by Antonia Williams

Created on: May 19, 2010

Crafts are a great way to teach your child the letters of the alphabet. They will enjoy making and using the shapes without realising they are learning. Here are some easy-to-follow ideas for using the alphabet in your child’s craft projects:

1. SALT DOUGH LETTERS.  Make up some salt dough with a two-to-one mix of flour and salt (i.e. two cups of plain flour to one cup of salt). Mix to a stiff dough with a little water. Help your child to make chunky letter shapes with the dough. It is very easy to bend into the letter shapes – and also a lot of fun! Dab on water where you want edges to join – for example to join the round bit of a ‘b’ onto the straight bit; this makes the dough sticky so it will hold firm when you press the pieces together. When you have made the letters – perhaps all the letters of the child’s name – leave them to dry in a very low oven or a warm place (such as an airing cupboard). Drying will take at least one day, maybe more, depending on the thickness of the dough shapes.

When they are completely dry, the shapes will sound hollow when tapped. Paint them with bright poster paint colours. When the paint is dry, varnish the shapes with craft varnish. Your letters can then be hung up on a piece of cotton thread to decorate the child’s bedroom or even a Christmas tree. Alternatively, stand the shapes up on a shelf to make a word or name. As long as they have been carefully dried, the shapes should last for several years.

2. ALPHABET PLACE MAT. Use a computer to print out all the letters of the alphabet in bright colours. It is a good idea to print the capital and lower case equivalent letter together. For example Aa, Bb, Cc, etc. Help your child to cut the letters out. Next, have a look through some old magazines, newspapers or leaflets to find a picture to go with each letter of the alphabet. Again, cut out the pictures. If you can’t find a picture for every letter, ask your child to draw some.

Next, get an A3 sheet of white paper and arrange your pictures on the page. You may want to put them all around the edge or, alternatively, place them randomly across the sheet. Then, place the cut out letters of the alphabet next to the relevant picture. It doesn’t matter if the letters overlap the pictures; in fact, it gives quite a good effect if they do.

Finally, use self-adhesive, clear plastic film book covering to completely cover your design. Lay the plastic across

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>