Teaching letters doesn’t have to be boring, especially when there are insects involved. I is for Insect is full of buggy, hands-on ways to teach your toddler the letter I.
Teaching letters to your toddler doesn’t have to be boring – especially when there is insects involved! Learn how to teach the letter I to your toddlers with these fun activities!
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Make the Letter
Poke page:
Print the poke page (or draw the letter on a piece of paper) and have your child poke the letter with a toothpick or an oversized push pin. Be sure to keep a close watch over your child while doing this activity since sharp points are involved.
Learning Notebook
This is a shape tracing page. I was very surprised to see my toddler actually attempted to trace the shapes instead of just color them.
Toddler Trays
Theme
Make a thumbprint on the jar picture (printable in curriculum). Add eyes, wings, and antennae to make it a bug. Punch a hole and put it on a yarn necklace and add beads.
Matching
Match caterpillar/butterfly toys to correct place on a printable.
Pasta
Use colored pasta to decorate the butterfly (printable in curriculum).
Fine Motor
Put plastic bugs in a “spider web.” Pull insects out to help them “escape.”
Transferring
Use tongs to transfer “caterpillars” (pipe cleaners with beads on them) into spots in water bottle ice cube tray.
Tray Printables
Cutting practice.
Books
Read The Very Hungry Caterpillar. We have a pop-up version that is really cool and it’s my toddler’s favorite book.
Teach the whole alphabet, one letter at a time
Our Toddler Alphabet Curriculum helps you teach your child with a unique theme for each letter — printables, toddler tray ideas, a craft, a book list, and simple ways to teach the letter. It makes learning the alphabet easy and fun for you and your child!
Letter I Craft
Paper towel and watercolor butterfly. Have your toddler paint the paper towel to make wings for your “butterfly.”
Add a pipe cleaner around the middle of the paper towel to create the body and antennas.
Letter I Sensory Bin
We used lentils for the base of our letter I sensory bin.
Read about our ABC Sensory Bins here.
Find more activities like this one on our how to teach letters page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I teach uppercase or lowercase letters first?
Start with uppercase. Capital letters are easier to tell apart, so they are less confusing for toddlers. Add lowercase once the uppercase letters feel familiar.
Should I teach letter names or letter sounds first?
Letter names first. Letter sounds usually come a bit later, around 4 or 5, and they are the piece that really helps with reading.
How long should a letter lesson be?
Keep it short, just 5 to 10 minutes of playful practice, and stop while your toddler is still having fun. Several short sessions beat one long one.