Do It Yourself!

DIY Aleph Bet Manipulatives!!!

DIY Aleph Bet Manipulatives!!

When it's time to learn the Aleph Bet, many children need more than just a Kriah book. Here are great manipulatives that can be done with items  that are laying around the house or easy to get a hold of. Some of these manipulatives can be used for letter recognition and others can be used for blending sounds. 

Manipulatives can be done using the following:

Color Plastic Eggs

Water or Soda Caps

Clothespins 

Lego or Mega Blocks

Aleph Bet Egg Manipulatives

Using a permanent maker, write the print letter on the top and the vowel on the bottom. Usually is best to prepare the eggs according to  the child's needs. Some teachers prefer to introduce two letters and two sounds at first. The student can practice by mixing and matching the eggs.  

Here is an example... First separate all the eggs.

Then, mix and match them!

Aleph Bet Bottle Caps Manipulatives

Bottle caps are good to hold on when the drink is finished. I'm always the one screaming from the back: "Don't trow the cap away" and for some reason I get a puzzled look in return... I managed to save up enough seltzer bottle caps. I prefer these caps than any others because they are solid white - making it easier for a child to read. Ok, now lets get to the making part. Very simple! Using a thick permanent marker, write a letter in each cap. Let it dry for a few minutes. Otherwise, they can easily smudge.  

There are many activities that these letters can be used. I mainly used the caps for letter recognition and like to work on the receptive and expressive language skills. I usually ask the students to identify the letter and then ask to point to a specific letter. If the get the answer correctly, they get to hold the caps. And, if they get the wrong answer, they could always try again! The students love when I send the caps home in a ziploc bag for extra review. And, I don't usually mind if some get lost on  the way. After all, it was not such a big investment ;)

Aleph Bet Clothespin Manipulatives

The clothespins manipulatives are very easy and fast to make. I used a thin permanent marker to write the print letters. I keep them handy. Whenever, a student needs to review, I pulled them our from my drawer. They can be used in so many different ways!

Aleph Bet Mega Blocks Manipulatives

These Mega Blocks Manipulatives can be used for more advance students. Usually the ones that are able to blend two-three syllable words. The letters and vowels can be written with a dry erase marker. This way, one can work on a specif sound that the student needs help with. Once mastered a goal, the letters can be erased, rewritten and rearranged to work on new goals! 

Have fun with all these Aleph Bet Manipulatives!