Fun Ways to Teach Letters: Alphabet Crowns

Learning the alphabet requires a lot of repetition for young students.  This is why it’s so important to keep alphabet practice as hands-on and engaging as possible.  If you’re looking for fun ways to teach letters in kindergarten, keep reading to see why alphabet crowns should definitely be part of your literacy toolbox!

What Are Alphabet Crowns?

An alphabet crown is a printable paper hat that students can make for each letter of the alphabet. My favorite letter crowns include uppercase and lowercase versions of each letter along with a picture that corresponds with the letter. I also include space for the students to practice handwriting and letter formation. There are examples to trace plus space for students to practice writing the letters independently.  Once the main part of the hat is complete, students can cut it out and glue it to a sentence strip to form a crown 

Check out this video if you’d like to take a closer look at an alphabet crown, then keep reading to see why they’re one of my favorite alphabet practice activities!

5 Reasons to Use Alphabet Crowns 

Alphabet crowns are right at the top of my list of fun ways to teach letters, along with interactive anchor charts.  I wanted to share some reasons why they are such an effective tool for teaching the alphabet.

1. Enhance Alphabet Instruction

First, alphabet crowns can provide important repetition as you focus on each letter of the alphabet.  As I’ve shared before, I like to introduce letters one at a time in the first month of school.  These printable letter hats are the perfect supplement to this instruction and alphabet practice. After reviewing the letter as a class, students can apply what they have learned to their own alphabet craft to take home.

2. Strengthen Fine Motor Skills

As kindergarten teachers, we all know how important it is to incorporate fine motor practice into our daily activities.  It can be difficult to find extra time in the schedule to set aside dedicated time for fine motor practice. This is why alphabet hat crafts are so helpful!

One simple alphabet crown incorporates many different fine motor tasks! From practicing letter formation to coloring the pictures and then cutting it out, students will improve their pencil grip, hand strength, and coordination with this activity.

3. Create an Alphabet Routine

We all know how much young kindergarten students thrive on routine!  Since the process and format are the same for each alphabet crown, this will quickly become routine for your students. They will know exactly what to do when they see the alphabet hat template on their desks. It really helps students grow in confidence when they can complete tasks independently!

Some people might think that routine can become less engaging for students. While that could be true for some activities, alphabet crowns are an exception. Since each hat has a different fun picture to color, students will continue to be engaged in this activity for each letter of the alphabet.

To continue to encourage student engagement, you can also add the hats to different parts of your literacy routine.  For example, once students are more familiar with the process, you can start having them create their hats for a center rotation!

4. Increase Family Involvement

As much as we hope that families look through the completed work we send home, the reality can be different. There is often a stack of papers that need to be looked at, so completed work often gets set aside if parents don't have time to look through it right then.

Alphabet crowns are much harder to miss! When students wear them home at the end of the day, there’s no question that they have practiced a certain letter of the alphabet.  When parents see this, they are more likely to ask their students about what they learned at school. This could even spark some additional alphabet practice or discussion, like pointing out that letter in environmental print as they start their after-school routine.

5. Get Students Talking About Letters

The best part of alphabet hats is that they get students talking about letters all day long and not just when they take them home!  As they wear their hats around the school, they are bound to be asked about them by staff members and students. Kindergarteners are always so excited to tell people about what letter is on each hat! This reinforces letter names, sounds, as well as overall communication skills.  

Printable Alphabet Crowns

To help you make the most of this fun way to teach letters, I have created an easy-to-download set of alphabet hat crafts! Each letter of the alphabet has more than one option for the picture, so you can choose which one you like best. This set of hats also includes long vowel options, plus four digraphs.

Every crown template has visual directions, which helps students be more independent with this task.  This is especially helpful when using these alphabet hats as a center rotation! Students can easily reference the order of the tasks to stay on track and make sure they don't miss any steps.

If you’d like to take a closer look at all of the alphabet hat options, you can find this resource in the Teaching Exceptional Kinders shop or on TPT.

More Fun Ways to Teach Letters

For even more fun ways to teach the alphabet, be sure to check out some of my other blog posts!  I have shared my process for introducing letters to students in an engaging and effective way.  You might also like my blog post full of engaging alphabet activities for kindergarten! I hope that these resources and tips will be helpful to you as you plan alphabet instruction for your kindergarten classroom!

Save These Fun Ways to Teach Letters

Be sure to save this post if you’d like to find it later! Just add the pin below to your favorite teaching board on Pinterest.  You’ll be able to quickly find this post when you’re looking for fun ways to teach the alphabet.