20 DIY Letter and Quantity Manipulatives: Fingers-On Studying Made Straightforward!

Shopping for letter and quantity manipulatives for all of the themes can break the financial institution! So I’ve rounded up my favourite DIY letter and quantity manipulatives you may make on a price range. These DIY manipulatives are for math and literacy actions plus they assist construct high-quality motor expertise! You too can make a quantity set for math actions which can be much like any letter manipulative you see on this submit. 

Take a look at all of the Math and Literacy Facilities for over 35 totally different theme concepts!

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DIY Manipulatives for Little Learners

Wooden Ring Letters! These pure letter items are going to get used fairly ceaselessly in your classroom for a tenting, farm, nocturnal animals, or hibernation theme, to call a number of. You possibly can seize these wooden slices right here, after which I used a everlasting marker to jot down the letters. I wrote uppercase letters on one aspect and lowercase letters on the opposite. 

Rock Letters! Go on a rock hunt or seize some from the greenback retailer, and use a paint marker to jot down letters on each. The paint marker will put on off over time, however I simply rewrite it and use once more. You possibly can put modge podge on them if you would like extra endurance. 

Shell Letters! I like these shell letters for a seashore or ocean theme, and your college students will love them too! I like to make use of mine in kinetic sand for a sensory writing bin. I wrote the letters with a everlasting marker on some store-bought shells. 

Circle Letters! I created these circle letters with these stackable counters. Use a everlasting marker to jot down all of the letters of the alphabet or numbers on them, and college students can stack and spell or rely. 

Translucent Chip Letters! Create some DIY letter and quantity manipulatives to your gentle desk with a everlasting marker and a few of these chips. I like these magnetic ones as a result of college students can use a magnet wand for a simple approach to clear their space and make a brand new phrase. 

Egg Numbers! Use plastic eggs to create a enjoyable counting recreation for preschool college students. My college students counted out pom poms and positioned them contained in the quantity eggs. This works on one-to-one correspondence, quantity identification, and counting expertise. Plus, grabbing small manipulatives is a good way to construct high-quality motor energy. Make this a letter recreation by having college students place letter manipulatives into the matching egg. 

Gem Letters! These are a favourite in my classroom for a winter, ice and snow, or polar animals theme. Or they promote totally different colours that can work for different themes! I like the gems as a result of they may also be positioned on the sunshine desk! College students also can place them in a sensory filler since they’re simple to scrub. 

Gem Numbers! These numbers manipulatives are made with glass gems however are in a bigger measurement than the letter gems above. These additionally work nice on the sunshine desk! 

Canine Bone Letters! Seize some canine bones and use a everlasting marker to jot down letters. I wrote higher case letters on one aspect and decrease case on the opposite. These can be so enjoyable for a pet theme! 

Bean Numbers! Use some lima beans to create a DIY letter and quantity manipulative that’s nice for a plant, spring, or farm theme. Simply use a everlasting marker to jot down the letters or numbers. 

Golden Bean Letters! Spray paint some lima beans gold and write letters or numbers on them. Now you’ve gotten the right DIY manipulative for a fairy story theme!

Spoon Letters! I used plastic spoons from the greenback retailer and a everlasting marker to create these DIY letter and quantity manipulatives. You should utilize a coloured one and a transparent one for a enjoyable matching recreation. 

Clothespin Letters! Seize a pack of clothespins from the greenback retailer and make your personal letter or quantity clips for tons of studying alternatives. These are nice for a clothes theme or simply for additional high-quality motor apply whereas training letters. 

Lego Letters! I grabbed an affordable set of enormous legos from the greenback retailer and used a everlasting marker to jot down letters on the blocks. I put letters on both sides, and college students can apply spelling their names or sight phrases by constructing a phrase tower. College students may additionally match capital to lowercase blocks. 

Pool Noodle Letters! Chopping up a pool noodle is a good way to make a ton of DIY letter and quantity manipulatives for a few bucks! I used a serrated knife and reduce the pool noodle into about an inch extensive piece. Then wrote letters on them. College students can match capital to lowercase or stack them to spell phrases. Throw them in a water desk for a extra participating literacy exercise!

