Little archaeologists sifting through the sand with a paint brush to find alphabet letters.
Taking on the role of an archaeologist looking for artifacts and bones in the sand or in this case searching for alphabet letters. It is a great activity to promote the learning of letter names and the sounds that they make.
So much fun playing and learning too!
What you will need?
You will need a large tray, coloured sand, alphabet letters and a paint brush.
Let’s Play
I lightly buried the letters in the sand and Miss 3 used the brush to sift away the sand to find the letters. The excitement when Miss 3 found a letter in the sand!
Let’s Learn
Alphabet Archaeologist is a great activity to promote:
- Fine motor development – Control and manipulation of the paint brush
- Concentration – Attention, visualisation and memory
- Literacy – Developing an understanding of letter names and sounds
I just found your site and love your creative ideas. I am trying to think of a way to adapt this concept to my 16 month old in a way that doesn’t create a complete mess (and is safe if she tries to eat the “sand”). I thought about using uncooked rice for the sand. Any suggestions?
I am listing your site on my Baby Development Resources page. While we focus on baby development, I think my readers would love your creative ideas and would find great ways to adapt them to tiny ones. We are at http://www.babydevelopmentnow.com
Thanks Deborah for your lovely comment and sharing a link on your resources page. I am so thrilled that you like learning4kids and you have now got me thinking about adapting this activity for older babies like your 16 month old. I also have a little one that is 15 months old and was thinking that she would love to play with rice as this is a great sensory tool. You could fill a large container or bucket with rice and hide small toys amongst it and your 16 month old can search with their hands for their toys. I will definitely have to do this with my little one and write a post on it. Thank you for the inspiration! I look forward to having a look around your site. Thanks again!
Where did you get the colored sand?