Alphabet Box

This activity teaches your child phonics, letters, reading and writing. It's so easy that soon your daughter will need minimal help from you and it changes day to day so that you aren't stuck in a repetitive rut.


What You Need: an empty box - any box, a shoe box, a pamper box, a small storage bin, etc; a piece of paper; index cards or small strips of paper; crayons, tape

What to Do: First you and your child need to pick a letter of the day, (go in order if your child is just learning the alphabet). Once you've picked a letter help your child write and color the letter on the piece of paper (you can also find printable letters online). Then lightly tape the letter to the box.


For Younger Children: Write out the names of several items that begin with the letter of the day. Show your child each word and help them to match it to the item. Make it interactive by letting your little one hunt for the items, but very small children can just match the words to the items. Tape on the labels and place in the box.

For Older Children: Talk about the sound the letter makes then ask your child to find things around the house that begin with the letter/sound. After he's collected a good number of items, help him to write the names of each item on a slip of paper/index card. Tape the name to the item and place it in the box.

This can be adapted so that it works for you child's temperament and attention span. If your little lady just won't sit still, make it a scavenger hunt and if you have a little Picasso
on your hands, let him draw pictures of each item. You can easily make this an all day activity by labeling the box in the morning, then go about you day as usual. When you or your child comes across an item label it and place it in the box. At the end of the day, take the items out of the box read the labels and review the letter sounds.