D is at the stage where she is beginning to learn to read. Before reading words, children must first learn to recognise letters. Once children have learnt to recognise letters, they can then begin to put the letters together to form words. D is not too interested in learning to read at the moment, she is much more into writing, but she enjoys activities such as this. The good thing about these activities is that the child is learning without even realising it! Learning the fun way is definitely the best way to learn.
I set up this activity by placing all the alphabet cards on the floor. I put the wooden letters in a basket next to the cards. At this stage I should point out that D does not know all the letter sounds so she is really just looking at the shapes to match the letters.
She started to pick up letters and match them to the letters on the cards. She was very excited when she realised she was able to match them up. She asked what some of the letter sounds were and repeated them after I modeled them to her.
You could adapt this activity for younger children by just putting out a few letter cards and wooden letters at a time e.g. A-E. Build up the amount of letters they work on as they get a bit older and their ability grows.
