The Preschooler

Learn Letters in a Flash

Have you ever met a child who didn’t like playing with a flashlight?  Battery companies love our house because our children are very good at turning on flashlights, but somehow are not able to locate the same switch when it their flashlight games are over.  We have flashlights with fancy cartoon characters painted on the sides, and we have flashlights shaped like caterpillars.  We have flashlights that you crank, shake, and squeeze in order to turn them on.  We use them to locate lost toys under the bed and items hidden by our cats under the couches.  We have also discovered a fun game to play with flashlights that can help kids learn about letters.

In this activity, it is important to have a flashlight that has a sharp stream of light.  Laser pointers also work really well.

Go into a room that is fairly dark.  Choose a wall that has a large open space.  Begin by using the flashlight to “write” a letter on the wall.  See if your child can guess what letter you are drawing.  If your child can’t figure it out, give clues, such as the letter sound or several words that start with that letter.  Once your child has figured out your letter, let your child have a turn “writing” a letter on the wall.

This game can also be play with words. Just be sure letters are guessed one at a time in order to spell out the word or the game may get frustrating.

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Written by Laura on May 3, 2010