Our ABC Bucket

My three year old is working on mastering all of the letters in the alphabet.  He, like many three year olds, has a LOT of energy.  I thought that some outdoor play with sports, balls, and letters might be the perfect combination for him.

First, I took a permanent marker and wrote each letter of the alphabet on the balls.  Easy, easy, easy!  This took less than 5 minutes.  Then, I put them all in a bucket (much more appealing to the little ones when they are in a bucket).  The possibilities are endless.

Here are 22 ideas for playing with a bucket of alphabet balls.

1.  Play catch and say the letter each time you throw the ball.  This was the best picture I could get of my son throwing the "Q" ball.

2.  Start with a pile of 4 or 5 balls.  Call a letter.  Have your child find the matching ball and throw it to you. 

3.  Line up a few buckets and tape a letter on each bucket.  Have your child throw the ball into the bucket with the same letter.

4.  Have your child put the letters in the correct order to spell their name.

5.  Play baseball.  Each time you put the ball on the tee have your child look at the letter and say the letter as they swing as hard as they can.  My son loved this, but he didn't just say the letter, he made sure to yell.

6.  Put all of the balls in a basket.  Call out a word and have your child find the beginning letter of that word. 

7.  Play catch with one letter and each time you throw the ball you or your child must think of a word that starts with that letter.

8.  Put the balls in alphabetical order.  Start with just a few balls and work up to more.

9.  Play baseball, but this time the batter must say a word that starts with that letter as they hit the ball.

10.  Put the balls in the correct order to make short sight words such as on, run, saw, the, and.

11.  Roll one ball at a time across the floor, sidewalk, or kitchen table.  When your child catches the ball have them tell you the letter on it.  We did this while we wrapped up dinner and had a lot of fun.

12.  Facebook fan, Cindy, suggested playing hot potato.  I love this idea!  When the music stops the person with the ball must think of a word that starts with that letter.

13.  Good friend AND Facebook fan, Theresa, suggested tossing the balls in a bucket and saying a word that starts with that letter or saying the sound that the letter makes.  Great idea!

14.  Another Facebook fan, Rita, mentioned choosing a ball and starting a sentence with that letter.  This would be perfect for my six year old who has been working on writing a lot lately!

15.  Play golf and have your child say the letter, sound, or word as they hit the ball into the hole.

16.  Hide the balls all around the house.  For example, put the "S" in the sink.  When your child finds the letter have them make the connection between the letter and the place it was hidden.

17.   Let your child find some hiding places on their own!  Maybe they will put the "B" in their bed or the "H" in their hamper!

18.  Another Facebook fan, Amanda, came up with the idea to pick out a ball.  Say, "I went to the shops and bought a ..." something beginning with that letter ball.  The next person says that sentence again and adds another item beginning with the letter that they picked out of the bucket.  Continue until everyone has added something to the list.

19.  Put them in the bathtub!  We play with foam letters all of the time! Why not try the ABC balls?

20.  Play 26 pick up!  Leave the balls all over the floor.  See how fast your child can pick up all of the letters and put them in a bucket or laundry basket.  Make sure they say the letter as they place it in the basket!  My kids always love to be timed!

21.  Go grocery shopping.  Place the balls around the room.  When your child picks up a ball they must think of a food that starts with the letter before putting the ball in their grocery cart or shopping bag.

22.  Let your child just play on their own.  My son wanted to sit in the laundry basket filled with alphabet balls while my daughter tried to take as many away from him as possible.  Earlier in the day he  wanted to bowl with them!

Do you have any more ideas?  I would love for you to leave a comment!

Also, I invite you to check out the Adventures in Reading with Kids Facebook Page to follow along with our 366 day long book journey!