Preschoolers spend a lot of time engaging in pretend play, and they learn a lot while doing so. Baking is a common pretend play activity in our house. Recently I pulled out our foam ABCs and we used them to do some pretend baking. Tinker loved it!

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To set up your own ABC cookie pretend play station, you’ll need small paper plates labeled with the lowercase letters. Place foam alphabet letters (or any similar ABC manipulatives you already have on hand) on a baking sheet. Grab a spatula and any other accessories you’re little ones like to use for baking. If you have a chef costume or apron, put it on to add to the fun. We love the Melissa & Doug Chef Costume.

Tinker had so much fun matching the upper and lowercase letters as she served up a whole batch of ABC cookies. When she was done she shared them with all of her baby dolls before baking up another batch.

For the second batch she decided to sort the cookies by color. This was self-directed way to practice early math skills. You never know what kids will naturally practice on their own when given the opportunity to engage in pretend play, but it’s almost always meaningful!

Use Alphabet Mats to Learn the ABCs

ABC letter mats can be a versatile tool to use in early childhood learning. They can be laminated and used over and over again for letter formation and writing activities. They can also be used to create alphabet books, posters and more. Letter crafts and process art activities related to a letter you are learning can be a fun way for kids to make connections between a letter and something that starts with that beginning sound. In our Alphabet Letter Mats set you’ll find two full sets of alphabet mats to use and tons of ideas for using them. There are over 140 ideas for using the alphabet mats in meaningful ways to reinforce letter recognition and learning letter sounds.

This 181-page resource pack contains the following:

1) Suggestions for Using the Letter Mats-These ideas include ways to use the mats for small group and center activities and can be done for any letter of the alphabet.
2) Process Art Ideas for Each Letter of the Alphabet-60 ideas!
3) Collage and Texture Art Ideas for Each Letter of the Alphabet-54 ideas!
4) Complete sets of alphabet mats in two different font options.

Get the Alphabet Letter Mats Set

For even more ways to get kids moving while learning the alphabet visit our gross motor alphabet activities collection.

Hands-on Play with ABCs and 123s

If you’re looking for more hands-on ways to practice the alphabet and beginning math skills with kids, check out our co-authored book ABCs and 123s. Inside you’ll find over 40 kid-tested learning activities that teach beginning literacy and math in a playful way.

Learn more about ABCs and 123s