I love the How to Draw 101… series. The instructions are really easy and the end result is actually pretty good. I use “How to Draw 101 Animals” about every other day with my toddler. (I, regrettably, paid full price on an impulse buy at a retail store. I recommend clicking here to buy it at a discount through Amazon.com.)

Sometimes, he chooses a picture. I draw it and write the name under it. When he wants to watch a movie, I write three titles on the chalkboard with a little picture of an animal from the movie next to it so he can choose. Sometimes, we choose a letter of the alphabet and draw a bunch of animals that start with that letter. I am not joking. I use these books all the time!

Not only does my son think I can draw, but I am actually learning how to as I practice.

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Obviously, he is too young to play the real game, but it happens to come with a 20 sided die with alphabet letters on it.

My son rolls the die across the floor, tells me the letter, and we try to think of something that starts with that letter. He gets to burn some energy, practice his alphabet and phonics, while I make dinner or pick up. A good time for all.

Check out the video below to see my little man in action.

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What you Need for this Toddler Activity…
* Old Magazines
* Index Cards

How you Do It…
Write each letter of the alphabet on an index card. (You can also use a cup of alphabet magnets, etc.) Have the child select a letter. Then let them find the letter or things that start with that letter in the magazine.

Taking it a Step Further…
Narrow the activity down to one letter and help them make a collage of their scavenger hunt finds.

Tips…
* If you are focusing on upper-case letters, try fashion magazines. Often, they have a lot of big, bold, headlines that are all upper-case.

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From the Toddler App Developer

Welcome to Fish School HD – with letters, numbers, shapes, colors, matching, and more! Brought to you by the creators of Wheels on the Bus, an award-winning, educational iPhone app – featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, San Francisco Chronicle, Gizmodo, Discovery Channel, MSNBC.com, Wired.com, and Daily Candy.

Get Fish School HD Today!

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Practice Sorting and Colors
Use a muffin tin or dixie cups to help your toddler sort the magnets by color.

Special Letter
Sometimes, when we go to the grocery store, I put an alphabet letter in a little plastic Easter egg. When we get to the store, my toddler cracks open the egg to see what the special letter is. Then, we spend the trip looking for that letter in signs at the store.

Picture and Letter Matching
Cut out some simple pictures from magazines. (Pictures without too much going on.) Then, help your toddler hang them up on the refrigerator using the letter that the object in the picture begins with.

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Letters in Hiding
Sometimes, I take individual letters from the puzzle mat and hide them strategically around the house. For example, I might hide the letter B in the bed, the P under a pillow, the O in his toy oven. I don’t tell him that I have hidden them. I just let him find the letters on his own and then make a big deal about it. “You found a B in the bed! Bed starts with the letter B. B..B..Bed. B…B…Boy… You get the idea.

Alphabet Road
Often, we make a road out of the letters that winds around corners, through doors, or around furniture. Of course, you have to sing the alphabet song as you walk the alphabet road.

Letter Puzzle
I put a few of the puzzle frames on the floor without the letters in them. Then, I hold up a letter and ask him to find where it goes. As he searches for the correct frame, I talk about the letter and things that start with it. Once he has filled in a few holes, I put out more empty frames. I love this game because instead of looking for the letter, he is looking for a hole the SHAPE of the letter. Plus, it is a healthy challenge for him to fit the letter into the frame.

Alphabet Letter Tracing
My toddler and I work on his fine motor skills by tracing the individual alphabet letters. He still needs help, but it is a fun activity that keeps him entertained.

Bag-O-Alphabet Letters
Sometimes, we put some of the alphabet letters in a pillowcase. (I generally don’t include letters like X, Z, etc.) He reaches in and picks one out. Then, we run around the house looking for things that start with that letter. He gets a nice workout while learning his alphabet.

