19 Creative Ways to Teach Letter H to Toddlers and Preschoolers
October 29, 202415 Simple Letter J Activity Ideas for Preschoolers
November 21, 2024Are you looking for fun and engaging ways to teach the letter “I” to your little one? You are in the right place! In our A to Z letter activity series, we are making learning the alphabet an exciting adventure for toddlers, preschoolers, and kindergarten kids. This blog is packed with 15+ creative and interactive activities that not only introduce the letter “I” but make it unforgettable. Whether you’re a parent who loves crafting or just wants quick and easy ways to keep your child entertained while they learn, these activities cater to all levels of energy and interest.
From imaginative ice cream-themed crafts to simple indoor play ideas, there’s something here for every curious young mind. The activities we have curated help build essential skills like letter recognition, fine motor development, and language comprehension—all while having a blast! Plus, each activity is designed to be easily set up with materials you probably already have at home.
So, get ready to inspire your child’s love for learning and watch their eyes light up as they explore the wonders of the letter “I.” Read on, and let’s turn this alphabet journey into a joyful experience you’ll both cherish!
1. Treasure Box Exploration
Dive into an exciting treasure hunt filled with objects that start with the letter “I”! This hands-on activity is perfect for reinforcing the sound and recognition of the letter “I” while keeping your child engaged and curious.
Materials Required:
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Small box or container
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Objects beginning with the letter “I” (e.g., insect toy, ice cube, ink bottle)
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Printable vocabulary cards featuring pictures of the objects
Method:
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Place various objects starting with the letter “I” inside the treasure box.
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Let your child explore each item, then match it with the corresponding vocabulary card.
Benefits: This activity enhances vocabulary, letter-sound association, and cognitive skills while making learning interactive and fun. It also helps develop matching and sorting abilities, providing a multi-sensory learning experience.
2. Cardboard Igloo Craft
Create a cozy igloo that your little one will love by transforming simple materials into a winter wonderland! This activity is perfect for introducing the letter “I” while encouraging creativity and fine motor skills.
Materials Required:
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Cardboard sheet
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Cotton balls
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Glue
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Black marker or crayon
Method:
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Draw the outline of an igloo on the cardboard using the black marker.
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Let your child apply glue within the igloo shape.
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Encourage them to stick cotton balls onto the glue, covering the entire igloo for a fluffy, snow-covered effect.
Benefits: This hands-on activity boosts fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and letter recognition, all while fostering creativity and providing a sensory experience. Plus, it’s a great way to bond while crafting!
3. Ink Blowing Art
Unleash creativity with an ink-blowing art activity that’s as exciting as it is educational! Using an inkpot and a straw, your child can create fascinating patterns while learning about the letter “I” in a playful way.
Materials Required:
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Ink (from an inkpot)
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Straw
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Paper (thick or watercolor paper works best)
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Apron or old clothes (to avoid stains)
Method:
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Drop a small amount of ink onto the paper.
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Let your child use the straw to blow the ink across the paper, creating unique designs and patterns.
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Encourage them to explore different directions and strengths of blowing for varied effects.
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Then, cut the sheet in shape of letter I
Benefits: This activity enhances fine motor skills, breath control, and artistic expression. It also provides a sensory experience and fosters creativity, allowing children to experiment with colors and patterns while having fun.
4. Wiping I on Chalkboard
Make learning the letter “I” a refreshing experience with this simple yet effective chalkboard activity! Using a paintbrush and water, children can “wipe away” the letter while practicing letter recognition and motor skills.
Materials Required:
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Chalkboard or blackboard
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Chalk (to write the letter “I” and draw an ice cream)
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Paintbrush
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Small container of water
Method:
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Write the letter “I” and draw an ice cream shape on the chalkboard using chalk.
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Provide your child with a paintbrush dipped in water.
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Encourage them to trace over the letter and ice cream with the wet brush, “wiping” it away with water.
Benefits: This activity promotes fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and letter recognition. It’s a mess-free way to introduce writing practice while providing a sensory experience that keeps young learners engaged.
5. Ice Cream Scoop Sensory Play
Transform learning into a colorful sensory adventure with this ice cream-themed activity! Using recycled tape rolls, cardboard, and lentils, kids can create “scoops” of ice cream while practicing fine motor skills and color recognition.
