Letter Cards

There is magic to be had in that moment your child sounds out a word and erupts in delight at the discovery of having read his or her first word.

Long before that comes the awareness that a letter connects to a sound and that the words we speak are broken down into a variety of sounds.

The Tracing Letter Cards allow for your child to begin connecting the sounds we say to a letter, as together you lay out the alphabet and repeat the associated sound for each letter.

Having the letters move around gives you and your child the flexibility to isolate letters and group them in the way that best suits your learning and teaching styles.

Some may begin with certain popular consonants like m, s, t while others may choose the letters of their child's name to begin.

The ability to either finger trace each letter or use the included wooden stylus broadens and deepens the connection of the sound to the letter by targeting multiple senses (sound, touch, sight).

While the letter cards are reversible with the lower case on one side and the upper case on the other, we recommend beginning with the lower case since those letters are more commonly used than capitals. (For example, in the previous sentence there were 166 lower case letters and 1 capital letter. Would you rather be the kid who could recognize 166 letters or the kid who could recognize only 1?)

You can use play dough in the grooves and colour the consonants red and the vowels blue for a true Montessori experience.

There are a myriad of ways to use these cards every day, and the best part is your child will lead the way by asking you to spell words. It will likely begin with his or her own name, then yours, then another parent, then other family members or teachers or friends.

From there you can move to CVC combinations like a cat, pan, fox, dog, cow, nut, or log. You can round up a bin of toys with CVC spellings and then ask your child to spell the words beside each object. The kinesthetic movement of touching each item and physically moving the letters to form the word, along with the visual connection is powerful and, let's face it, a heck of a lot more engaging than a boring worksheet. You can also reuse the letters multiple times over multiple years without wasting sheets of paper or lamination plastic.

When Kindergarteners have to write out a class set of Valentine's or holiday cards, these come in handy to spell everyone's name without wasting paper.

Use them with a ten frame to connect numeracy and literacy with each number, or with our 4-square tray for further learning.

THE DETAILS

The set of letter cards comes with 26 wooden "cards". Each card is roughly the size of a standard playing card so that it fits comfortably in the average-sized preschooler or kindergartener's hand, making it easy and manageable for them to move around and turn over. They are made of locally-sourced Canadian maple and are finished with vegan wax and oil. The set also includes a wooden stylus.

The wooden storage box is an additional $25 and can be selected in the options when you purchase.

The shapes of the letters have been researched and are the most commonly taught versions in Preschool, Kindergarten and First Grade classrooms, with the "true lowercase a", the proper-shaped lowercase "j" (with a hook-like an umbrella handle on the end), the lowercase "k" that connects mid-point to create a more fluid motion when writing, and a lowercase "q" with an upper stroke at 45 degrees from the bottom.

Please note that little fingers and wrists can't be forced to develop muscles and bone strength before they are ready. Just like walking, producing letters happens at different rates for different children. We strongly encourage creative exploration of these letter cards in place of pressured practice. Your child will be more excited to connect with letters if he or she can come to the realization of them on his or her own terms.

Please note that because wood is a natural material with different grains, your letter cards will most likely look different from the ones pictured. We do our best to make each card similar but the beauty of nature is that it is wonderfully unique.

CLEANING

We recommend using only dry sensory materials with the letter cards. The finish is resistant to mild liquid but is not meant for intense dunking. Spot clean with a damp cloth and let air dry. Markers and crayons are not recommended.

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A note about wooden toys: Wood is a natural material and as such, has various unique markings. Variations in wood grain, colour, knots, or texture are all-natural occurrences in these hand-crafted wooden products. These unique variations and markings are proof of quality, not defects. Enjoy the markings that make your toy unique!

There may be a difference in colour between what you see on your screen and what you receive in real life. This is due to different monitors and displays, and while we wish there was just one universal monitor for everyone, that isn't the case.

If you have any concerns or problems with any of our products, please do not hesitate to contact us. We want you to be entirely satisfied with what you have received and will do everything possible to make it right.

Materials: maple, vegan wax, oil