Create a Clothespin Alphabet (continued)

Activities:

1. Use the clothespins and paint sticks to practice spelling familiar names. Challenge your child: Can he spell his name using all capital letters? Using both upper and lowercase letters? How about his new teacher's name, or the name of a family member?
2. As his teacher broadens the alphabet to include both lower and uppercase letters, have him try to find and clip matching uppercase letters beside each lowercase one.
3. At some point, your child's teacher will talk about "alphabetical order." In spare moments, like at the end of the afternoon, take out the clothespins and invite him to put them all in alphabetical order in time for dinner!
4. Practice new spelling and reading sight words from school with the clothespins. When your child starts to bring early reading books home, look them over together first, and practice making some of the short words you find with clothespins.

The clothespin alphabet is a hand-crafted, loving way to introduce your child to the alphabet and the many words a young writer can make and read!