Letter of the Day
We do this activity a lot. I usually pick a letter based on his latest interest. For example, when he was all about the dog we had D day. I go around the house and find a bunch of small things that start with that letter and put them in a box. Then, I grab the letter from the alphabet puzzle mat, hold it behind my back, and present it to him with the box of items. He spends the next hour playing with the items in the box while I make a big deal about the letter.

Run and Jump!
This one is good for wearing out your spirited toddler while they work on their gross motor skills. I choose about five letters and put them on the floor. Then, I have my energetic little boy run a lap around the downstairs. As he rounds the bend to where I am, I shout out a letter. He has to think quick, find it, and jump on it. I swap out a letter or two and we do it again. It sounds kind of silly, but he will do it a dozen times before he gets bored.

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I quickly discovered a few things. First, I am not really into sugar cookies. Second, there is a reason why folks only make cookies on holidays. The mess, the time, the hassle. Did I mention the mess? After just a few cookie baking binges, the beautiful box of cookie cutters was relegated to a dusty shelf where it was forgotten until I had a toddler. Now, we use them a few times a week for all sorts of activities.

Play Doh
Play Doh is just great with cookie cutters. It does not require a lot of ingredients, mixing bowls, measuring cups, and spoons. It does not have to be carefully cut on a floured surface. It does not have to be baked and it does not have to be iced.

Give your cookie cutters new life by letting your toddler use them with Play Doh. Talk about the shapes and letters. Ask your toddler which color Play Doh would make a good star.

Sandwich or Pancake Fun
Turn meal time into learning time by cutting your toddlers sandwich, pancakes, etc. into letters or shapes.

Tracing Activity
Trace around some cookie cutters of trees, stars, etc. Then, let your toddler decorate the shapes.

Sand Shapes
Press cookie cutters into wet sand. Stamp out the alphabet or a scene and then erase it and start again.

Sponge Painting
Trace the cookie cutter shapes on to sponges. Cut out the shapes and let your toddler use the sponges to stamp out fun pictures.

Felt Scenes
Find some shapes that go together and trace them on to appropriately colored felt. Use a piece of felt as a background and let your toddler create scenes with the shapes.

Lacing Cards
Trace larger shapes on to cardboard. Then, use a hole punch to make holes along the edges. Give your toddler a shoe lace and let them practice their lacing.

Cinnamon Dough Ornaments
Do a quick internet search for a cinnamon dough ornament recipe and make crafty ornaments that smell good enough to eat.

Greeting Cards
Trace cookie cutters on to construction paper and use the shapes to decorate cards for any occasion.

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The game is simple. The screen shows a word with a picture and then your toddler drags letters onto the word to spell it. When your toddler is finished, the picture makes a noise and moves so that they know they did it right. I am not doing it justice. You just have to try it out yourself. All I know is that my son can happily spend an hour playing this toddler app, and that is worth its weight in gold.

From the Toddler App Developer
The best-selling reading game for kids is now available with more words than ever before! First Words: Deluxe provides endless fun for the toddlers in your life, all while giving your child a head start on learning their letters and learning to spell words.

First Words: Deluxe is toddler-tested and approved, with a user-interface designed specifically for the littlest of fingers. The game includes 147 words, including:

== 44 animals
== 35 vehicles
== 14 colors
== 22 shapes
== 32 words from around the house

A wide range of options let you tune the game to match your child’s current skills and abilities.

If your child is old enough to ask for your phone, they’re old enough for First Words: Deluxe!

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I have seen activities where you write on a piece of paper, cover it with plastic wrap, and then have your toddler use a dry erase marker to trace what you wrote. If that method works for you, great! It never really came out as planned for us. Things slipped and slid, and we ended up getting marker all over the place.

So, I started using a chalkboard. Just hold a piece of chalk sideways and use it to coat the entire board. Then, use your finger to draw letters of the alphabet. Give your toddler the chalk and have them trace the letters. When they have finished, just use the chalk to scribble over it and do it again. Easy cheesy…

Be sure to check out this other WildEdisons.com post: Alphabet Tracing Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers

Products Relating to Alphabet Tracing

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