Teaching the Alphabet to Toddlers and Preschoolers Through Play

Last Updated on July 9, 2024 by Sheryl Cooper

Inside: Teaching the alphabet to toddlers and preschoolers can be open-ended and fun, especially if done during play. Alphabet blocks, printed signs in dramatic play, letter stones in the sensory bin are just some of the many ways to provide a print-rich experience.

“I’m going to put the letter S rock in the dump truck.”

“Hey, that block has the same letter that’s in my name!”

“I know what that sign says. OPEN.”

This is what I hear as our toddlers and preschoolers are engaged in play, with toys and activities that we have carefully chosen. They are using their imaginations as they carry, stack, and transport letters. They are curious what the letters mean, recognizing some (or perhaps all) that are in their names. Through play they start to notice some words showing up over and over again and they might ask “What does that say?”

Teaching the alphabet through play is all about setting up little invitations throughout your classroom that not only expose young children to letters, but also get them involved in fun, hands-on ways.

Working on the alphabet at home? Check out this post!

Teaching the Alphabet to Toddlers and Preschoolers Through Play

As we plan each week’s theme, I start pulling out the books that we will display throughout the classroom. I love using the tops of our shelves to prop books either on their own, or in a stand. I will often find objects that relate to the book and display them side by side.

During our transportation theme, I pulled out my beloved copy of Old Tracks, New Tricks and displayed it on the counter with a train and a track.

Setting Up the Transportation Theme in the Toddler and Preschool Classroom

I also like to add signs to our dramatic play area, as well as clipboards and pencils so that they can pretend to write (or really write, depending on where they are at developmentally).

toddler and preschool spring dramatic play

When we learned about bees, I added a copy of a Scholastic My Big World magazine on one of our small tables, along with some paper bees. Some of our very young 3 year olds were pointing to the pictures and then words after we read the magazine as a group.

Learning About Bees with PreschoolersFun Activities for the Preschool Bee Theme

Matching activities that involve words is another fun way to teach the alphabet through play. (You can find the printable in this post.)

The sensory bin is another fun place to add the alphabet. We added fun gold letters to our flower sensory bin.

Build Literacy Skills with this Flower Sensory Bin

I also like to write the invitation and tape it on or near an activity, such as our mama and baby animal matching activity. (You can see that activity in this post.)

Or I might ask a question, such as when we used these sensory balloons.

Setting up the Toddler and Preschool Classroom for Our Spring Animals Theme

Teaching the alphabet can also happen during music and movement, such as when I held up these bug movement cards while we moved around the room. The children told me what type of bug it was as I pointed to the bug’s written name.

We’ve also been having A LOT of fun with our new felt alphabet board!

I decided to hang it in our busiest play area, the block center. I had a hunch my busy block builders would gravitate to this activity.

And I was right!

Disclosure: I was provided a copy of this felt alphabet set and felt board for review from appletozebra.com. All opinions are my own.

Our 2 and 3 year olds loved the size of these felt letters, sticking them on the felt board and then removing them. Some picked out letters they recognized from their names. Others simply loved moving them around.

This alphabet set comes with 26 capital letters and 26 matching small letters, as well as a felt chart that can be hung on the wall. When the letters aren’t being used, they can be stored in a drawstring bag.

You can read more about the product here.