Summertime is the PERFECT time to turn playtime into learning with your kids, and Learning Resources, has everything you need to get started! When I was in the classroom as a teacher, I LOVED Learning Resources, and eagerly awaited the arrival of their catalog each month! (Seriously, order this catalog! You’ll dog-ear every page!)Whether you are a classroom teacher, a daycare provider, or simply a parent or grandparent that wants to provide a child you care about with fun, educational activities and toys, Learning Resources will have something for you! (And they have great stuff for all ages!)  Learning Resources has come out with a ton of great new items, and I was lucky enough to receive the fantastic Letter Box Activity Set to use with my kids (and that I am totally saving to bring back to the classroom with me one day!)

The Letter Box Activity Set is a fun (and easy!) way to either introduce the letters of the alphabet to your kids, or to expand on their pre-existing alphabet knowledge. The set includes a magnetic mail box, that I was able to stick right to my front door, 104 word cards (with a real-life photograph on the front, and the word on the back), and 13 double-sided letter cards. There are a ton of ways you can use this incredible learning activity set with your children or students, and you don’t need your teaching degree to implement this into your playtime.

As soon as I hung up the Letter Box, my kids were instantly intrigued, and wanted to play with it! The mail box theme is adorable and a great vehicle for lots of learning. Our letter of the day was Y! I placed the Y card (complete with a cute little stamp) in the top pocket (which is really sturdy and will last!) I opened up the mail slot, and put in four of the photo/word cards, and then closed the letter box (to keep the cards a secret!) I asked my son to come and open the letter box, and he was so excited to see what was waiting for him to find. In just a few minutes, we were able to talk about the letter y, the sound it makes, words that begin with the y sound, and more! We were able to cover so many phonological awareness bases in this one simple to use activity set!

Here are a few of the learning activities you can do with the Letter Box Activity Set! (You can buy one HERE!)

1. Have your child make predictions about the word cards they might see hiding in the letter box. (Can you think of some words that start with Y?)

2. Flip the picture cards over, and talk about the words. Mix the cards up, and have your child see if they can find the word you say. (Talk about beginning, middle, and ending sounds when you do this activity!!)

3. Have your child suggest a few more words that could be in the letter box for the given letter. (I had my four year old draw a picture of y words, and my six year old wrote a list.)

4. Talk about the pictures. This activity set is a great way to expand your child’s vocabulary! Discuss new words, and have your child use familiar words in a sentence.

5. Have your child write a sentence or story that includes all of the words you used to introduce the letter of the day!

You can use the included activity guide for lots of great ideas, or even use one of the given reproducibles! This activity set is both child and parent friendly, and you will ALL love working together with the Letter Box Activity Set! Focus a week’s worth of intentional learning time on one letter, or learn a new letter every day! This is a fabulous refresher activity for kids who already know their letters and sounds ,and can be a great vehicle for vocabulary expansion and opportunities for writing and word recognition. For younger children, this is a high-interest way to help connect letters with sounds,and  a way to help them understand that sounds form words. This is ideal for kids ages 3-6. My kids both LOVED using the Letter Box, and wanted to do another letter as soon as we finished the first! I know your kids will love it too!

You can also check out all of the other wonderful learning products Learning Resources has to offer HERE!Their website is also organized into sections for parents, teachers, and parents/teachers of kids with special needs. You can also search by age/grade, category, or subject! You can so easily find just what you are looking for with Learning Resources! Whether you need a workbook, a game, manipulatives ,or activity sets, they will have something for you! Head on over to the Learning Resources Website to stock up for summer learning!

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Have a fun and educational summer with Learning Resources!!

One of you will WIN one of these fantastic Letter Box Activity Sets!!! Get ready to have fun learning with your kids all summer  (and year) long!!
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