How to Make Snack Time Learning Time {10 Fun Games with ABC Pretzels}

Learning doesn’t have to stop at snack time. Over here we love playing with ABC pretzels. Here are ten little literacy games you can play with your kids while they eat. The games are listed from easiest to hardest so that you can easily find one at the right level for each child.

 

10 Fun Games with ABC Pretzels

Setup

 

  • It’s easier to find the letters you’re looking for if you pour out a layer of pretzels onto a rimmed baking sheet.
  • The kids can lay out pretzels on a clean plastic place mat, large plate, or even just a clean tabletop.

 

1. Write the Child’s Name

Find pretzel letters for the child’s name. You can also spell out other family members’ names. Using names that are relevant to your child will help get the interested in letters.

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2. Learn Letter Names

 

  • The child picks a letter from the pretzel bag.
  • Then, you tell her the name of the letter she got.
  • Give her a refrigerator letter magnet with the corresponding letter, and let her eat the pretzel.
  • Repeat until 3 or 4 magnets are in front of the child. Then, give her pretzels of just those letters, and have her match them up to the magnets.
  • Optional: If you have fridge phonics magnets (affiliate), the child can insert the magnets to play each letter song.

 

3. Notice Letter Shapes

Lay out letter magnets for the child to match with letter pretzels. You can make this easier or harder by giving more or fewer letters at once, and by pre-selecting matching pretzels or not.

 

 

4. Sing the ABC Song

Find a pretzel for each letter of the alphabet. You can write out the alphabet as a crutch, or just have your child sing the ABC song to figure out where to place each letter.

 

5. I Spy

Name a letter for the child to look for. Or, for even more fun, if you have a fridge phonics set, play the song for a letter. After listening but not looking, the child finds the letter pretzel to match the song.


 

6. Make Your Own Letters

Challenge your child to nibble away to change letters: B to R, G to C, B to P, L to I, Q to O, E to F, E to L, W to V, R to P

 

7. Make Simple Words

Give child an assortment of letter pretzels that will make simple, 3-letter words.

 

8. Practice Sight Words

For children ready for sight words, have them match alphabet pretzels to several sight word flashcards.

 

9. Practice Spelling Words

Older kids working on spelling words can pick out pretzel letters for the words they’re studying.

 

10. Send a Pretzel Message

Write a short message to your child using letter pretzels. If your kid likes peanut butter, that’s an easy way to “glue” them to a plate.

These games are really just meant to get you started. Let your child take the lead once you’ve captured his interest.

For more snack time learning opportunities, the Learning with Manipulatives bloggers are sharing loads of creative ideas this week:

How Many Cows on the Farm Counting Game from Life Over C’s

Gold Fish Measurement Math Game from Learning 2 Walk

Find the Letters Snack Sheet from Still Playing School

Make Learning Fun: Math Facts with Teddy Grahams from Crafty Mama in ME

Crushed Rainbow Cereal Process Art from Play Dough & Popsicles

Teach Preschoolers Fractions from Preschool Powol Packets

Feed The Penguin from Adventures of Adam

Jelly Bean Maths Game from Mum in the Madhouse

How Many Goldfish in the Bowl Game from Play & Learn Everyday

Cheerios Number Tracing from Schooling a Monkey

Fish Cracker Color Patterns from The Kindergarten Connection

Animal Cracker Oral Motor Exercise with Shape Identification from Sugar Aunts

Literacy games that kids can play with ABC pretzels. Games range from letter recognition to sight words and spelling.

 

7 Comments

    1. My grocery store sells them. It's their store brand (H.E.B.) You can also buy them online, but I didn't find any that were reasonably priced.

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