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If you’re new to This Reading Mama, WELCOME!  I’m on day 2 of a Kid Blogger Network Series I’m calling The ABC’s of Learning Toys and Manipulatives.  If you missed Day 1, where I posted learning toy and manipulative ideas for letters A-E, click on the image above or here to get caught up!  Today, I get to post ideas for the letters F-J.

 

Words highlighted in blue are actual links and will take you to a product page or a post where you can see the item being used in action.

 

F is for…

• FARM ANIMALS
• FEATHERS
• FELT BOARD
• FILE FOLDERS
• FINGER FLASHLIGHTS– my boys LOVE these!
• FINGER PAINT
• FINGER PUPPETS

• FISH BOWL– one of NSis’ (10 months) favorites right now
• FISHING POLE– make your own or purchase one like this
  
• FLASHLIGHTS
• FLASH CARDS
• FLOOR PUZZLES
• FLOWER PEDALS-real or silk (submitted by a Facebook reader)
• FOAM

• FOLDING LAP DESKS– my oldest three got these for Christmas last year. I cannot say enough good things about these collapsible desks. They are awesome!
• FOOD– real and pretend, my kids (even ALuv at 7 years) like to cut up the pretend food
• FOOD DYE-squeeze drops into water (fine motor) mixing primary colors to make secondary colors
• FRIDGE TOYS– We have about any fridge toy that Leap Frog makes and LOVE all of them.  I have rotated ours to the dishwasher, microwave, and even a metal cookie tray.
• FUNNELS

 

G is for…

• GEARS
• GEL GEMS
• GEL PENS
• GEMSTONES
• GEOMETRIC SHAPES– we currently have these
• GEOTRAX

• GLASSES– these are great to wear for play or to “read” or “write” the room
• GLITTER
• GLOBE– I’d love to have one like this, but currently this inflatable globe works just as well for us
• GLUE
• GOLDFISH
• GOLF BALLS
• GOLF TEES
• GUMBALLS/GUMBALL MACHINES

 

H is for…

• HATS
• HEXBUGS
• HOLE PUNCHER– great for fine motor and for creating your own lacing cards, use a regular one or a shaped hole punch
• HOOLA HOOPS– use for a gross motor game or overlap to create a Venn Diagram
• HOPSCOTCH– buy one like this or make your own!
• HOT DOGS & HAMBURGERS
• HOUSE

 

 I is for…

• ICE– dump a bunch of ice outside on a hot day for some fun play time with dump trucks, scoops, or buckets
• ICE CREAM SCOOPS– these were instrumental in teaching MBug (currently 2.5 years old) her colors

• ICE TRAYS- use regular ice trays and spruce them up by adding numbers, letters, or colors or use different-shaped ice trays (molds) to fit your theme for that letter
• INK & INKPADS
• INSTRUMENTS
• iPAD– Some of our favorite apps for letter learning are: Teach Me Toddler, Junior Bingo, Preschool Adventure, Wee Sing, iWrite Words, Starfall ABCs, Witty Bits (if I must be honest, the songs are annoying and addictive, but it teaches letters sounds and letter names, FREE, and my two preschoolers LOVE it), and Magnetic ABC (my 1st grader uses this one quite a bit as well).  We have the full version of all of these, but many of them offer lite versions for free.

 

J is for…

• JARS– reuse those baby food jars or peanut butter jars
• JELLY BEANS
• JEWELRY
• JEWELS
• JUMBLES– by Crayola; these are perfect for NSis, but the boys like to build with them
• JUMP ROPE– I totally love that this one comes with 101 jump rope rhymes!!
  

 

Check out all the bloggers in the ABCs of series posting about literacy!  I know I will. 🙂

• Books for Preschoolers from Mommy and Me Book Club
• Building a Home Library from Ready Set Read!
• Early Language Learning from Playting with Words 365
• Early Literacy from Playdough to Plato
• Exploring Books from JDaniel4’s Mom
• Graphic Novels from Pragmatic Mom
• Learning to Read Through Play from Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas
• Learning to Write from NurtureStore
• Reading Comprehension for Pre K-Grade 1 from The Wise Owl Factory
• Storytelling from A Mom with a Lesson Plan

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~Becky