Sand Pail and Shovel Alphabet Match

Summer is upon us, and we have sun and sand on the mind! If you have a beach near you, I hope you get to spend some time there. If not, why not incorporate some beach themed resources into your learning activities? This sand pail and shovel alphabet match is a fun way to work on matching upper and lowercase letters this summer with your preschooler or kindergartener.

Sand Pail and Shovel Alphabet Match

I love to use summer themed printables not only at the end of the school year, but also when we start back to school, as summer is often still on the brain. Alphabet matches are appropriate for my kids pretty much all year in kindergarten, but especially at the beginning.

To get the game ready, I printed out the pieces and laminated them (so that I can use them several times), then I cut them apart to use in a small group or as a literacy center.

When I play this game in June, I typically put out all the pieces, as we have had exposure all year to letters Aa-Zz. Earlier in the year, however, I would start with just a few letters to match up at a time.

For younger learners or for students just being introduced to the alphabet, I would print double copies of either the pails or shovels, and have them match like letters rather than upper and lowercase.

In my small group, we started by laying out the shovels in alphabetical order from a-z, leaving the buckets in a pile.

Then, we took turns pulling a bucket and saying the uppercase letter and sound. Finally, we searched for its matching shovel with the lowercase letter and paired them up!

We kept playing until all of the buckets and shovels had been matched. Then we put the pieces back into the bin and onto our shelf for another round later!

Grab Your Set

Ready to “head to the beach” and work on matching upper and lowercase letters? Grab your copy of this fun alphabet match by clicking the yellow button below!

Then, for more alphabet fun, grab our bubble themed alphabet match too!

More Beach Themed Fun!

Looking for more fun kids activities with a beach theme? Look no further – some of my favorite kid bloggers have shared some awesome activities. Check them out below!

Beach Letter Find Printables from 3 Boys and a Dog

Kids’ Books about the Beach from Look! We’re Learning!

Ocean Books for Kids from The Jenny Evolution

Songs About The Beach from Tales of Education at Home

Beach Scavenger Hunt Printable from The Moments at Home

“At the Beach” Emergent Reader from The Letters of Literacy

Sand Pail and Shovel Alphabet Match from The Kindergarten Connection

Beach Letter Dot Printables from Living Life and Learning.com

Colorful Sand Paintings from Schooling a Monkey

Sand Science Experiment from iGameMom

15 Things to Do at the Beach with Kids from FrogMom

Easy Egg Carton Sea Creatures from Homeschool Preschool

Beach Mystery Bag from Bambini Travel

Printable Beach Bingo Cards from Year Round Homeschooling

Beach Pail 1-20 Number Recognition from Something 2 Offer

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Alex

Founder at The Kindergarten Connection

Alex is a Kindergarten teacher with a passion for making learning fun and engaging. She's earned a Bachelors degree in Elementary Education, and Masters Degrees in Special Education and Curriculum Design. Alex is a night owl, coffee lover, and she owns more than 2,000 children’s books. Alex lives with her husband and their big black Labrador, Tank.

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