Melissa and Doug Magnetic Chalkboard and Dry-Erase Board Ages 3+ Item # 145

Have the child line up the letter pieces in order and sing the ABCs as you point to each one.

Have the child sort the letter pieces by color, using the colored frame edges as a guide.

Place just one letter on the chalkboard and challenge the child to copy it with the chalk. (For new writers, offer extra help by first "dotting"the letter for the child to trace.) Continue through the alphabet, making each letter sound and talking about familiar words that begin with each letter.

Use the chalk to write a simple word (such as cat, dog, sip) on the chalkboard. Ask the child to use the magnets to overlay each letter as you sound out the word together.

Write out a common word fragment (such as -at, -ed, -ip, -og, -ug) multiple times on the chalkboard. Have the child place a magnetic letter beside each fragment to complete the word in different ways.

Write the endings of several familiar words (such as star, fan, tree) on the chalkboard without their beginning letters. Challenge the child to place a magnet to complete each word. Optional: Use the chalk to illustrate each word.

Place the letter pieces for a familiar word (such as box, chair, house) mixed up on the chalkboard and have the child unscramble the letters to spell the word.

Draw a picture with the chalk and have the child create a label for the picture using the letters and/or the chalk.

Place a letter on the chalkboard and challenge the child to draw as many objects as possible that contain that letter sound.

HELPFUL HINT: For new writers, letters with straight edges are the easiest place to begin. Try helping the child copy straight-line letters (E F T H I L T) before moving on to letters that include curves.