Alphabet Hunt

Ask a child if he wants to practice his alphabet and you'll likely get snubbed. But ask if he'd like to play letter detective? You just might hook yourself a fish.

This game helps kids practice their letters and get some writing under their belts at the same time. All you need is a magazine, a big sheet of paper, markers, glue, and a willing participant.

What You Need:

• A children's magazine (we like National Geographic Kids, Time for Kids,  and Chickadee)

• A large sheet of paper, cardboard, or poster board

• Markers

• Glue

What You Do:

Have your child use the markers to write all the letters of the alphabet in a column running down the left side of the large piece of paper, cardboard,  or poster board. (Just one letter per line.)

Once she's written all the letters, it's time for her to find them! Give your detective the magazine and ask her to hunt for a picture of a suspect that begins with each of the letters. (An "acrobat" would work for A, a "baseball player" would fulfill B). As she finds them, she should write the suspect next to its appropriate letter on the chart. If she'd like, she can cut out the picture and glue a "mug shot" next to the name. The game continues until there's something for each letter of the alphabet.

Not only is this a wonderful way to reinforce the alphabet and practice writing, but it's a good activity for the kitchen table. So the next time your child is whining for something to do as you gather materials for dinner, put them to work. Detective work, that is!