Materials Required:
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Recycled tape rolls
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Cardboard sheet
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Chalk or marker (to draw an ice cream cone)
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Orange, green, and yellow lentils
Method:
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Draw an ice cream cone shape on the cardboard, leaving space for the “scoops.”
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Place the recycled tape rolls on top of the cone outline.
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Encourage your child to fill each tape roll with lentils, representing scoops of ice cream.
Benefits: This activity enhances fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and color recognition. It also provides a fun sensory experience with different textures and colors, making learning more engaging and interactive.
6. Frozen Flowers Rescue Activity
Turn a simple science experiment into a fascinating play activity with this “frozen flower rescue” game! Kids will enjoy retrieving frozen flowers from ice bowls using water, a dropper, and a spoon, learning about melting and problem-solving along the way.
Materials Required:
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Small flowers (real or artificial)
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Water
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Bowls (for freezing the flowers in ice)
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Droppers and spoons
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Warm water in a small container
Method:
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Place the flowers in bowls, fill with water, and freeze them to create ice blocks.
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Once frozen, give the ice bowls to your child along with a dropper, spoon, and some warm water.
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Encourage them to use the dropper to squirt warm water or the spoon to chip away at the ice, trying to “rescue” the flowers.
Benefits: This activity teaches about the properties of ice and water, boosts fine motor skills, and enhances problem-solving abilities. It also provides a fun sensory experience and helps kids understand basic science concepts like melting and temperature.
7. STEM Ice Tower Challenge
Introduce your little one to STEM concepts with an exciting ice tower activity! Using ice cubes, colored water, and salt, kids can learn about the science of freezing and melting while stacking cubes to build a colorful ice tower.
Materials Required:
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Ice cubes
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Food coloring (to create colored water)
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Small container of salt
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Dropper or spoon
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Tray or plate (to build the tower on)
Method:
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Color some water with food coloring and freeze it into ice cubes.
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Place a few cubes on the tray and sprinkle salt between the layers to help them stick.
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Continue adding colored cubes and salt, using the dropper to add a little water if needed, to build the tower higher.
Benefits: This activity teaches kids about the effects of salt on ice, introduces basic concepts of freezing and melting, and encourages problem-solving. It also promotes fine motor skills and creativity as children experiment with balancing the cubes.
8. Insect Sensory Bin
Introduce the letter “I” with an engaging insect-themed sensory bin! This hands-on activity allows kids to explore miniature insects while practicing fine motor skills using tongs to search through a bin filled with orange lentils.
Materials Required:
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Sensory bin or container
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Orange lentils (as filler)
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Miniature plastic insects
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Tongs or tweezers
Method:
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Fill the sensory bin with orange lentils and hide the miniature insects inside.
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Give your child tongs to find and pick out the insects, naming them as they go.
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Encourage discussions about each insect, reinforcing the connection to the letter “I.”
Benefits: This activity enhances fine motor skills, letter recognition, and sensory exploration. It also fosters curiosity and introduces basic scientific concepts, making learning both interactive and educational.
9. Magic Reveal Tissue Paper Activity
Make learning the letter “I” magical with this fun tissue paper activity! Kids will reveal hidden letters and learn to differentiate between uppercase “I” and lowercase “i” in a captivating way.
Materials Required:
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White tissue paper
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Marker
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Water container
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Dropper
Method:
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Fold the tissue paper and write uppercase “I” and lowercase “i” on the tissue paper on the inner side.
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Fold the tissue paper back so that alphabet are not visible now..
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Give your child water and a dropper, and let them put water drops over the tissue paper.
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Watch as the letters magically appear, revealing both uppercase and lowercase forms.
Benefits: This activity enhances letter recognition, fine motor skills, and visual perception. It provides a multisensory learning experience that keeps kids engaged while distinguishing between uppercase and lowercase letters.
10. Ice Cream Scoop Cotton Painting
Add a splash of color to learning with this ice cream scoop painting activity! Using cotton balls, colored water, and a dropper, kids can create vibrant “ice cream scoops” while exploring colors and creativity.
Materials Required:
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Cardboard with an ice cream cone drawing
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Cotton balls
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Colored water (red, yellow, and blue)
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Dropper
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Glue (for attaching cotton balls)
Method:
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Paste cotton balls on the cardboard to form the scoops of the ice cream drawing.
