
You’ve come to the right post: my alphabet activities list is perfect for helping your child with learning the alphabet the hands-on way.
Looking for more structure each day?
Check out Playing Preschool: Busy Toddler’s 190-day at-home activities program
How do kids learn the alphabet?
It’s childhood, not a race to a finish line.
There is no expectation that a toddler or preschooler should know any of their letters – in fact, 30 years ago children WENT to kindergarten to learn the ABCs
You can read more about why you should stop worrying about your child and the ABCs in this blog post.
Instead of drilling the ABCs into kids with flashcards and worksheets, expose kids to letters, make letters a part of everyday life, and allow it come by your child naturally. Kids are incredible beings. They pick up things quickly, when they’re ready and when they’re interested.
This post on the best alphabet activities for kids is full of hands on ways to introduce the alphabet to your child and let them naturally become familiar with these symbols in the same way they play with dinosaurs and construction vehicles (even before they know all the names of those objects).
Let’s make the alphabet something familiar and fun rather than something to worry about and dread.
RELATED: Looking for other hands-on fun activity ideas? Check out list of 40+ easy activities for toddlers and preschoolers.
Revealed: the 45+ best alphabet activities for kids
These activities are perfect and tailor made for kids – hands-on, dynamic, engaging learning activities.
Enjoy clicking to other blogs and seeing their fantastic ideas for helping kids grow.
Alphabet Playdough
Combine some play dough with your alphabet magnets for a DIY stamp and puzzle.
Alphabet Construction Zone
Got a little one who is obsessed with trucks and construction vehicles? This is for you! It’s a great way to incorporate literacy practice something they love.
Alphabet Discovery Bottle
Let your kids help you to make this cool discovery bottle using foam letters and scented bath salts. I’d recommend gluing the lid on when finished.
Alphabet Sensory Bin
Hiding alphabet puzzle pieces in some rice brings new life to a sensory bin.
ABC Jell-O
This is sticky. This is messy. But man it is so fun and worth it! Your kids will love playing in the slimy and sticky Jell-O to find some letters.
Letter Sound Activity
This requires some prep ahead of time but will give you so much independent play time. Don’t sleep on this one!
ABC Sensory Activity
Throw some colored rice in with your foam letters and you’ve got a fun and engaging bin ready when you are.
Floating Letters
This takes mere seconds to set up and will entertain your toddler for way longer. Need I say more?
ABC Ice
Need a fun and cool, literally and figuratively, to practice identifying letters? This is it! Grab an ice mold and you’re good to go.
ABC Sensory Bottle
Have you seen those I Spy tubes that have tons of tiny toys in them for kids to find? This is just like that but with letters instead. Kids can play I Spy, identify letters and sounds, and so much more.
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Alphabet Play
A beach themed sensory activity is always fun, especially in the winter when it’s raining all the time. This is an extension activity of a beloved children’s book.
Alphabet Connect
A simple way to play with letters and practice familiarity.
Easy ABC Matching
All you need is a cookie sheet, a sensory bin, and some magnetic letters and you’ll have one of the easiest alphabet matching activity.
Magnetic Letter Connect the Dot
Grab you alphabet magnets and have your kid “connect” the letters. Putting the alphabet letters randomly, you’ll present a new challenge to your kid.
ABC Match
A lot of letter matches focus upper case letters but here is an activity to practice lower case letters, a very important skill.
Geoboard Alphabet Match
These geoboards will bring back the memories! In this activity kids are using them to match letters – it’s such a good idea.
Letter Board Alphabet Sort
Sorting, check! Letter recognition, check! Pre-writing skills, check! A great 3-in-1 activity that focuses on the visual representation of letters.
DIY Alphabet Tactile Cards
These geoboards will bring back the memories! In this activity kids are using them to match letters – it’s such a good idea.
Alphabet Sift and Find
A perfect blend of sensory play and literacy learning. This couldn’t be more perfect.
Alphabet Garden
A spring inspired ABC activity that practices letter recognition and letter sounds. These also look so cute just sitting out so it’s easy to leave out and play whenever.
Alphabet Painting
The stars aligned with this activity! Simple design, time with a parent, painting freedom, etc. all made this a winning activity.
Name Practice Using Toy Cars
A fun twist on recognizing and spelling your name. Anything with movement and learning is a winning activity in my book and this one doesn’t disappoint.
Letter Hunt
Combine a sensory experience with some literacy practice and you’ve got a winner! So many ways to make something like this.
Alphabet Fish Match
So fun and easy to set up! Trace up some fish and use water to have them “stick” to their matching letters.
Alphabet Matchup
Kids need to move and interact with letters to really understand them and how they work. When kids are matching upper and lowercase letters, they’re developing their skills naturally.
