Ever wonder which alphabet toys will last over time? Toys that you can pull out at two years old and continue playing with until they’re five? Me too! Well, this list featuring the best alphabet learning toys for kids will be some of those toys!
When teaching letters, I want my preschoolers to become familiar with the lines and curves that form a letter, while also being able to place the letters into a sensory bin for hands-on learning. Younger children learn best when they can see, touch, and talk about what they discover.
From setting up your Breakfast Invitations to Sensory play, this letter supply list is pretty versatile! I handpicked toys that will also help improve fine motor skills.
Here, you will find a detailed list of letter activities we own, trust, and love for preschoolers.
You don’t need to own a ton. Use this list of alphabet learning toys to help guide your way.
TOYS FOR 2025
Gah, these toys are the best. UPDATED for 2025. These are the best toys for kids.
ABC Toys to Help Letter Recognition
Let’s form and construct letters!
These letter activities are perfect for little hands to better visualize the lines, straights, curves, tunnels, and other elements in a letter. We particularly love the construction build, as seen on number one! Construction Build is a great tool to help see letters as lines and curves and use small hand muscles to prepare a pencil grip.
Related: Here is what the NAEYC says about how letter names can cause confusion.
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Letter Construction
Which alphabet toy is my favorite? This one. Here, children learn how letters are made up of lines and curves. This is a winner! This toy includes both uppercase letters and lowercase letters.
Lacing Letters
Okay, I said the toy above was my favorite, but this is a close second. Add these to ice or make CVC words with your kindergartener. Learning Resources knows where it’s at when it comes to educational toys for kids. (Excellent practice for hand-eye coordination.)
Silicone Alphabet & Number Trays
Yikes! Another winner. These toys take me back to 2017 when I had two toddlers. We still use these trays and love them. Use them for free play or in this ice letter matching game. Young children LOVE using these ice molds for ice, making crayons, or Jello!
Playfoam Alphabet Mat
Have a sensory learner? Sensory toys aren’t always in a bin! These abc play mats are a fun way to move and shape letters. A good tool to have on hand as older children work on their homework.
Construction Puzzle
This mini puzzle is like the letter construction, only smaller. Another great tool to learn how letters are formed. Wooden toys are another fun way to reinforce letter shapes.
A to Z Magnatab
We’ve had this Magnatab for years and love it. The boys use it on their own time to trace letters and practice pencil grip. It is one of their favorite toys.
Related: How can you use the lacing letters? Try adding them into a sensory bin to dig and find the letters of your child’s name. Even more interesting is that this was one of my first posts and activities on Days with Grey!
Alphabet Games & Books
Alphabet Bingo
Did someone say Bingo? I am in! Alphabet bingo is fun to stir discussions about upper and lowercase letters. I prefer Bingo over an alphabet puzzle.
Bananagrams
This brings me back to my teaching days! My oldest loves Bananagrams and can sometimes beat me at it. (I’d better get in some more practice.) If your child is not ready to spell words, use these letter tiles to identify a letter name when picked out of the banana.
Alphabet Go Fish
A hit just like Bingo is Alphabet Go Fish! My preschooler cannot get enough of this game.
Alphabet Bean Bags
Have a place to toss bean bags? Add this collection to your list. Give these letters a toss as you call out the name and the sounds it makes.
My First Dictionary
This first dictionary is well-loved. My first-grader uses it for homework and flips through it before bedtime. If you don’t have a dictionary, this is your pick. (Much more exciting than flash cards.)
Alphabet Adventure
Want a sweet book to add to your library? Alphabet Adventure is a family favorite.
Toys to Start Writing Letters
Since lines are made of straight and curves, your preschooler can begin exploring this with these alphabet manipulatives. My favorite is the sand tray and deck of sandpaper cards. Great for kinesthetic learners – kids that learn by touching and doing!
Wikki Stix Alphabet Set
Wikki Stix are great. This is a simple sticky tool to form letters.
Slant Board for Writing
Have a child learning to write? Try using a slant board to help position the hand more comfortably.
Sandpapers Letters Boxed Set
Children learn letters with texture using this deck of cards. Highly recommended for tactile learners!
Alphabet Toys to Play with Letters
These alphabet supplies are excellent to keep on hand for spontaneous play. The alphabet bath toys are a fun addition to the tub and adhere to the wall with water. If you do not have a magnetic wall, try using a cookie sheet. They work great!
Related: I wrote a parent’s guide to phonemic awareness to help you understand how to reinforce letter sounds at home.
Alphabet Soup Sorters
These alphabet toys may have a lot of parts or pieces, but it is a playful way to begin talking about beginning sounds, with many colorful images to sort by sound. Your child can play many different activities (imaginary play, seek and find, one letter at a time) with this toy.
Magnetic Letters & Numbers
Does your refrigerator need some letters? I thought maybe. (wink, wink) This colorful set can be used for games like alphabet sorting and poke the alphabet.
Magnetic Letter Kit
This is a more sophisticated letter collection, complete with a carry case to organize each letter. We use this set when wanting to differentiate between vowels and consonants. This is my favorite set to use when practicing letters of the alphabet.
Zingo
Zingo! This favorite game makes a fabulous gift for your child or your next birthday party. Preschoolers swoon over Zingo!
Reading Rods
Have a beginning reader? Add these rods to your list to hang out and make simple words. This is an excellent tool to reinforce beginning, middle, and ending letter sounds.
Alphabet Stamps
A classic stamp set by Melissa & Doug featuring upper and lowercase letters, as well as numbers? Yes, and yes. This set comes with one washable stamp pad. My boys loved using this set in the early years for letter and number recognition.
RELATED: Curious how we store all of this? Here are the storage bins we love to use.
Which letter activity will you add to your collection?
More Toy Lists for Kids:
Frequently Asked Questions
This varies! Think stages and ages. Begin with introducing the letters of your child’s name. Next, talk about the letters in family members’ names. Last, begin to share common letters in the alphabet, such as M, S, and T.
When working with small children, the more comfortable they are, the more likely they are to take risks. I enjoy learning which letters my child has identified by playing this letter park activity. Here, I am calling out letters for my child to park his car. It helps me note which letters we may need to continue practicing.
Keep learning the letters fun by taking the pressure off children to memorize letter names. Begin to sprinkle the alphabet in the house, or make a name poster focusing on the letters in your child’s name. Start with these 15 name activities for toddlers and preschoolers.
Have a favorite alphabet toy? Send me a note in the comments!
These are such GREAT ideas! I just picked up some flash cards at Goodwill yesterday! I know … super outdated and not as fun, but still incredibly useful!