On card stock, print out on a grid all the letters of the alphabet
in order (so that each letter is in a box) -- first the capitol letters,
then the small letters. You will need two copies of each.
Laminate the the first print out of capitol letters, and the first print out of small letters.
(You will now have two game boards, capitol letters will be on one, and
small letters on the other.)
For the second print out, mark each box that contains a letter in
a special way so that your child will be able to tell which side is up.
That way they can tell the difference between the M's and W's after
they are cut out. This can be done simply by putting a red dot in
the upper right hand corner of each box.
Cut out all the letters on the lines. Store the letters in
the small snack size zip lock bags, or other small container.
To use:
Have your child match up the letters on the cards to the letters
on the boards as if they are doing a puzzle. Start with putting the
large A on top of the large A on the board. Continue until all the
letters are in the correct place. Later they can put the small letters
on top of the large letters.
Have your child sing the alphabet song while pointing to each letter
on the board.
Letter Flash cards
Make two sets of flashcards -- each set exactly alike. Captiol
letters will be on one side, and small letters will be on the other side
of the card.
Mark the upper right corner again for these
cards so you can tell when the cards is the right side up.
To use
Give your child a reasonable amount of cards to work with. For
example, only do A-D at first and gradually add new cards as they are able
to handle them. Lay the cards out with the first set showing the large
letter, and the second set showing the small letter. Have your child
match them up. They can correct their own work by turning one of the
cards over to see if they picked up the right card.
Have your child put the cards in alphabetical order.
Number Flash cards
Make the same way you make the letter flash cards only have numbers
on one side, and on the other side put the right number of dots, (or object
of your choice) to match the number. Again, make two exact sets.
To use
Have your child count how many objects there are on the one side
of the card, (a parent or older child will need to be with them at this point
to make sure they are counting right. When they counted the objects
correctly, turn the card over so they can see what the number looks like.
Again, start with the first few numbers and gradually add new ones
as they are able to handle them.
Play the matching game in the same way you played the letter matching
game.