First Letter Hunt
What you need
- comfy shoes for a walk
How to do it
- Before you set off, tell them the first letter of their name and the sound it makes: "S, sss, like Sam."
- Walk to the shops or along your road, looking at signs, doors, buses and number plates for that letter.
- Every time one of you finds it, stop, point and say the sound together, then think of another word that starts the same way.
- Count how many you found by the time you get back.
Why it matters
Letters are everywhere on a walk, and hunting for the one from their own name turns signs and number plates into a game.
What they're learning
- Knowing a letter
- The first letter of their name, seen in lots of places and sizes.
- First sounds
- Saying the sound each time joins the letter to the start of their name.
- Looking closely
- A small letter on a big sign takes careful looking.
What to look for
Notice them finding the letter in a new place, like on a lorry or a shop window, without being asked.
A tip
Pick a route with shops or a bus stop so there are plenty of signs, and hold hands near the road while you both look up.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: look for any letters at all and name the ones you know
Harder: hunt for the first letter of everyone in the family, one at a time