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Provide your child with colored water and a dropper, encouraging them to apply colors to the cotton ball “scoops.”
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Let them mix the colors and observe how different shades blend on the cotton.
Benefits: This activity boosts fine motor skills, color recognition, and hand-eye coordination. It offers a fun, sensory-rich experience while allowing children to experiment with color mixing and painting techniques in an exciting way.
11. Frozen Ice Painting
Let your little artist create cool and colorful masterpieces with this frozen ice painting activity! Using frozen colored water with popsicle sticks, kids can enjoy a unique painting experience that adds a refreshing twist to traditional art.
Materials Required:
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Frozen colored water (prepared in ice cube trays with popsicle sticks)
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Plain sheet of paper
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Ice cube tray
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Food coloring (to color the water)
Method:
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Prepare the frozen “paint” by adding food coloring to water in an ice cube tray and inserting popsicle sticks before freezing.
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Once frozen, let your child use the colored ice cubes as “ice cream” brushes to paint on the plain sheet of paper.
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Encourage them to experiment with different colors and strokes as the ice melts.
Benefits: This activity enhances fine motor skills, color recognition, and creativity. It provides a sensory experience that introduces children to the concept of melting and different textures, making art time both educational and fun.
12. Salt Tray Tracing
Introduce letter formation in a tactile and engaging way with this salt tray tracing activity! Kids can practice writing the letter “I” while enjoying the sensory experience of tracing in salt.
Materials Required:
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Shallow tray or dish
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Salt (enough to cover the bottom of the tray)
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Flashcard or printed example of the letter “I”
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Optional: food coloring to tint the salt
Method:
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Fill the tray with a thin layer of salt.
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Show your child how to form the letter “I” by using their finger to trace it in the salt.
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Encourage them to repeat the process and explore making uppercase and lowercase “I.”
Benefits: This activity improves fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and letter recognition. It provides a sensory experience that enhances learning while making letter formation fun and interactive.
13. Letter Formation Toy
Help your little one master the letter “I” with this hands-on wooden toy activity! Using wooden letter formation toys, kids can learn to trace and build both uppercase “I” and lowercase “i” in a playful, interactive way.
Materials Required:
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Wooden letter formation toy set (with pieces to form “I” and “i”)
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Flashcard or printed examples of the letters for reference
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Optional: chalkboard or mat to place the wooden pieces on
Method:
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Provide the wooden pieces needed to form the letters “I” and “i.”
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Encourage your child to assemble the pieces, matching the shapes to form each letter.
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Guide them in tracing the letters with their fingers for additional practice.
Benefits: This activity promotes letter recognition, fine motor skills, and spatial awareness. It gives children a tactile experience while learning letter formation, helping to reinforce proper writing techniques in a fun and engaging way.
14. Alphabet Playdough Mat
Make learning letters a hands-on experience with alphabet playdough mats! Using printable mats, children can practice forming the letters while strengthening fine motor skills and engaging their senses.
Materials Required:
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Printable alphabet playdough mats
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Playdough (various colors)
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Laminator (optional, for durability)
Method:
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Print and laminate the alphabet mats, featuring the letter “I” and others.
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Give your child playdough to roll and shape, then place it on the letter outline.
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Encourage them to trace the letters using the playdough, enhancing their letter formation skills.
Benefits: This activity boosts fine motor development, hand-eye coordination, and letter recognition. It provides a tactile, sensory experience that makes learning fun and helps children retain the shape and formation of each letter.
15. Book Recommendations
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Incorporate story time into your letter “I” activities with these heartwarming and engaging books! Each title not only reinforces the letter “I” but also brings themes of love, family, and classic nursery rhymes to life. Perfect for preschoolers and kindergarten kids, these books make learning fun and meaningful.
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Guess How Much I Love You – A sweet tale of Little Nutbrown Hare and Big Nutbrown Hare expressing their love for each other, perfect for reinforcing the concept of love and affection.
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Incy Wincy Spider – A classic nursery rhyme book that brings the beloved spider’s adventure to life, making it a great way to introduce action and rhythm.
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Love You Forever – A touching story about a mother’s unconditional love for her child, making it a beautiful choice for bedtime reading.
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I Love You, Mummy – A charming book that celebrates the bond between a mother bear and her cub, teaching children about love, comfort, and family connections.
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These book selections make letter learning an enjoyable and cherished experience!