Looking for some letter J crafts and activities?
I have 15 engaging activities that will help your child learn about the letter J! These activities are perfect to use in the classroom, or you can do them right at home! These play-based learning strategies will have your kids hooked on each activity!
Giving your student or child the opportunity to learn one letter at a time will help them remember each letter. By doing these fun activities, your child will create memories of each letter!
Let’s dive into my exciting activities to learn the letter J!
Activity #1: Letter Crafts
Letter crafts are a great way to practice letter recognition! Focusing on one specific letter and creating something special will help them recognize and remember the letter.
For the letter J, we made a jellyfish! I love so many things about this craft. My favorite part is the fine motor aspect of it!
How to do this activity
A. Materials you need
- FREE jellyfish printable
- tray
- pipe cleaners
- colored beads
Click HERE to get your FREE Jellyfish Printable
B. Set-up
Print off my free jellyfish printable! Tape them to a tray. Then, tape pipe cleaners onto the jellyfish! Curl them to form the letter J.
While you are setting that up, have the kids sort the beads by color into bowls.
C. Activity
Have the kids thread the colored beads on the correct jellyfish! This is an excellent fine motor and color matching activity!
RELATED: Letter F Crafts and Activities
Activity #2: Do-A-Dot Letter Search
Who doesn’t love mess-free art?! Do-A-Dot paint markers pretty mess-free as long as your little one doesn’t wipe them all over their hand, wishful thinking, right?!
This printable is a perfect way to let you know if your little one can differentiate upper and lower case letters!
How to do this activity
A. Materials you need
- A-Z Letter Do-A-Dot Sheets
- Do-A-Dot markers
A-Z Letter Do-A-Dot Printable
B. Set-up
Print off the pages and get the paint markers ready!
C. Activity
Your little ones with use the paint markers to place specific colored dots on the upper case letter and lower case letters! This is a wonderful way to also work on color-coding skills!
If you don’t have do-a-dot markers, you can use crayons to do this activity as well!
RELATED: Teaching Resources
Activity #3: Jell-O Sensory Bin
J is for Jell-O! Wow, this is such a fun sensory filler for the kids. It’s perfect for toddlers and preschoolers. They had a blast playing with it and eating it!
But, I will say, this can get messy. If you can, get outside to do this one, or make sure to put something down underneath it to help with the mess!
How to do this activity
1. Materials you need
- sensory bin
- Jell-O
- cupcake molds
- spoon
2. Set-up
Make the Jell-O by following the directions on the box! We made several different colors for color mixing and play!
3. Activity
Have your little ones use spoons to mix and eat! They also can color match using the cupcake molds for this activity.
RELATED: The BEST Sensory Bins for Kids
Activity #4: Find and Cover
A great manipulative to use for hands-on learning activities is counting cubes! There are so many ways these can be used.
One of the ways I love to use them is by doing a Find and Cover activity! This is an activity that focuses on one letter at a time. It also focuses on both the upper and lower case letter.
How to do this activity
A. Materials you need
- Find and Cover printable
- counting cubes
Click HERE for your Find had Cover Letter Printables.
B. Set-up
Print off the letter J and any other letter you want to work on with your little one.
C. Activity
Have your child identify the letter. Then, have them tell you which one is upper case and which one is lower case. Explain to them what a key means. Show them that they are to look at the key to see what color represents the upper and lower case letters.
They should place that colored counting cube on the correct letters!
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Activity #5: Play-Doh Letter Building
Whenever I pull out the Play-Doh, the kids play for it for at least a half-hour. You know, that’s kind of a big deal, right? Most of the time, it’s longer than that, but at least a half-hour!
Since Play-Doh is so engaging for kids, it makes for a wonderful learning activity!
How to do this activity
A. Materials you need
- My Letter Play-Doh mats
- Play-doh
- dry erase folders
Click HERE to grab your Letter Play-Doh Mats! (Upper and Lower case letter included)
B. Set-up
Print off the letters that you want to work on! Then, place them inside a dry-erase folder for your little ones to build on. This way, it won’t get the sheet dirty, and you can save and redo it repeatedly.
