Alphabet Monsters

Alphabet Monster

Builds on: fine motor skills, creativity, letter recognition

I love this activity because it's something that can be adapted to your child's growing literacy skills, as well as, helping to build confidence in their own decision making by giving them full creative control over their work. No eyes and crooked eyes are welcome!

 

What you need:

empty raisin canisters (cleaned)

colored paper

glue

googly eyes

scissors

markers

What to do:

Place all of the materials out on the activity table. Explain that the canister is going to be the monsters head. He'll need eyes and a big mouth to eat lots of letters big and small. Ask the kids what color skin they'd like and pick out that color in paper. Have them help you by putting glue all over the canister so that you can wrap the colored paper around it. You'll need to help them by cutting off some excess paper at the bottom and draw a big open mouth on to the paper to cut out later. 

Have the kids glue their eyes on where they want them and paint or draw features like ears, freckles or hair. Set aside and let dry. Once it's all dried up you can use scissors to cut out the mouth you had penciled in before. 

*I used stencils to make bats, ghosts, spiders and cat shapes, writing a letter of the alphabet on each them for my monsters "food". If you follow my blog I can send you a sheet with these shapes that you can print out to save time.

Sit at the table with your monster and monster food. In a silly deep voice speak for your monster saying " I'm hungry! Feed me!" Have your kiddo pick out a letter and name it together before feeding your monster. Once they get a little better at letter recognitions the monster can ask for a specific letter to eat, challenging your kiddo to find the correct one. Work on letter sounds once they've mastered letters and site words once they start reading.