My 5 year old and my kindergarten class all love word boxes. I buy these little black flip-up boxes from the Dollar Store, but you can just as easily use a Ziploc bag or an envelope to store your words. The Dollar Store also sells these blank word strips, which I use all the time.
I like to put together thematic word boxes for my kids to use. I have themed boxes for holidays (like Christmas), concepts (like the fire department or the post office), and people (like princesses or family members). A word box, a piece of paper or a small whiteboard, and a pencil or marker is all your child will need.
Even if your child can't read yet, he can begin practicing his letter formation and start to recognize the sounds letters make as he writes a word and you read it to him. Since he knows all the words in this box are Valentine's Day themed, he can have confidence in copying the words onto a card for someone. Children who can read enjoy reading through the words and making sentences out of the various words and phrases found in the box. Children also begin to learn various words that associate with a particular idea or holiday.
Some of the words in my Valentine's Day Box include:
- I love you.
- Valentine's Day
- February 14th
You can really provide a lot of different words on any topic or idea. Word boxes are a great reading and writing activity for young children, and they are so simple and inexpensive to create.
See all my Valentine's Day activities, crafts, gifts, and projects HERE!