The letters of the alphabet are one of the first concepts taught in school because they're the foundation for reading and writing, communication skills and language development. It's important that students have a strong grasp of the letters of the alphabet including letter formation and phonics so they can then recognise the letters, understand the sounds they make and use them to form written words and to learn to read.
Most teachers will introduce letters through letters of the week, in alphabetical order, starting with A. I've put together a list of letter A crafts for preschoolers and school children that are for items that start with the letter A and are shaped like the letter A, so they reinforce both the physical formation and the sound of the letter. I've also got a list of letter A ideas that include visual, tactile, auditory and movement based activities. These are great activities to do in kindergarten, at home, in class at school, or during homeschooling with children aged 3-6yrs old.
LETTER OF THE WEEK CRAFTS: LETTER A
A fun way to introduce children to the different letters of the alphabet is with a letter of the week where a whole week is focused on one specific letter. During the week children will do crafts and activities that will allow them to slowly learn the alphabet and gain a more thorough in-depth understanding of each letter, before moving to the next letter.
Below is an extensive list of 16 letter A crafts that include both lowercase and uppercase options for foods, animals, people, transport and sensory crafts in the shape of A {or a}. I've also added additional crafts that can be done during letter A week that aren't in the shape of A, but will help to reinforce the phonetic sound of A.
A is for Apple
When you ask children what starts with a, the most common answer is usually apple. A is for apple a a apple. Create an uppercase letter A apple by downloading the free template and following the instructions at The Best Ideas for Kids.
a is for apple
If you prefer to teach your children or students lowercase letters then use this a is for apple template from abc's of literacy. Or you could use both apple ideas if you're making an uppercase and lowercase alphabet.
A is for Acorn
Another food option for the letter a is acorn. This is also a great choice if you're starting your letter of the week during fall. To make this uppercase A acorn, you'll need some popsicle sticks, paper and glue.
a is for acorn
Again there's also a lowercase option using this a is for acorn template. You can print the template on white paper for children to colour in, or print directly onto brown paper.
A is for Ant
Moving onto animals, a can also be for ants. For this capital A craft, the A represents the anthill and then children can draw ants climbing up and out of the anthill.
a is for ant
This lowercase letter a template allows children to turn the letter a into an actual ant. Simply print off the template and let the kids decorate it as they wish then cut and paste together to make their ant.
Letter A colouring sheet
If you're working with younger children, or children with low muscle tone or poor dexterity, who may find it difficult to cut or glue then this letter A colouring sheet is an easier option. It still shows that A represents ants and apples, but they don't have to assemble any pieces together after decorating it.
A is for Alligator
Apart from ants, alligator seems to be the most popular choice for a letter A animal. The letter A can also be turned into an alligators head and mouth using this free template and turning it sideways. The only downside with this one is that the letter A isn't sitting in it's normal vertical position.
A is for Anaconda
While there probably aren't many real live anacondas where your kids live, they've probably heard of them as they're one of the largest snakes in the world. They can make a replica anaconda in the shape of A using the free printable template here.
A is for Aquarium
Although aquarium isn't an individual animal, it still represents the A sound. Make the letter A aquarium in blue to show the water and then children can decorate it with various different sea life stickers. You could also make an aquarium in a lowercase a as it's a similar shape to a fish bowl.
A is for Angel
Moving onto people, a can also be for angel, you just need to add a face, halo and some wings. Using some gold and silver metallic pipe cleaners and craft foam, follow the instructions at Frugal Mom Eh to create your own letter A angel.
A is for Astronaut
A can also be an astronaut in his space suit. Once again you'll need craft foam and you'll also need some aluminium foil to create his life support backpack. Follow the instructions at Homeschool Creations to recreate the astronaut below.
A is for Astronaut
You can also create a letter A astronaut using jumbo popsicle sticks and this free astronaut helmet printable.
A is for Airplane
A is also for airplane although the A isn't the shape of an actual plane, you can represent it by making the A blue like the sky and adding some clouds and a foam plane. Follow the instructions and use the free airplane template at Planning Playtime.
A is for Art
A is also for art. Again the letter A isn't in the shape of art {because art can be many things}, but this can be shown by adding a paintbrush and paint palette to the letter A as if it's holding them ready to create some art. Use the free printable here to create your artistic letter A.
A is for Aluminium foil
Another great way to represent the letter is A is to make a sensory letter A with aluminium foil. This not only provides a visual representation of the letter but also gives children tactile and auditory sensory input as they run their fingers along the letter A to feel the sleekness and hear the crackling of the foil beneath their fingers.
MORE A CRAFTS FOR LETTER A WEEK
If you're doing letter A activities and crafts for an entire Letter A week then you may want to try some of these other a crafts. These ones aren't in the shape of the actual letter, however they all fit with the a sound.
MORE LETTER A WEEK ACTIVITIES & IDEAS
It's important that letter of the week activities are varied and engaging in different ways to cater for all children whether they are primarily visual, auditory or kinaesthetic learners. Including a variety of activities from the list below, in addition to crafts, will ensure the letter A is reinforced continuously and in various physical, visual and interactive ways.
Object recognition - use physical objects or pictures of items that start with the letter A to reinforce the sound and make connections between the letter and items that start with that sound.
Letter A tracing - children can practice forming the letter A in both uppercase and lowercase by using letter tracing books, wooden tracing boards or dry erase boards.
Letter search - use letter search pages for children to practice recognising and distinguishing the letter A/a from other letters.
Read books - during the week read picture books that emphasise the letter A. Some ideas include:
Sensory play - create sensory bins based around objects that start with the letter A. This could include letter A magnets or blocks, ants, apples, airplanes and much more.
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Letter themed snacks - have apples or apple pie as a special snack during letter A week.
Letter A movement activities:
- Outdoor letter A scavenger hunt: hunt outside for objects or hidden items and flashcards that start with letter A
- Letter A bean bag toss: throw bean bags at a target and try to only hit the letter A
- Letter A basketball: throw a basketball into the hoop, every time it goes in say a word that starts with A
- Letter jumping: draw letters on the ground with chalk and get children to jump on letter A
- Move like letter A animals: crawl like an ant, snap like an alligator, flap like an albatross, slither like an anaconda, blow bubbles like an angelfish.
MORE LETTER OF THE WEEK IDEAS
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