Letter/Number Pop!

Here's a fun game you can play with all of that bubble wrap you receive in your upcoming holiday gift packages.  The larger bubble wrap works best.  All you need is a Sharpie marker (you can use stickers as well, but we wanted it to show up on the light panel, so we used markers).  Aside from being fun - what kid doesn't love bubble wrap - it's also great for motor skills.

I wrote the letters on the BOTTOM of the bubble wrap, which meant I had to write them all backwards....yes, if you look closely I made some mistakes.  Oops.

INVITATION:  Number recognition / Upper case letters

Upper/Lower case letters.....letters are written in the same color based on the level of the child.

There are so many ways you can tweak this to make it appropriate for the level of the child.  Here are a few ideas.....

• numbers
• numbers and dots for counting
• upper case letters
• lower case letters
• upper & lower case with like letters written in the same color
• upper & lower case with like letters written in different colors

There are also several ways you can present this activity and interact with the child.  Here are a few ideas....

• present it as a game of BINGO POP - where you call out a letter/number and the child pops the letter/number
• simply allow the child to pop at will while you track his/her play - "you popped letter B" (this is what I did)
• phonics BINGO - you say letter sound, child pops corresponding letter

I set up the invitation not knowing whether or not my son would take interest.  He did, but he was tired and found popping the bubbles on the light panel frustrating (which was escalated by his fatigue).  It was easier for his little - tired - fingers to pick up the bubble wrap and pop it.  Given the circumstances it was not a "huge hit", but I imagine it may be on a different day. 

- AK (MESE, MECD)