C. Activity
Your little ones should roll and create the letters using Play-Doh. You can have them match the colors that are on the sheet, or you can use whatever color you’d like. They should try to create the letter by following the lines!
RELATED: 15 SIMPLE Letter C Activities
Activity #6: Salt Painting
Have you ever tried salt painting? It always turns out SO pretty!
Kids love watching the paint flow throughout the salt. It’s a relaxing way to paint, and the kids will love trying a new way to create art.
How to do this activity
A. Materials you need
- cardboard
- pencil
- glue
- salt
- watercolors
- paintbrush
- art tray
B. Set-up
On your piece of cardboard, draw the letter J with a pencil. Then, outline the letter in glue. Make sure to place the cardboard on an art tray for the next part! Shake a whole bunch of salt all over the glue, then dump the access in the trash.
*You have to let the glue dry before you start painting, or else it will be REALLY messy!*
C. Activity
Have your little ones use the watercolor paints to paint the salt! It looks terrific, too, when you mix different colors throughout the letter.
RELATED: 15 Easy Letter B Activities
Activity #7: Secret Letters
Kids love the element of surprise! Who doesn’t? I still do!
Secret letter activities are really engaging for kids because they can’t see the letters on the paper, so when they paint over the piece of paper, they will see letters magically pop up!
How to do this activity
A. Materials you need
B. Set-up
On a white piece of cardstock, use a white crayon to write the letter J all over the paper. You can do upper and lower case or just focus on one.
C. Activity
Your kiddo will use watercolors to paint all over the paper. They will see the letters start to pop up! If you mixed upper and lower case letters, make sure to ask them which kind they found.
When you are all done, ask them how many they found! Also, you can talk about the colors that they used for color recognition.
RELATED: How to Teach your Toddler Colors
Activity #8: Beginning Sounds
Talking about animals or objects that start with the letter will help bring the letter to life for your little one.
These beginning letter worksheets are a perfect way to show your little one some fun things that start with the letter J!
How to do this activity:
A. Materials you need
- Beginning Sound Letter Sheets
- crayons
Click HERE to grab your Beginning Sound Letter Sheets.
2. Set-up
Print off the worksheet and grab your crayons!
3. Activity
Go through each of the objects or animals inside the letter J. Say each thing’s name and make each object’s beginning sound before saying the whole word. This will help your little one understand the starting sound of each picture they see.
They will color each thing that starts with the letter J!
I have beginning sound sheets for each letter of the alphabet! Create a booklet to go over each of the sounds that the letters make. This will make for a great resource to use repeatedly.
RELATED: Teaching Resources
Activity #9: Geoboard Letters
Do you remember using these boards as kids? I remember loving when my teacher pulled them out so we could play and create with them!
Work on creating letters with the geoboard! This is not only a wonderful way to work on letter-building skills, but it’s a great fine motor activity for kids!
How to do this activity
A. Materials you need
- geoboard letter printable
- rubberbands
- geoboards
Click HERE to grab your Geoboard Lower Case Letter Printable
B. Set-up
Use my geoboard letter worksheets to help your little ones build the letters! Print off the letter J and any other letter you want to work on.
C. Activity
Your little one will use the rubber bands to build the letter J. Younger ones can use the worksheets to help guide them on building the letter. Older children can be challenged by trying to do it on their own!
RELATED: Fun Fine Motor Activities for Kids
Activity #10: Jelly Bean Roll and Count
J is for jellybeans! What kid doesn’t love jellybeans? This is such a fun and yummy activity for the kids to get some counting practice in.
Plus, you get to work on some subitizing skills with this one! This is a very important skill that is needed for kindergarten.
How to do this activity
A. Materials you need
- Free Jellybean Jar printable
- dice
- jellybeans
Click HERE for your FREE J is for Jellybean printable.
B. Set-up
Print off the worksheet and grab your supplies!
