EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
Explore the wonder of writing
by creating uniquely shaped sand letters
SAND LETTER
MATERIAL REQUIRED:
BLANK CARDS – 26 cards for all alphabets
(5 cards for only vowels)
PENCIL AND GLUE
SAND OR EPSOM SALT
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PROCEDURE:
BLANK CARD - Choose a blank card or thick strong paper as a background.
Keep the colour of the sand and colour of the paper in contrast so it stands out.
I choose black colour fine sand, so my paper is white.
TRACE THE LETTER ON THE CARD AND GLUE THE LETTER.
GLUE THE LETTER AND COVER WITH SAND- after applying glue on the letter,
cover the glue with sand generously and let it dry for 30 mins.
Remove the excess sand on the paper.
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GLUE AND SAND AGAIN- You can apply a second coat of glue on top of the sand
and cover the glue with a second coating of sand. This way you can finish the edges
of the letter and the sand particles stick hard to each other and does not come off easily.
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Another way of making DIY sand paper letters on a budget is with Emery board nail files. Emery board nail files may also be cut in the shape of a letter and glued on the card paper. Salt and sugar also make good material for preparing the sand letter but it needs to be protected from moisture. Introduce the child with lower case letters first, the vowels, the letters in their name and then consonants.
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HOW TO USE SAND LETTERS: Toddlers can trace the letters with index finger and understand the movement to write a particular letter. Toddlers use their muscle memory to learn to write the letter and use the skill in writing alphabets. Sand paper letters teaches to follow the shapes of the letters correctly using tactile and visual memory. After they master the direction of the movement, they can be introduced to writing the letters.
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Authentic sand letter is lower case in pink and upper case in blue with the size of 6.25 / 4.75 inch.
SAND TRAY
PROCEDURE
The sand tray is used to trace letters, numbers and shapes. Take a wooden box with a coloured backing and cover with a layer of sand or salt. Let the child use the sandpaper letter or sand paper number as a reference and trace the letter into the sand using index finger. Impression of the letter made on the sand will reveal the coloured backing of the tray. Shake the tray and keep practicing the letters. This activity will help the children learn the shape of the letter and create a muscle memory. The children can practice writing the letter or numbers on the sand tray before using paper and pencil.
Introduce the child with lower case letters first, the vowels, the letters in their name and then consonants. children we face challenge with similar looking letters like b, d, p or curvy letter like s, or numbers like 8 may practice on sand tray.
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Sand Tray
MATERIAL REQUIRED -
A WOODEN BOX OR TRAY
AND SAND OR EPSOM SALT
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