Toddler Learning with Alphabet Sensory Play

Inside: Looking for ways to expose toddlers to letters? Create an alphabet sensory play activity in your water table!

Toddlers love water, so we love to use our water table for all types of learning activities.

Water is calming, it works fine motor skills, and it’s super easy to set up and add materials to.

This alphabet sensory play activity is probably one of my simplest water tables yet, with foam letters, bowls, and utensils.

Our toddlers loved pretending to make alphabet soup for each other!

Toddler Learning with Alphabet Sensory Play

When we put together any activity that includes letters, we make sure it’s through play. Think of what your toddler loves to do, and find a way to include some letters in it.

This alphabet sensory play activity is very similar to our ABC sensory table, except we added water and spoons.

What you will need:

• Sensory table with water
• Foam letters
• Bowls
• Utensils

Don’t have a sensory table? Try this in the bathtub, just like our rubber duck sensory play and our fun with basters and water play.

Alphabet Soup!

Even though our toddlers are not formally taught the alphabet, they might be recognizing some of the letters. A few of our toddlers intentionally looked for the first letters of their names.

You can read more about name recognition here.

Placing foam letters in a water table or bathtub is like providing letter puzzles and letter blocks.

Toddlers are exposed over and over again to letters in a playful setting.

You might recall our ABC construction activity using letter blocks.

This type of activity is fun with 2 or more toddlers, too! They are building communication skills while sharing the same space.

While they are scooping the letters and pouring the water, toddlers are building fine motor skills, too!

When finished, remove water and let all the materials dry thoroughly.

So simple!

Here are more toddler literacy activities:

Letters and Playdough

Dump Truck Alphabet Rocks Activity from Mom Inspired Life

Alphabet Peg Dolls from No Time for Flash Cards

Feed the Shark Activity from Toddler Approved

ABC Jello Sensory Play from Busy Toddler

You can see even more ideas on our literacy pin board!