Upcycled Toddler Activity: Feed the ABC Monster

I am becoming more creative at noticing ways to use items destined for the trash as learning tools and games in our homeschool. One rescue from the garbage was an empty tissue box. My daughter and I made it into one of our alphabet recognition activities by creating upcycled boxes monsters that likes eating ABCs. Our ABC Monster keeps coming out of his “home” (in the cabinet) for more letter eating fun!

Making the Recycled Tissue Box Monster

The ABC Tissue Box Monster was easy to make. Here are the supplies we found around the house:

• empty tissue box
• construction paper
• google eyes
• tape

I helped my daughter cover the tissue box with construction paper, leaving the slot open, of course. Then, she decided he needed three eyes (“he needs one on top too!”).

Learning with an Upcycled Monster: Alphabet Recognition Activity

We had alphabet notecards already. For these, all I did was cut colorful index cards in half. I wrote the uppercase letters on one side and lowercase on the other. If you do not want to make your own, you could use any alphabet, site word, or number cards that you may already have!

Strawberry delighted in putting the letters in and out of the monster’s mouth! I asked her to say the letter names as he “ate.” My, that ABC monster was hungry. He wanted to eat the entire alphabet!

I was not sure that the ABC Monster would remain a staple in our homeschool. But Strawberry surprised me. Despite the ease of this creation and the simpleness of the activity itself, Strawberry still likes to pull him off the shelf to feed him once more.

When Strawberry was a toddler, I found the repetition of letters in (take them out) and in again helped reinforce the alphabet for her, both uppercase and lowercase. She has no difficulty reading the letters now that she is in kindergarten.  I suspect soon we’ll need to try something new now: names, perhaps, or some sight words?

What could be better than simple, quick, and educational?

See a monster postcards early writing center for another monster-themed toddler activity. We’ve also made more alphabet recognition activities! See how to make an A to Z Box or practice uppercase-lowercase recognition. I’ve also shared some favorite toddler alphabet activities, such as the Toddler Letter Pop and the Toddler Egg Carton Penny Drop.