Recognizing letters and their corresponding sounds is the beginning of learning how to read and write. You can prepare your child to recognize letters by casually pointing out letters in books, signs, and your surrounding environment. This activity will encourage your child to play outdoors meanwhile providing them the opportunity to strengthen their letter recognition and writing skills. 

What You Will Need 

 

Process 

 

Engaging with Your Child 

To begin this activity, go on a walk outdoors and find a comfortable area of snow you would like to paint your letters on. Once you’re comfortable, make the three-dimensional letters available to your child so they can handle, feel the shape of and play with. As your child handles different letters, pronounce the letter’s sound they have in their hand or ask them “Can you tell me what letter you have in your hand?”. You can follow this by providing them the squeeze bottle and asking them “Can you paint the letter in the snow?”.  Depending on your child’s age and stage, you can take on a more exploratory approach and allow them to lead the activity or if your child is more familiar and comfortable with letters, you can gear this activity towards writing letters, words, and numbers. You can extend this fun activity with shapes, lines, or simply having fun painting the snow. 

 

Tip: Start with letters your child is familiar with to encourage their engagement. When the occasion arises, relate a letter your child is playing with to the first or last letter in their name. Older children can participate by practicing words.