I am a bit giddy over today’s playing with letters activity!
We have a super cute alphabet printable that is free courtesy of our sponsor, KneeBouncers.
And if that wasn’t enough, we are using that alphabet printable to make a letter zipline because letters in action are WAY more fun than boring old sedentary letters!
Download here:
Free Alphabet Printable
If your kids are already playing KneeBouncers games, then you will recognize the characters that are hanging out with each letter of the alphabet on these printables.
Simply click here to download and print:
I printed a set on photo sticker paper and then stuck it to thick pink scrapbooking paper.
Then I cut out the 27 cards – the alphabet A-Z and the KneeBouncers wild card {more on that later}.
Make a Letter Zipline
Materials needed:
- Drinking straws
- Glue {I used a hot glue gun}
- Scissors
- String
- KneeBouncers alphabet cards
First, cut the straws up to be just a little shorter than the width of the alphabet cards. Then cut a slit down the length of the straw and clip the corners of one end.
Glue the altered straw pieces to the back of the alphabet cards near the top with the snipped end on the right.
Repeat to all cards.
Set up a zipline with string. I used two of our kitchen chairs. You want the right side of the zipline to be the tall side.
With string, I created the zipline using slip knots on each end to secure it to the chairs.
The letter cards can now easily be slipped onto the string {even with little hands} and sent flying down the zipline.
Letter Zipline Game
Early learning: Start with a few alphabet cards and talk about each letter. Then name one of the letters and have the child zip it down the line. Help the child make the sound of that letter as it travels!
- KneeBouncers wild card: To make this game more challenging, include the KneeBouncers card as a “wild card”. Have this card represent a letter that is NOT in the original pile. Tell the child that if she can’t find the called letter to use the wild card instead. It is fun to see if she can figure out through elimination what letter is missing!
More advanced: Give the child a few letter cards and have him send them down the zipline in alphabetical order. Check and see if it was right at the end of the line. We noticed if our zipline was very steep, sometimes new letters would knock off letters at the bottom {which is kinda fun!}.
- KneeBouncers wild card: To make this game more fun, include the KneeBouncers card as a “wild card”. Let the child use it in the alphabetizing as a letter in the gap. Have him decide what letter it represents and then arrange the other cards around it. Then try and guess what letter the card represents. Kids get a big kick out of “tricking” the adult!
Phonics Zipline Game
Early learning: Give the child a phonetic sound and have her identify the letter and send it down the zipline.
- KneeBouncers wild card: To make this game more challenging, include the KneeBouncers card as a “wild card”. The wild card is to be used for any blends. So, if you give the sound “ffffff”, the child should send the letter “f” down the zipline. If you give the sound “th”, the child should send down the wild card.
More advanced: Give the child a simple one vowel word to spell and have her send down the letters in order. As each letter goes down the zipline, make the sound of that letter.
- KneeBouncers wild card: To make this game more fun, include the KneeBouncers card as a “wild card”. This time the child decides on a word and spells it, but replaces one of the letters with the wild card. The child then challenges YOU to figure out what letter is missing.
More Play with Letters Fun
We are really excited to be participating in the KneeBouncers Play with Letters series. They will be featuring other blogs with fun letter play ideas over the two weeks.
All these activities go along with the KneeBouncers Play with Purpose iPad app. There are lots of ways to play with letters on the app {and many of them are free!}.
Watch for other fun letter activities by following the #KneeBouncersPlay hashtag, following KneeBouncers on FB, Twitter as @KneeBouncers and Pinterest.
This post is sponsored by KneeBouncers, who believe in playing with purpose! Visit KneeBouncers.com for a multitude of fun games that will help your child get ready for preschool and be sure to try their new Great Play with Purpose iPad App! 45 funtabulous games that support preschool readiness and learning. Available NOW on iTunes and coming soon for Android. All opinions expressed in this article are my own.
More Letter Crafts, Games, ACtivities From Kids Activities Blog
Zipline starts with Z! We have so many zingy letter z crafts.
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