DIY Alphabet Sticks - Match Letters & Build Words

My son pretty much has letter recognition down, so I figured it would be fun to talk about letter sounds and to start building words. I came up with an easy and inexpensive activity to do so. I set up a tray with craft sticks and letter stickers. Each craft stick has a letter of the alphabet written on it. The objective is for my son to recognize each letter and match it with a sticker. Then we worked on saying each letter sound as we built simple words. I just love how craft sticks sit so well beside each other. This made for a perfect opportunity to see how letters come together to build words. I found these letter stickers at TJMaxx for a little over $1 only. This is a great hands on learning idea that requires some patience and time but it is also very versatile because you can use the ABC sticks in so many different ways. Another idea is to put the sticks in ABC order. 

-Deborah

 

 

Indoor Sand Table Surprise

I love surprising my son. When he was napping, I cleaned and brought in our water table. (By the way, this water table was free! Our neighbor was throwing it out and I had my hubby grab it without hesitation.) Since my son has a construction truck obsession, I decided to fill the table with sand and sequins for an exciting digging experience. He absolutely loved it! This water table is so versatile. I can't wait to keep surprising him with more sensory table ideas! 

-Deborah

Glitter Tornado Sensory Bottle

Here is probably the most simple sensory bottle to make. (This also happens to be my favorite toy to make just because it involves glitter!) Simply grab a water bottle, add glitter, and shake the bottle until a tornado appears. It's so exciting for babies to observe the glitter spin around and finally settle to the bottom of the bottle. We do this over and over again when my baby girl is sitting in her high chair eating. This is so inexpensive and just so easy to create!

-Deborah