- beans
- boxes (2, small)
- Between the Lions alphabet chart
- plastic letters (uppercase and lowercase)
- alphabet
- lowercase
- uppercase
MA Standards:
Foundational Skills/RF.PK.MA.1.d: Recognize and name some uppercase letters of the alphabet and the lowercase letters in one’s own name.
Speaking and Listening/SL.PK.MA.1: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners during daily routines and play.
Head Start Outcomes:
Approaches to Learning/Initiative and Curiosity: An interest in varied topics and activities, desire to learn, creativeness, and independence in learning.
PreK Learning Guidelines:
English Language Arts/Reading and Literature: Develop familiarity with the forms of alphabet letters, awareness of print, and letter forms.
Dig for Letters
© Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Department of Early Education and Care. All rights reserved.
Educator Prep: Print out a Between the Library alphabet chart. Fill the Sensory Table with dry beans. Label the two boxes: "A" and "a." Place an alphabet chart with the two boxes so children can reference it during the activity. Bury sets of alphabet letters in the beans.
Tell children they are going to dig for letters in the beans in the Sensory Table.
Direct attention to the alphabet chart and the labeled boxes. Explain that each time a child finds a letter, he or she is to look at the alphabet chart to decide whether it is an uppercase letter or a lowercase letter. Then have them place it in the correct box.
Have children work in small groups, and when they cannot find any more letters in the beans, review the boxes with them.
Adaptation: For groups with children comfortable with their alphabet recognition skills, you may want to have them match each letter to the alphabet chart and call out the name of the letter.