Holiday Letter J Activity: J is for Jingle Bells {Free Printable}
This holiday letter J activity for preschool is just right for the winter season! You can use it during Polar Express week, after teaching the song Jingle Bells, or whenever else it fits in your December or January plans.
The ring of jingle bells always puts me in a festive mood. They remind me of children singing Jingle Bells, sidewalk Santas, and of course, Polar Express.
I love that jingle bells can also just be about winter – a sleigh ride pulled by horses with tinkling harnesses. That makes it a theme you can use in public school with kids from all kinds of backgrounds.
Letter J Activity for the Holidays
You can leverage these seasonal sounds by teaching children that “J is for jingle bells” to help them remember the /j/ sound for the letter J.
Skills Covered
This letter J activity covers several related skills:
- Saying the sound of the letter J
- Forming the shape of the letter J
- Recognizing the letter J among other letters
- Fine motor skills
What’s Included in the Free Printable
This free printable comes in both color and black & white, and for each of those, there is an uppercase J version and a lowercase j version of the following:
- Letter cards
- Letter J page
- Dot marker recording sheet
Scroll down near the bottom of the post to get your copy.
Preparation & Materials
You can set this up as a sensory bin or use it as a table or rug activity. Here is what you’ll need, regardless of which way you’ll set it up:
- Jingle bells – You need at least 9 of them
- Printed materials (see below to get yours)
Letter J Sensory Bin
Sensory Bin Materials
- Sensory Bin with “snow” filler
- Tongs for picking up bells (optional)
- Printed letter cards
- Jingle Bells
You may want to laminate the cards, or at least print them on cardstock. Then cut them apart.
I filled my bin with cotton balls and blue pompoms, but you could also use white shredded paper, rice, packing peanuts, or whatever other white filler you have.
Sensory Bin Instructions
Students will pick out a card from the bin, and look to see if it has a picture of a bell and the letter J on it. If it does, they will then pull a bell out of the bin and lay it on the card.
Letter J Card Games
You can also skip the sensory bin and just use the cards alone. Try one of these ideas with them:
Memory (a.k.a. Concentration): Lay the cards out face down, then turn over two at a time trying to find a match.
Go/No Go: Shuffle the cards and put them all face down in a single pile. Draw one card at a time. If it is a J, pick up a jingle bell and place it on the letter J mat.
Letter J Dot Marker Worksheets
You can use the dot marker worksheets as recording sheets for the sensory bin or the card game, or you can use them separately.
If you choose to use them separately, perhaps give the child some bells to jingle after finishing.
You could also use the black and white jingle bell mat as a dot marker worksheet.
Download the Jingle Bell Printable
Ready for the free jingle bell letter J activities?
To get your very own set, you can sign up right here:
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More Jingle Bells and Letter J Activities
You might also like this process art letter J craft that uses jingle bells, or one of these Letter J books. If you’re looking for a more complete holiday theme, our Holiday Helpers bundle may be the perfect answer for you. The Holiday Stories unit even includes another jingle bell activity.
Happy Teaching!
-Heather