DIY Cardboard Alphabet Train – Letter Matching Toddler Activity with Free Printable

I LOVE DIY toddler activities! First of all, I LOVE making things. Secondly, I LOVE making things for other people, especially my toddler. Thirdly, its a great way to reuse old boxes/containers that were going to the recycle bin anyway AND it’s a great way to save money. Finally, it’s always such a joy when picky toddlers actually enjoy the activity you spent time making them 🙂 I smile because a big part of the fun (for me at least) is seeing if my toddler likes his new homemade activity. Sometimes it’s a winner, sometimes not so much. I actually think I’m WAY MORE excited to see my toddler’s reaction than him seeing his new activity, haha.

Recently I came across an Instagram post of a DIY letter matching activity for children, made completely out of cardboard. The goal of the activity is to match lowercase letters to uppercase ones. I thought this would be a fun activity for my 2 year old since he enjoys matching games. However, to make things easier I made it matching only capital letters. And since my little guy is currently in a train craze, I decided to create some trains for the letters as well.

The purpose of this activity is to match the correct alphabet letters to each other. To make things easier, the same letters are on the exact same train (color and train design). Set up is very easy to create and consists of 4 basic steps:

1. Print out My ALPHABET TRAIN MATCHING TODDLER ACTIVITY FREE Printable (available in my free resource library)
2. Stick the printable onto cardboard.
3. Cut out the individual train letter pieces
4. Stick adhesive Velcro on the train pieces and the matching train board and you are done.

I applied mod podge (gloss) onto the train board and train pieces because I like the glossy finish it gives. Additionally, mod podge acts as a sealer which will protect the letter train pieces from grubby little hands!

Alternatively, you could also print the train pieces, laminate, and cut out each individual piece instead of sticking onto cardboard. The lamination will also improve longevity of the train pieces. I’m also a fan of self-laminating sheets (if you don’t own a laminating machine) that you can DIY at home.

MATERIALS/TOOLS:

• My ALPHABET TRAIN- LETTER MATCHING TODDLER ACTIVITY FREE Printable (available in my free resource library) *
• a large cardboard box – cut into two pieces: one 17″ x 10″ and the other piece 11″ x 10″
• glue stick
• paper scissors
• X-acto knife
• Mod Podge (I used gloss) and brush
• Sticky Velcro – I used 1″ Sticky Velcro Strips that I cut into 1/2″ wide pieces. I like these because I can cut them into the size that need for different projects. However, sticky velcro dots such as these 20mm ones would work great as well, and you don’t need to pre-cut them. 
• Packing tape – to join the two cardboard pieces together into one giant board at the end.

NOTES:

*You can also print the printable on sticker paper. That way you will only have to stick the printable on cardboard inside of gluing it on.

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HOW TO MAKE ABC TRAIN BOARD:

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HOW TO MAKE ABC TRAIN PIECES:

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This is a great activity for toddlers because it:

1. Introduces the alphabet to your child
2. Encourages color and letter recognition
3. Allows your child to practice hand-eye-coordination as they stick the appropriate train pieces to the correct place.

I have to say that my toddler did enjoy his new train alphabet matching activity. Hooray! He did need a little guidance in the beginning as he was confused how the game goes and would stick the pieces wherever there was an empty slot. And….now this little two year old is starting to recognize some letters as well. I’m definitely a happy mama!

I hope your child enjoy this letter matching game as well and learn some letters in the meantime. Happy crafting!

Grab it here: My Alphabet Train – Letter Matching Toddler Activity FREE PRINTABLE (available in my free resource library)

Want more DIY toddler activities? Check out the following: