Alphabet Activities that Engage Young Kids as They Learn

These alphabet activities are perfect for preschool and kindergarten kids exploring early literacy.

collage of letter ideas with text that reads alphabet activities for kids

Learning about letters is more than singing the alphabet song over and over (although that can be fun for a while!).

It’s about hands-on activities, manipulating letters, using letters in real and meaningful ways.

I put together this collection of alphabet activities to inspire you as you plan to teach your students all about letters.

Table of Contents

How to Teach the Alphabet to Kindergarten and Preschool Children

Let’s start by talking about teaching letters to young children.

It’s so very important to focus in on meaningful and engaging activities to teach young children . . . about letters, numbers, and everything else.

Why? Because meaning helps children’s brains to make connections and really cements their learning. You can read more here:

How to Teach the Alphabet

Alphabet Activities for Kids

Now let’s take a look at activities involving letters!

These are perfect for preschoolers, as well as kindergartners.

In fact, these alphabet activities can definitely be differentiated for the individual learners in your care.

You can focus in on letter names, words that start with the letters, or letter sounds with most of them. It just depends on what your children need the most right now.

Alphabet Books for Preschoolers (and Kindergartners) – Because books are always a great place to start.

Alphabet Songs – Singing and dancing gets kids’ brains and bodies working.

Printable Ladybug Letter Puzzles – Add these to a sensory bin for even more fun.

Easter Alphabet Activity and Printable – Go on an egg hunt and record the letters you find.

Rainbow-Themed Free Alphabet Printable – Read, write, and build the letters of the alphabet.

Sorting Magnetic Letters – This really helps the children focus in on the characteristics of the letters.

Discovery Bottle Robot ABCs – What makes alphabet activities even more fun? Robots, of course!

Free Printable Christmas Letter Tile Sheets – Letter fun for the holidays.

Teaching the Alphabet with a Class Name Book – This is just what you need at the beginning of the year.

Preschool Earth Day Sensory Bin and Literacy Play – Combine words, letters, and sensory play.

Gold Coin Alphabet Sensory Bin – Challenge your little pirates to hunt for alphabet treasure.

Fine Motor Letter Snowmen – Get little fingers working out as they create ABC snowmen.

LMNO Peas Preschool Alphabet Game – Pair this sensory letter game with a favorite book.

Word Walls in Preschool and Kindergarten – Set up your classroom with a word wall to encourage alphabet learning.

Winter Words Free Printable for Letter Tiles – Let the kids manipulate letter tiles to create winter words.

Fizzy Letters ABC Learning – Turn the alphabet fun into a scented science experiment.

More Alphabet Activities to Check Out

If you’re looking for even more letter activities, here you go!

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Activities

Alphabet Movement Activities

Preschool Alphabet Fun Using Magnetic Letters

My Alphabet Pinterest Board

The Best Order to Teach Letters

I’m often asked about the best order to teach the letters of the alphabet.

You might not like my answer – it depends.

There really isn’t ONE correct order to teach the ABCs. There just isn’t.

The letters you should start with are the letters in your students’ names. They are attached to the letters in their own names, and their friends’ names are of interest to them.

From there, touch on letters that are used more often in reading and writing.

When doing so, be sure to remember that you don’t need to focus in on just one letter to the exclusion of all other letters.

Letters work in conjunction with each other, so it’s okay to touch on multiple letters together. This is especially true when you’re leading writing lessons, for example.

Hands-On Preschool Materials

It is imperative that we keep our classrooms stocked with materials that will give our students the hands-on learning experiences that they love (and need!). There are a few specific things that I always keep on-hand in my classroom. Check them out in the list below.

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When it comes to preschool, this list is really just skims the surface of the wide variety of materials that can be used. The best thing about this age group is that they learn the most while playing. So, whether they’re playing on the playground, building with blocks, or creating a masterpiece, rest assured that the children are learning so many important skills, all while having fun!