Activity of the Week: ALPHABET STAMPS!
Age: 2+
I recently unearthed this awesome stamp set from the bottom of my fine motor box (my closet is an amazing place if you know where to look!). I found these great stamps at the local Target dollar spot a few years back, but I’ve seen them come back with different seasonal themes since. While I like this set because of the size of the handle, you can find stamp sets from a variety of sellers in different sizes and shapes.
Stamping activities can work for a variety of ages and are a versatile art tool to keep around. Stamps can be used with a traditional ink pad but also try them out with playdough, on rocks, sand, or cookies – think outside the paper! Try the following activities depending on what your child is currently working on:
Activities for children working on letter recognition:
· Let your child choose a variety of letters and talk about the letters as they stamp. “You choose the letter “L.” Aunty Leah’s name starts with an “L.”
· Ask your child to find a specific letter in the pile. Challenge your child to roll a dice and stamp the number of times the dice reads.
· Encourage your child to find the letters for their name and stamp them.
· Use the stamps to make dinner place settings for each member of the family. It doesn’t need to be for a fancy dinner party – let your child assign seating for taco Tuesday.
Activities for children working on spelling:
· Hide & seek – tell your child the sound of the letter and encourage them to find it in the pile of stamps. Once they find the correct letter, stamp away on some paper.
· Use the stamps to practice sight words.
· Put all the stamps into an opaque bag. Have your child reach in blind and pick out a stamp. Find something in the room that has the letter in its name. For example, if I pull out the letter “C,” I can name the can or the cat. To start, use just the first letter. As your child progresses, play the game so the letter can be at the end of the word or in the middle.
Activities for children working on handwriting:
· Make a list of your favorite foods - use lined paper and give your child encouragement to work on proper spacing & alignment. Before you start, ask ‘where do you start your line?’ or ‘where do you put a space?’ to prepare your child for success.
· Use the stamps, ink, & paper to practice spelling words.
· Write an invitation to a friend.
Don’t forget to use washable ink pads! Most importantly, have fun.