Magnetic Letter Matching
5 minutes to set up and can be played over and over, where do I sign up? Keep this around the kitchen when you are in need of a few minutes to make dinner.
Alphabet Post-It Match
Get out your sticky notes cause you are going to be playing this game non-stop. Match upper to lower case letters or just letter to letter. Either way your child will love it!
Parachute Man ABC’s
These little parachute men bring back the memories. A great example of a toy doesn’t have to be fancy to be good.
ABC Scoop
A kiddie pool is just a giant sensory bin waiting to be filled! We use ours way more for activities than actual swimming. Call out some letters and have your kid find them hidden in the pool.
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Play Set
Such a cute little alphabet world that goes perfectly with the book.
Alphabet Post-It Wall
Grab your sticky notes and do this immediately! Your child will love matching sticky notes and letters.
ABC Chalk Game
Want to add some literacy to a classic outdoor activity? Enter the ABC chalk game. This can be used for all levels of alphabet knowledge which is great when you have kids of all ages who want to play.
Alphabet Soup
Dollar store supplies and water come together to make a fun and engaging literacy activity.
Alphabet Stones
If you have a nature loving kiddo, this is a great activity for them! They can create the stones as well as a matching activity to go along with them.
Alphabet Cookie Match
Trader Joe’s is a staple here and this is just one reason why. They have these amazing alphabet cookies that the kids love using for activities but also love eating when they are done.
Letter Matching Roads
A quick maze activity that combines practicing letter recognition as well as hand and eye coordination. Can be easily modified to be an indoor activity if you live somewhere where it is cold/wet most of the year.
ABC Sort
Do you have a bunch of alphabet letters laying around? This is for you! Have your kids sort them by letter type and enjoy your coffee.
Alphabet Basketball
Work on letter recognition, fine motor skills, and have fun at the same time with this basketball activity.
Magnetic Alphabet Bin
This is what we call a holy grail activity in play. There are three ways kids are playing when doing this activity which is amazing!
Outdoor ABC Hunt
Get those Duplo blocks and head outside. This is a great way to combine nature, a favorite toy, and letters.
Bear Counter Name Recognition
Another great name practice activity! As the letters get filled in with these cute little bear, kids can recognize what letters make up their name.
Alphabet Scavenger Hunt
Sometimes it can be a bit hard to get our kids to go outside and play if they don’t want to. Here is a great activity to give your kids a purpose when walking outside and helps them to remain focused on the activity.
ABC Sponges
What is it with water and preschoolers? They are drawn to it like a moth to a flame. By throwing in some alphabet sponges, super easy to make if you need to, kids are able to play with one of their favorite things and practice some important literacy skills in tandem.
ABC Sponges
This is a great way to give kids meaningful time with a letter and learn more about its shape – all using pebbles and chalk.
Water Spray Alphabet Hunt
Write some chalk letters outside and let your kid loose to “erase” them with a spray bottle. They love watching the chalk disappear and as their finding each letter they are practicing recognition, sound correspondence, and eye hand coordination.
Secret Letters
Your kid will be shocked and thrilled to uncover the surprises as they paint over a “secret” note.
Frequently Asked Questions
The best alphabet activities are the ones that work best for your family and your child. My personal three favorites are secret letters, ABC Jell-O, and the ABC chalk game.
Goodness no! Activities are a bonus, an extra, something special. They are not a requirement of childhood or something needed in order to be successful. I view activities as a tool that I use when I need help, when the kids are grumpy, when the mood is off, and when we need to reset the day. Activities are a tool for my parenting, but not a requirement.
Kids in the United States learn the alphabet on a broad spectrum between ages 2 and 6 years old (end of Kindergarten). This is a big age range and your child will naturally fall somewhere in this spacing. Other countries do not begin teaching letter names until age 7+
Susie Allison, M. Ed
Owner, Creator
Susie Allison is the creator of Busy Toddler and has more than 2.3 million followers on Instagram. A former teacher and early childhood education advocate, Susie’s parenting book “Busy Toddler’s Guide to Actual Parenting” is available on Amazon.
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Adrian says
I loved your comment “It’s childhood, not a race to the top. There is no expectation that a toddler or preschooler should know any of their letters.” I feel the same way; unfortunately, my son will be entering kindergarten next year and his preschool teacher informed me that he needs to work more on upper and lowercase letters as well as letter sounds. He does know the majority of his uppercase letters but gets hung up on a couple. But I find myself asking when did preschool become the new kindergarten?? And how did I miss the memo? Thanful for all your fun activities. We’ll be incorporating them on the daily to help him master these skills.
Julie says
Hello Susie, yes, you are absolutely right; it’s a good thing that children will busy with toys and learn from it. It is a best example of “learn by fun”. Thanks for sharing!