The alphabet activities teaching tool of the week is Alphabet Marks the Spot by Learning Resources. Great for kinesthetic learners, this activity mat brings active play indoors and helps kids burn off the extra energy that they accumulate on cold, rainy days when they can't run around outside. See the photo album at the bottom of the page for examples of some of the ways that the mat can be used.
Alphabet Marks the Spot comes with a 4.5'x4.5' vinyl activity mat printed with the letters of the alphabet, five inflatable play cubes picturing items that begin with each letter, 28 game marker discs and an activity guide.
The activity guide includes eight different game ideas for learning alphabetical order, beginning and ending sounds, letter recognition and spelling. These ready-made games and activities are helpful to parents and educators who don't have much time to plan and it will soon become apparent that they are just the beginning of the many different ways that the set can be used.
Children can participate in a scavenger hunt, bringing items to the mat that begin with the appropriate letter or practice matching lower and upper-case letters by using a flash card set with the mat. Kids can dance around on the mat and say a word that begins with the appropriate letter when the parent says "freeze." The picture cubes can be used for storytelling prompts and game discs can be used to improve coordination as kids attempt to toss the marker to hit specific letters. The set is versatile enough to use for a different letter-related activity each day.
A similar product by Learning Resources is the Toss n' Play Activity Set, which includes a mat with the ABCs printed in order along with four bean bags and an activity guide. A hopscotch game is printed on the reverse.
For more product reviews, craft ideas and activities for learning the alphabet, see alphabet activities.
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