This activity is inspired by our Pipe Cleaner Sensory Cards but is more flexible with the other activities you can do with them. So here goes How to Make your Own Pipe Cleaner Letters for supporting your child as they learn to read and write.
Materials Needed for Pipe Cleaner Alphabet for Kids to Make
Letter Template Cards -> Download here
Printer
Pipe Cleaners (any choice of colour or colours)
Pom poms or small buttons / counters
How to make your Pipe Cleaner Letters
- Print out the letter template cards.
- Starting in the place you would start a letter when writing, bend your pipe cleaner over the letter template.
- Carefully, use the glue gun (always under adult supervision) to glue the letter joints together.
- Glue gun a small pom pom to the starting point of your letter.
- Leave aside to dry.
Using and Extending your Sensory Pipe Cleaner Letters to Make with your Child
Your child can use their finger to go over the letters, encouraging them to start and finish in the correct place.
Make more than one set to play matching games. Create your own capital letter set for a more elaborate matching game -> download here
Recognition game 1
Place a selection of letters on a surface. Call out a letter by it’s letter name or sound. First to find the correct letter wins the letter. The one with most letters at the end is the winner.
Recognition game 2
Place a selection of letters on a surface. Place some upside down, some back to front. Can they spot which ones do not look correct and correct them?
Recognition game 3
Place a selection of letters on a surface. Point to the letters one at a time and your child calls out the sound or letter name. As they grow in confidence, add more letters and speed up the pointing for faster recall.
Play a memory game (Kim’s Game)
Show your child a few of the made letters. They close their eyes and you take one or two away. They open their eyes and tell you which letters are missing.
Building words
Use the letters to make up different words to sound out a read. Use it to help practise spellings on spellings lists.
Top Tip!
As you work with the letters, don’t forget to use both the letter name (as you would sing the alphabet or spell a word out to an adult) and the letter sound that they will be using as they will be doing learning to read.