C. Activity
Roll the pair of dice and count out that amount of jellybeans that you rolled! Clear the jar and then repeat. Do this several times! You can even work on addition and subtraction by rolling a few times and adding some or taking some away.
RELATED: Kindergarten Activities for Kids
Activity #11: Alphabet Sensory Bag
This activity isn’t specific to the letter J; it’s for all the letters of the alphabet! This is a play-based learning strategy that kids love.
Sensory bags are a HUGE hit! The best thing about them is, they are MESS FREE! I always appreciate a mess-free activity.
How to do this activity
A. Materials you need
- plastic bag
- hair gel
- Sharpies
- plastic letters
B. Set-up
Write the letters of the alphabet you want to review on the bag with Sharpie. Then, dump 1 bottle of hair gel into the plastic bag. Also, dump the letters you wrote on the front into the bag.
C. Activity
Have the kids scoot the letters to the right letter on the bag to match them up! Have them identify each of the letters when they are moving them!
This is a wonderful sensory activity, fine motor, and letter recognition activity!
RELATED: How to Teach Toddlers the Alphabet
Activity #12: Letter Sprinkle Sweep
When are sprinkles not a good idea?
When you mention that sprinkles are involved in a learning activity, I promise your kids are going to come bounding in ready to see what’s going on.
How to do this activity
A. Materials you need
B. Set-up
On cardstock paper, write a big bubble letter J. Place a tray underneath the paper to help with the mess.
C. Activity
Dump a bunch of cookie sprinkles onto the tray. Ask your little one to use the paintbrush to “sweep” the sprinkles into the letter. They will use as many sprinkles as they need to to try to fill in as much of the letter as they can!
This is an excellent activity to work on fine motor skills and letter recognition, and pre-writing skills!
RELATED: FUN Handwriting Activities For Kids
Activity #13: LEGO Letters
Got a kiddo who loves to use building with blocks? This activity will be right up their alley!
LEGO’s are an open-ended toy that I absolutely love using for learning activities. The possibilities are endless when it comes to using them!
Building letters is just one way that they can be used! This is a wonderful hands-on learning activity that helps kids understand how each letter shape is formed!
How to do this activity:
A. Materials you need
- LEGO Letter Building Mats
- LEGO’s
Click HERE for your LEGO Letter Mats
B. Set-up
Print off the sheets and grab your LEGO’s.
C. Activity
Your child will use the blocks to create the letter J. You can have them use little or DUPLO blocks for this activity. This activity asks them to identify each letter is they create and how many blocks it took for them to create the letter.
If you decide to do more letters than just J, they can see the letters’ differences!
RELATED: The BEST Open-Ended Toys For Kids
Activity #14: Popsicle Stick Letter Building
Building letters with popsicle sticks work on SO many different learning skills.
This specific activity works on letter recognition, counting skills, STEM skills, and pre-writing skills! It’s perfect for school centers or just for home learning!
How to do this activity
A. Materials you need
- Popsicle stick letter cards
- popsicle sticks
- pencil
Click HERE for your Popsicle Stick Letter Cards
B. Set-up
Print off the letter cards and grab the popsicle sticks!
C. Activity
Your kids will use the cards to help them know how to create each letter! Count how many popsicle sticks it takes to create the letters.
RELATED: My 10 Favorite Learning Supplies
Activity #15: Color Coding Letters
Want to try a beginner color-coding activity that’s perfect for preschoolers? I love that it works on several skills with just 1 easy setup as well!
This activity works on color recognition, color matching, number recognition, and letter building! Wow, that’s pretty amazing if you ask me.
How to do this activity
A. Materials you need
- cardboard
- plastic bottle caps
- Sharpie
- dot stickers
- pom poms
- kid-friendly tweezers
B. Set-up
Inside the bottle caps, place a dot sticker with the numbers 1-3 written on them. Older children can have more numbers and colors!
