My family has a few long road trips planned this summer and let’s face it… the kids get bored! Although we allow our children the luxury of some electronic time during long drives, I also love to come prepared with fun learning activities to keep them entertained and busy for the long drive. This word building activity travel kit is perfect for toddlers and preschoolers for those long car rides and you can customize it with sight words, color words, word families, or whatever your child is currently learning.
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How to Put Together the Word Building Activity Travel Kit
Supplies:
– metal pencil box (or lunch box)
– jumbo craft sticks
– permanent markers
– lowercase magnetic letters
– magnetic tape *We received ours from our friends at Craftprojectideas.com. All opinions are my own. You can find some at your local Walmart in the craft aisle.
– hot glue gun
Directions:
Start by gathering all of your supplies. We found our metal pencil box at Walmart. I’ve also included a link above where you can buy them on Amazon. A metal lunch box will work as well. Use your permanent markers to write words on your jumbo craft sticks. I have a few different sets I made, one is sight words and the others are words family words for -at, -ig and og. You can literally customize it however you like… number words, animals, days of the week, etc.
Use your hot glue gun to glue a small piece of magnetic tape onto the back of each jumbo craft stick. Even though the magnetic tape has adhesion on the back, I recommend using a hot glue gun. Magnets are extremely dangerous for children if swallowed so you want to secure the magnets with a hot glue gun.
Place your lowercase letters and a stack of your words in your metal pencil box. Now the word building activity travel kit is all ready for play.
How to Play:
Choose a word out of the pile that you want to build. Place it onto the top section of the metal pencil box. Now build the word by finding each of the lowercase magnetic letters and placing in order above the craft stick. Spend some time to sound out the word as best you can and read it out loud if you are able to. Continue working your way through the craft sticks, building all of the words.
I keep all of my different word types into a sandwich baggy and each time my daughter plays the activity, she chooses a different bag to use for a little more variety.
What fun activities do your children love during long road trips?
Please please can you tell me how much is this kit, I’m intrested in it. Where r u based I’m in the westrand. Where can I get it,
I would like to buy this for my granddaughter. How do I go about it.
LOVE this idea! Thank you! Just pinned it so I can make it when my little man is a little older and not putting everything in his mouth 😉
Love this idea so much!!
That would be neat to have for when the grandkids comes to visit
Great idea! Thanks. I will make some for my granddaughter.
This is perfect! I have a small metal lunch box, magnetic letters, magnet strips, and popsicle sticks. I was trying to figure out how to use them together, now I know. This will be a great addition to my 1st grade Word Work Center this year. Thanks. P.S., I love crafty things too!
What a brilliant idea! I love this:) It would be a great center for preschool, too.
Sinea ♥
I have not been able to find lowercase magnetic letters. Can you please tell me where you purchased them? Thank you!
Hi Pam! Sorry it’s taken me so long to respond. You can find them on Amazon here: http://amzn.to/29TxZq7 (affiliate link)
I found mine online at Walmart.Com $8
OMG, I loooove this idea! My son is absolutely obsessed with letters, and I know this would keep him busy for so long (until he started throwing the letters, ahaha!). Thanks for the great idea <3
wonderful idea thank you
I did something similar, I was in a time crunch and used dollar store round cake pans. I Purchased their alaphabet magnet letters (two sets) Due to the double letters needed. I also bought the dollar store flash cards- color/shape and first words. I buy all the magnets and set of cards inside the pan and took felt and Velcro on a strip. I used my E6000 glue to glue the Velcro on the pan half way and the other half I glued the Felt. Then when it was dry (24 hrs) the other half of the felt was able to be attached to the Velcro creating a “pocket” for their items. They use the flat part of the pan (back) to look at the cards and make the words.
It was a perfect gift for two 3 year olds. Their game pieces fit inside the pan and it’s easy clean up for them and self storage. Great idea. Cost me under $10 for one. Pan $1, Velcro $1, Felt square $1, glue had- but they sell glue even crazy glue $1, 2 sets of letters $2, 2 sets of cards $2.
Hi I’m Sabrina I will definitely do this with my grade one class thank you .
I will definitely do this with my grade one class thank you .
This is a great idea! I would say that beyond preschoolers, this is a perfect activity for pre-k, kindergarten, and 1st (I teach EC-4th grades). My twins are 5 years, 7 mo old and will be starting K this fall, and they are now learning this type of thing with me this summer. Thanks for sharing—will def use.
Love this, made it, from here. Found all supplies at Walmart. Very useful as a teaching tool, game. Children loved it.
This is a great idea! My child likes the LEGO magazines and asking how long until we get there. I think he’d like this.
Yes! And keep this in your car for your kids to use instead of a cel phone on your daily commute to preschool! Add some magnetic shapes or puzzle with magnets on the back and it will become so much more interesting for all types of learners.