• Consider using crafts to help pre-kindergarteners learn about the alphabet.alphabet image by Blue Moon from Fotolia.com
  
  Learning about the alphabet is exciting for young children, but is often a source of frustration as well. If you are teaching pre-kindergarten students about the alphabet, think about using crafts as part of your lesson plan. The children will enjoy the activities and have fun while learning about the alphabet. Consider making name garlands, wooden letters or alphabet scrapbooks with your pre-kindergarten children.
  
  

Name Garlands

• Draw outlines of block letters ahead of time and make plenty of copies of the letters so each student can spell out their first name. For more advanced children, have each child pick out the letters that spell their name from a pile by themselves. For children who are learning how to spell their name, assist with picking out the correct letters. Provide art supplies such as crayons, markers and stickers and allow the children to decorate the letters however they please. After the letters are decorated, punch a hole at the top of each letter and thread them onto a piece of yarn. The children can display their name garlands at their desk or take them home to decorate their bedrooms.
  
  

Wooden Letters

• Purchase plain wood letters at a craft store. Distribute the letters to the children. You can either distribute all of the letters from the alphabet around the classroom or give each child the letters of their initials only. Give the children paint and allow them to decorate the wooden letters, then allow them to dry thoroughly. If you have every letter of the alphabet decorated, sit with the children and begin reading the alphabet. When you call for the letter “A,” the student who decorated that letter should come to the front of the classroom and give you the letter. Set up the letters in alphabetical order somewhere easily visible in the classroom. If each student decorated the letters of their initials only, display the letters at their desks or book cubbies.
  
  

Alphabet Scrapbook

• Use a blank notebook and help each child write one letter on every page in alphabetical order. Give the children a variety of old magazines and have them cut out pictures of different objects. Make sure to use safety scissors or help the students with cutting to avoid any accidents. After the pictures are cut out, have the students tape or glue each picture on the correct page of the alphabet book. For example, students will glue a magazine cutout of a ball on the “B” page, while a cutout of a zebra will go on page “Z.” Consider spreading this project out over the course a few days or even weeks instead of completing it in a single afternoon.