Autumn Alphabet Tree Games

1-2-3 Come Make An Alpha Tree With Me

leaf activities, alphabet activities, alphabet games, alphabet crafts, shape activities, 2D shapes, fall crafts, fall games, common core leaves Are you a fan of Pinterest? It's the first place I go now, if I'm looking for some inspiration. While popping around looking for autumn ideas, I came across this darling letter tree by Brooke over at Blissful Roots, which she made for her son's room, using scrapbook paper and die cuts.

leaf activities, alphabet activities, alphabet games, alphabet crafts, shape activities, 2D shapes, fall crafts, fall games, common core leaves It was my inspiration for creating two classroom alpha trees. You can easily make them to use as a center or game, to help reinforce upper and lowercase letters. There are several ways to make and use the alpha trees.

#1. Run off the bare trees on white construction paper. (There are 7 to choose from.) Give students a choice.

Using fall-colored stamp pads, have students make 26 “leaves” with their fingerprints. Set aside to dry.

Using a black marker, children write either the upper or lowercase letters on each one of their fingerprints.

For a review game, give students a piece of candy corn to use as a manipulative, and then play “I Spy!” Choose a student to call out a letter. Children place their piece of candy corn over that letter “leaf” then raise their hand. This is a quick and easy way to whole group assess, as you can see at a glance who is having difficulty.

#2. Instead of making fingerprint leaves, use sticker dots. You or your students can write the letters on the dots.

#3. Besides sticker dots, you could also run off the blank squares template, on a variety of fall colors of construction paper. Give students a strip of each color and have them write letters on the construction paper squares. They snip and glue to their alpha tree. Or...

#4. Use the colorful letter "leaf" tiles that I’ve provided and run off the uppercase letters. Students trim, sort into color piles, then arrange the letter tiles on their tree. When they are satisfied with the look, they glue the letter "leaves" down. Also give each child a set of lowercase letter tiles to trim.

They use these as manipulatives to cover the matching uppercase letter leaves on their tree. This can be set up as an independent center, or whole group activity. If you do this as a whole group, children can take their letter leaves home in a Snack Baggie to continue to play at home.

#5. So that you can play the game two different ways, assemble and laminate several sets of uppercase trees, with lowercase tiles, and lowercase trees with uppercase tiles. Use these as independent centers for center time, early finishers, or to send home with a struggling child, to be returned later.

#6. I’ve also included a set of blank color tiles, as another option. Use this template if you want your kiddos to have more writing practice. Students write the letters inside the colored "leaf" squares, trim, and then glue to their tree.

#7. If you’d like to turn this into a cute keepsake craftivity, have students pick a partner, so they can trace each other’s hand and arm on a sheet of brown construction paper. Remind them to spread their fingers (these will be the branches of their “tree”) and keep their arm straight, as this becomes the tree trunk. Children trim and glue to a large sheet of blue construction paper.

#8. If you don’t have time to make your own alpha trees, I’ve included completed ones. Simply print, glue to a sheet of fall-colored construction paper, laminate and trim.

#9. Children can also play "Speed". Have students pick a partner and see who can match their letter tiles the fastest.

#10. Another thing you can do is to print, laminate and trim extra sets of both upper and lowercase letter leaf tiles. Keep each set in their own separate Snack Baggie. Children sequence the tiles putting them in alphabetical order.

leaf activities, alphabet activities, alphabet games, alphabet crafts, shape activities, 2D shapes, fall crafts, fall games, common core leaves Click on the link to view/download the alpha tree packet.

This packet will be FREE for an entire year, after which time it will be up-dated and placed in Diane's Dollar Deals in my TpT shop.

leaf activities, alphabet activities, alphabet games, alphabet crafts, shape activities, 2D shapes, fall crafts, fall games, common core leaves In keeping with my latest endeavor to post an oldie, but goodie for TBT (Throw Back Thursday) click on the link for the leaf alphabet cards.

I've also included separate upper and lowercase letter cards, so that you can use them as a fall border, or for games like Memory Match and "I Have; Who Has?" There's a tip list of suggestions.

leaf activities, alphabet activities, alphabet games, alphabet crafts, shape activities, 2D shapes, fall crafts, fall games, common core leaves Besides letters, you can review shapes with the easy reader booklet, The Shapes On My Tree. Students trace and write the shape words, then draw that shape on their tree.

Finally, I used the same tree template (I like when things match) for the Counting Leaves packet, which helps reinforce a variety of standards.

leaf activities, alphabet activities, alphabet games, alphabet crafts, shape activities, 2D shapes, fall crafts, fall games, common core leaves As with the shape booklet, you can fun off copies for each student, or print, laminate and use for a math center.

Students trace and write the numbers as well as the number words, then place/glue that many leaves on the tree. I've included 4 different leaf tiles for you to choose from.

Thanks for visiting. Time to rush off to my next project, on a way too long list of things to accomplish today. Wishing you a stress-free day.