Like writing words with objects, pictures are a great way to encourage independence with the moveable alphabet. The great thing about using pictures is that it’s easier to find pictures of simple phonetic words to write. Sometimes objects are harder to find, in my experience.
A common question I get with sounding out the /c/ and /k/ sounds is how you differentiate that when making words with your child. What has worked for me as a Montessori teacher is to call them “short /c/” and “tall /k/.” This comes up with words like kid, kite, and kick. For words spelled with “ck,” you could say, “look at that; this word has both short /c/ and tall /k/ together. Isn’t that funny!”
It’s also important to remember that inventive spelling is encouraged and expected at this stage in your child’s writing journey. In my previous blog post about writing and reading, I spoke about inventive spelling.
As she progresses, your child can move on to longer four-letter consonant blend words and two-syllable phonetic words (napkin, picnic, cactus).
Then your child can move on to writing words with sounds from the green “double” sandpaper letters (book, goat, church, sheep). When you get to these words, remember to revisit the green “double” sandpaper letters with your child.
This is such a great activity for a child. Any time learning can be coupled with a game makes a huge difference.
This is such a great idea for teaching kids words when they are young!
This is a great visual strategy for a lesson. Nice to have some different teaching methods.
Such a fun idea I could do with both kids! We have done similar stuff with JUST my son!
Love when there is some sort of entertainment in education for kids. This seems awesome for kids.
This looks like a great educational product to have in my home when kids visit. I like it can be stored easily.
Hi Stephanie,
I’m so happy you enjoyed reading about making words! I agree that it’s so nice that it comes with a box with a lid to store it. The lid comes in handy because the letters tend to get dusty, which is time-consuming to clean if you don’t have a lid!
We have a very similar set in my Life Skills classroom. We have a few students learning to spell their names using the letters. I like the idea of moving on eventually to just photos to really test their spelling of the words.
I really want to buy this for my daughters. Have been looking around but no store in my place sells this.
Thank you for your comment! You can find the moveable alphabet for making words on Amazon or Etsy, and several Montessori material websites sell them. You can also make them DIY. I have a really cute idea I share on this blog post: https://brightlittleowl.com/letter-recognition
I love seeing educational games that are not on a gadget! It reminds me of when I grew up, and can easily take my games without having to worry about if the device is charged up to learn. I hope when I have my kids I can play games like these with them.
Yes, I agree! Especially for very young children, offering more hands-on activities in a world filled with screens is important.
Oh, I love this idea. Great tool and at a young age to spell and match the animal
Kids should start the process as young as possible. Learning words is a great place to start, as language forms the foundation for all other learning.
Learning can be fun. I wish I had creative options for my daughter when she was younger.
These are such fun ideas and they look really good.
I know that kids will have so much fun and learning with this activity…making words with letter tiles is word magnets on a different level 🙂
Hi Vidya,
Yes, I agree! Making words with the moveable alphabet is just like those magnet letters we used to have as a kid!
So many ways to do with the letters and a quick way to learn! how about making some nice home decorations with them too?
As a parent, I want my kids to grow and be fond of learning. this sparks so much creativity from the kids and likeness in learning the alphabet.
Hi Beth,
I agree! When we offer activities that call to the children, their excitement and motivation will increase!
This method is so smart! Not only do they get practice with spelling and forming new words, but this craft is so easy to make at home and cost effective as well. It reminds me of my parent’s letter fridge magnets that I used to play with as a child, but with so many more possibilities and pieces.
Hi Alice,
Yes, absolutely! I offer a really cool idea for making words with your own DIY moveable alphabet at this post: https://brightlittleowl.com/letter-recognition
I remember getting movable alphabet for my kid when he was just learning to form words. he would sit for longtime near the refrigerator trying to create some words out of them.
This is really cute! What a fun and educational activity. I think building words using both pictures and word cards is really smart! Such a great idea! Thanks for sharing.
This is such an awesome idea for our kids to learn words. A great device for them to interact! Totally love this!
Nnniiiccceeeee….I have always loved making words using objects. It usually takes me a while putting all the words together but it amazes me, non-the-less!
When my kids were younger I used the montessori letters – I could have used some more ideas like you’ve suggested above, but even then – I found them a fantastic resource! So much so, that even though my kids are well past needing them, I’ve been unable to part with them! Saving them for my grandkids!
Thank you!
Hi Heather,
That’s amazing! Thank you for sharing your story. I think it’s great that you’re saving your moveable alphabet for making words with your grandkids!
Excellent! I tend to use the Montessori style approach as well. I have the Velcro letters for my little one.
Such fun ideas. As a parent, it’s important to instill an interest in reading and writing.
We can do so much more fun activities with these movable alphabet letters. Looking forward to having ours.
I really love this idea & incorporating the toys with the letters/words, looks like a fun and engaging way to learn.
What a fun activity for a little one. Making words with the moveable alphabet is such a perfect way to really work with your child and keep them entertained while learning. Your pictures are fabulous, too!
Hi Debbie,
Thank you so much for your kind words! I am so glad you enjoyed reading my article on making words with the moveable alphabet.
I wish that I had had these alphabet letters to make words with as a child. I would have spent hours playing with it. I think the closest was we might have had alphabet fridge magnets.