DIY: Matching and Tactile Letter Cards

I've been MIA.
Sorry.
SO.... You get TWO ideas for the price of one!
But, this is what our yard looks like:

So needless to say, my free time has been spent outside, cleaning up dirt, giving baths, and doing laundry.

But, they LOVE the dirt so much, that I decided to bring a little inside!

I decided to make my own tactile letter cards using the dirt in the back yard!

I picked the letters in their name, but you can just pick a couple. (Try not to put them in alphabetical order, sometimes I think the kids just memorize the song.) Use school liquid glue, glitter glue, or tacky glue... and then sprinkle your letters with (dirt in my case) glitter, jello powder, sand, colored sand, tiny pebbles (like fish gravel). Let dry. And touch away! (Hold their hand and show them how to touch and say each letter. Do it over and over.)

Teacher Tips:

If you child is left handed, put the letters on the left side of the page, so he can hold it with his right hand and touch with his left. (Look at Luke's card for example.)

DIY: Matching Animal Cards:

Seems so easy, but is a great skill to work on! AND the boys have no idea they are learning, they just think we are playing! I LOVE this age! Everything is so new and fun!

Print the animal cards from here: Counting Coconuts

Why re-invent the wheel?? Tons of awesome stuff is out there, just use it and make it your own!

So here is what I did:

I printed two sets, just on regular paper. Nothing fancy here, my kids will destroy it anyway.

First, I wanted to see if they could just match cow to cow, and etc. Start with just 3-4 pictures on one side and then slowly add more or take some away.

Store them in a plastic baggies and tack the baggies to the playroom wall... wait, what?? Sorry, my organizational skills went out the window when the twins came.

THEN (another day when you want to feel good about yourself)... see if they can match the baby animals to the right mommy!!!! (But start with a small stack first!)

If this is a bust, try it again in a few weeks. I promise it is the BEST feeling when they can do it!

Remember, I am not super mom. My house is a mess, I have laundry to fold, and this activity only took 30 seconds to print and cut. (Stack them all together and cut once!!)

And we played for 3-5 minutes. But, I feel better about my day knowing we did something fun together!

Also shared at We Play and ABC123.