Create the letter J on the cardboard with the bottle caps in a mixed-up order. Write what each number signifies on the side; you can use a pom too for younger ones. Older kiddos can work on color sight word recognition.
C. Activity
Have your child use the key to place the correct colored pom in each bottle cap to create the letter J! This works on letter building, color recognition, and number recognition!
Want to add in some fine motor skills? Have them use tweezers to pick up and place the poms inside the caps!
RELATED: FUN Fine Motor Activities for Kids
Final Thoughts and Conclusion
Individual letter activities are a fantastic way for kids to really grasp letter recognition of each letter of the alphabet! Doing some of these activities will help your little ones remember each letter of the alphabet.
To go along with these activities, I suggest reviewing the alphabet letters once a day for at least 5 minutes. That’s it! 5 minutes is all it takes if you consistently go over the information with them; you’re going to see how they can pick up the information if repeated daily.
Do you have a favorite activity that you do in your classroom or at home with your kids for the letter J? Our community would love to hear about it! We all benefit from sharing our teaching strategies and activities. Leave a comment below to let us know about some ways you like to teach the letter.
Happy Learning!
Insights, advice, suggestions, feedback and comments from experts
As an expert and enthusiast, I have personal experiences or preferences, but I can provide information on the concepts used in this article. The article discusses 15 engaging activities to help children learn about the letter J. The activities mentioned in the article include:
Activity #1: Letter Crafts
This activity involves creating a jellyfish using a printable template, pipe cleaners, and colored beads. It helps children practice letter recognition and fine motor skills.
Activity #2: Do-A-Dot Letter Search
This activity uses Do-A-Dot markers or crayons to differentiate between upper and lower case letters. Children place specific colored dots on the letters to work on color-coding skills.
Activity #3: Jell-O Sensory Bin
Children can play with Jell-O in a sensory bin, using cupcake molds and spoons. This activity is ideal for toddlers and preschoolers and allows them to explore color mixing and color matching.
Activity #4: Find and Cover
Using counting cubes, children identify and cover upper and lower case letters based on a key. This activity helps with letter recognition, counting, and color recognition.
Activity #5: Play-Doh Letter Building
Children roll and create letters using Play-Doh on printable mats. This activity promotes fine motor skills, letter recognition, and pre-writing skills.
Activity #6: Salt Painting
Salt painting involves drawing the letter J with glue on cardboard and then painting over it with watercolors. This activity helps with letter recognition and creates a visually appealing artwork.
Activity #7: Secret Letters
Children use watercolors to reveal hidden letters written with a white crayon on white cardstock. This activity focuses on letter recognition and color recognition.
Activity #8: Beginning Sounds
Children color objects or animals that start with the letter J. This activity helps them understand the starting sound of each word and works on letter recognition.
Activity #9: Geoboard Letters
Using geoboards and rubber bands, children create the letter J. This activity promotes letter-building skills and fine motor skills.
Activity #10: Jelly Bean Roll and Count
Children roll dice, count the number rolled, and place that amount of jellybeans in a jar. This activity combines counting practice with subitizing skills.
Activity #11: Alphabet Sensory Bag
Children use plastic letters to match and identify letters written on a sensory bag filled with hair gel. This activity promotes letter recognition, fine motor skills, and sensory exploration.
Activity #12: Letter Sprinkle Sweep
Children use a paintbrush to sweep cookie sprinkles into a letter J written on paper. This activity enhances fine motor skills and letter recognition.
Activity #13: LEGO Letters
Children use LEGO blocks to create the letter J. This activity helps with letter recognition, counting, and understanding letter shapes.
Activity #14: Popsicle Stick Letter Building
Children use popsicle sticks to build letters based on letter cards. This activity works on letter recognition, counting skills, and pre-writing skills.
Activity #15: Color Coding Letters
Children use plastic bottle caps and pom poms to create the letter J based on color-coded instructions. This activity focuses on letter building, color recognition, and number recognition.
By engaging in these activities, children can learn and reinforce their knowledge of the letter J in a fun and interactive way.
