ABC’s - Play dough and Wikki Stix

Part of early literacy (learning to read and write) is introducing the alphabet in a fun and interactive way. Singing the ABC song to and with your child will help them learn the names of the letters.

Reading to your child from a young age can start the interest and love of reading. Reading books with braille overlays, labeling your child’s items with Braille, and teaching them to use their fingers to feel from left to right are all ways to introduce Braille long before your child is expected to read.

Getting your child used to using their fingers to explore tactile pictures and writing is a good way to expose them to their ABC’s and prep for braille.

What you need:

• Play dough or wikki stix

• Little fingers

Now what can you do:

The possibilities with play dough and wikki stix are endless but for the purpose of this we will look at making tactile pictures, shapes, letters and braille. These are all things your child can help make or they can feel and explore what you made.

Tracing with play dough or wikki stix:

• Draw a shape or letter with a thick, dark marker onto a piece of cardboard.

• Get your child to make long play dough snakes or use wikki stix and place them onto the lines

• Get them to the trace the lines with their fingers

Writing your child’s name in Braille and Print:

• Use play dough to make your child’s name tactile, you can use print and braille.

• Allow your child to trace each letter and tell them each letter

• As they learn their name they can feel each letter and say what it is.

• Get them to do the same with braille cells.

Tactile Matching game:

• Make simple shapes or letters onto pieces of cardboard with wikki stix

• Use bright high contrast colours so that your child can use both vision and tactile to match.