Clay Letters is an activity that you can do with one child or a group of children to help them practice forming letters of the alphabet. In this activity, children become familiar with the shape of the letters and practice forming them independently.

This activity is a making progress activity, for children who have mastered some of the skills needed to learn to read and write.

This activity is an emergent writing activity. Emergent writing refers to a child's beginning attempts to use print in a meaningful way.

New resource! Download models of the letters of the alphabet to use with this activity here.

Where can I find this activity? (The links below are PDF files that will open in a new window.)

Clay Letters for one adult with one child, in English
Clay Letters for one adult with a group of children, in English
Clay Letters for one adult with one child, in Spanish
Clay Letters for one adult with a group of children, in Spanish

My child is having trouble doing this activity. How can I help?
If a child is having difficulty with this activity, draw a large letter on a piece of paper. Help the child form the clay directly on the written letter. Start with simple upper-case letters like "O" and "L."

How can I make this activity more challenging?
Let the child try to make letters without a written model. You can also ask the child to make the letters in his or her name.