DIY Manipulatives with Stickers & Tape

Coin Letters! Choose up some pretend cash and use dot stickers to make DIY letter and quantity manipulatives! I like to make use of these for a pirate, treasure, or St. Patrick’s theme. You possibly can have capital letters on one aspect and lowercase on the opposite. 

Lid Letters! Maintain your water bottle lids and create a budget-friendly studying manipulative to your classroom. I used dot stickers to make them extra colourful. These can be nice for a hands-on approach to study a recycling theme or Earth Day.

Cup Numbers! Use little plastic cups and place a dot sticker inside with a quantity on it. Then college students can use tweezers to select up and rely that many pom poms into every cup. College students may additionally use little scoops or simply their fingers to get the pom poms. 

Automobile Numbers! Use some tape and write numbers in your automobiles. This manner, you possibly can peel the tape off and use the automobiles for different areas all year long. I prefer to make a car parking zone that has the parking spots numbered, and college students need to park their automobile within the appropriate house. 

Duck Letters! Connect some dot stickers to your geese to make a DIY letter and quantity manipulative that matches your theme. You are able to do this for any manipulative you’ve gotten that you simply don’t need to write immediately on; that approach, you may make studying manipulatives for any theme!

DIY Cube! Use any wooden or foam cubes to make extra units of cube to your classroom. You may make dot cube, numeral cube, form cube, colour cube, and extra! 

Completely different Methods to Use Manipulatives within the Classroom

Writing Trays! Make your DIY letter and quantity manipulatives extra participating by inserting them in a writing tray that matches your theme. I used dyed salt, sticks, and letter wooden slices to make this enjoyable exercise for a nature-themed writing tray.

Butcher Paper Actions! I like butcher paper actions for my preschool college students to apply letters and numbers! They’re giant and get college students up transferring and stretching whereas studying. Plus, college students work on crew constructing and communication expertise. Make your butcher paper actions match your themes for extra engagement. 

Sensory Tables and Tubs! Placing your DIY letter and quantity manipulatives right into a sensory desk or tub is a enjoyable approach to interact little learners! I created a treasure field sensory bin with kinetic sand, plastic gems, letter cash, cut-up bead necklaces, and tweezers. It was a lot enjoyable!

Fingers-on Actions! Take your DIY letter and quantity manipulatives and create a hands-on exercise that can interact your learners to apply their letter sounds. I used a paper plate and a few letter beans to make a enjoyable letter-matching recreation!

Matching Video games! I like to make use of my DIY letter and quantity manipulatives to create matching video games that go together with my themes and are simple on my pockets! I used sparkly paper to make a crown, and college students matched letter chips on it. This can be a nice exercise for a fairy story theme!

Printable Video games! Seize these FREE printable letter strips to make a letter-matching recreation together with your DIY letter and quantity manipulatives. Younger kids can use clothespin letters to clip the matching letter and work on their high-quality motor energy. 

DIY letter and quantity manipulatives can be utilized for small teams, complete teams, morning time, or heart time. Make sure you educate your college students the proper approach to make use of the manipulatives, and when you’ve got eaters be certain that to make use of objects which can be appropriate for them. DIY manipulatives are a inventive approach to apply letter formation, quantity sense, alphabet letters, and quantity recognition.

As you possibly can see, there are TONS of DIY letter and quantity manipulatives you may make with issues you could have in your classroom or gadgets yow will discover on the greenback retailer! I like making my very own manipulatives as a result of it saves me cash and permits me to have particular issues for every theme. I discover that is the right approach to make learners extra engaged in your studying facilities. 

Take a look at all of the Math and Literacy Facilities to get printable sources for over 35 themes! Or seize the themes bundle and get monetary savings!

Take a look at this submit to discover ways to make rainbow and bean rulers for little learners. 

Learn to make letter sensory bottles for one more participating literacy choice!

Take a look at the quantity sensory bottles for one more participating math choice! 

Take a look at the YouTube video for extra DIY letter and quantity manipulatives!

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