Step-by-step tutorial
Step 1
Gather your materials. (If you don’t have plastic letters, you can cut out paper letters from the provided printable.)
Step 2
Place the letters in a Ziploc® brand sandwich bag. If your letters are too big to fit (i.e. large refrigerator magnets), split the alphabet up into multiple bags.
Step 3
Fill the bag with a cup of rice. As you seal the bag, push out as much air as you can.
Step 4
There are lots of different ways to encourage play and learning. Try laying the bag flat and identifying all the letters you see. Or point to a letter on the alphabet printable and try to find it in the bag. Squish the rice around until you find the letter you’re looking for. Create another bag with numbers to practice early math skills.
Learn more
If your child finds certain letters challenging, create a special bag with those particular letters. Ask questions like: What letters do you see? How many words can you think of that start with that letter? Can you find the first letter of your name? Do this with numbers to reinforce early math skills and number recognition too! Can you put the numbers in order? Can you find your age? For an extra challenge, teach your child how to add numbers. Point to two numbers in the chart and ask them to add them together. Can you find the answer in the bag?