We’ve got a fun way to help kids dive into learning the ABC’s! It’s a simple activity that teaches the alphabet and colors while also gets their feet wet (ha!) with learning ocean animals.
These fun printables can be prepped and taken on-the-go in a busy bag and is the perfect go-along for pre-K & kindergarteners with our book A.B. and the 7 Seas.
This activity helps:
- learn & match letters and colors
- apply alphabet and alphabet order
- learn new vocabulary & diversity of ocean animals
- practice pincer grasp
- practice organizing into finished & unfinished piles (and cleaning up at the end)
It’s a little slice of what’s actually in the book (77 ocean wonders total!). Dive deeper with A.B. and the 7 Seas into ABC’s, colors and ocean wonders!
Here’s a peek into the book:
Before we get to the alphabet and color fun, a quick heads up: we made two options for each matching game — full color and coloring sheets so you can take your pick or use them both!
(Downloadable files are below in the “downloads” section for each activity.)
ABC’s Matching Game
Use small clothespins, binder clips, paper clips, or none at all for this simple matching game.
What you need:
- printable alphabet cards in either full color or coloring sheet, or both (download below)
- cardstock or paper
- 26 small clothespins or small binder clips
- NOTE: If you don’t have these or want to do this activity without the pincer practice, you can use the printable letters below instead of the clothespins/binder clips. You either can use paperclips or just lay the matching letter on top of the animal card.
- scissors
- a marker to write on the clothespins or clips, if using
- a container (like a reusable zipper bag) to store them in
- optional (if you use the coloring sheet version): crayons, markers, or colored pencils
- optional (for more ocean alphabet fun & learning): A.B. and the 7 Seas (contains so many more ocean animals!)
Downloads:
If you’re not using clothespins or binder clips with the letters written on them, you can use this letter printable instead:
Prep:
- Download & print the ABC cards (above) and cut them out
- Tip: If they’ll be getting heavy use, we recommend printing the full color version on cardstock & laminating.
- With the marker, write one letter of the alphabet on each of the clothespins or binder clips (in uppercase and lowercase) OR use the letter printable instead
- Place the cards & clothespins into a storage container
Play:
When it’s time to play:
- Take the cards and clothespins out of the storage container and spread them out on a table or floor. (Or if you’re traveling, the cards can be kept in a stack that kids can flip through, and the clothespins can be kept in the container.)
- Have your child hunt for the matching card for each clothespin or letter. Once they find a match, they can use their pincers (thumb and forefinger) to clip the clothespin to the card and set it aside (keeping the finished ones separate from the unfinished).
- Once they have them all matched, they can put them in the correct order of the alphabet.
- (optional) Explore with A.B. and the 7 Seas to:
- find & match the letters in the book
- reinforce the order of the alphabet
- dive deeper into more vocabulary and discoveries for the letters of the alphabet (77!)
- When kids are finished with the activity, have them practice cleaning up by removing the clothespins from the cards and placing them all neatly into their storage container.
Depending on how familiar your kids are with the alphabet, you can take out smaller groupings of the alphabet to work with at a time.
Of course, a read-aloud of the book together is also a fintastic way to explore the ocean together while continuing to soak in the alphabet and learn new creatures & vocabulary. It’s so fun to explore the ocean!
Colors Matching Game
You can also bring colors into the mix by using the color cards to play a similar matching game.
What you need:
- printable color cards (download below)
- cardstock or paper
- scissors
- 12 medium-small clothespins or small binder clips
- NOTE: If you don’t have these or want to do this activity without the pincer practice, you can use paperclips or just lay the matching color on top of the animal card.
- a marker to write on the clothespins or clips, if using
- optional: markers in different colors & white paper, or paper of different colors
- optional (if you use the coloring sheet version): crayons, markers, or colored pencils
- optional for more fun with colors & ocean animals: A.B. and the 7 Seas
Downloads:
Tip: Use the full color version first, and then have kids color in the coloring sheets.
For the color squares to match the cards to, you can either:
- use construction paper in different colors
- use crayons or colored pencils to make your own
- print the file below
Prep:
- Download & print the color cards & cut them out (download above)
- Tip: If they’ll be getting heavy use, we recommend printing the full color version on cardstock & laminating.
- Make the color squares by either downloading/printing/cutting the color squares above or using construction paper or crayons/markers/colored pencils to make your own
- Write the color names with the marker on the clothespins (if using)
Play:
When it’s time to play:
- Take the cards and clothespins out of the storage container and spread them out on a table or floor.
- Have your child hunt for the matching card for each clothespin or letter. Once they find a match, they can use their pincers (thumb and forefinger) to clip the clothespin to the card and set it aside (keeping the finished ones separate from the unfinished).
- Once they have them all matched, they can use their completed matches to choose the right crayon or marker to fill in the blank ones on the coloring sheets.
- (optional) Get more color practice and bring multi-colors into the fun with A.B. and the 7 Seas to find more animals and identify their color(s).
- When kids are finished with the activity, have them practice cleaning up by removing the clothespins from the cards and placing them all neatly into their storage container.
We hope this makes a splash in helping your kiddos learn the ABC’s. We always LOVE to see photos of the fun, so please tag us (@livingporpoisefully) on Instagram or Facebook!
This ABC activity might just be what a busy parent, grandparent, or teacher is looking for to help their porpoise pups.
Thankfully there are lots of options for passing it on and sharing the love! You can share it by:
- sending them an email with the link to this post
- posting it on social media for your friends & followers
- telling your pod to check out Living Porpoisefully
- pinning on Pinterest:
Many thanks for your shares!💙
Live porpoisefully,
Eve & Rett (Everett) Taylor
Disclaimer: All activities on this blog are intended to be performed with adult supervision. Appropriate and reasonable caution should be used when activities call for the use of materials that could potentially be harmful, such as scissors, or items that could present a choking risk (small items), or a drowning risk (water activities), and with introducing a new food/ingredient to a child (allergies). Observe caution and safety at all times. The author and blog disclaim liability for any damage, mishap, or injury that may occur from engaging in any of these activities on this blog.
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