Letter of the Week: Preschool Letter S Activities & Ideas
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Something seriously super is in store—today is brought to you by the letter S! This week in our Preschool Letter of the Week series, we’re diving into all things that start with S, and there’s so much to explore: from silly stories to slithery snakes, sensational snacks, and more. This letter gives you the chance to explore science, senses, and storytelling in fun and interactive ways.
Preschool Letter S Theme Ideas
Here are some exciting theme ideas to spark curiosity and creativity during your Letter S week:
Snake, Scorpion, Silly, Salamander, Sounds, Star, Sun, Snail, Spider, Starfish, Sailboat, Submarine, Seal, Soccer, Sloth, Scooter, Shark, Snow, Snowman, Skunk, Saw, Square, Spaghetti, Seahorse, Superman, Squirrel, Swan, Sheep, Scarf, Skates, Skateboard, Seasons, Senses, Singing, School, Snowflake
Tip: You can even pair this letter with a Senses Exploration unit or a mini Solar System week!
Printable Preschool Letter S Activity Pack
Our 21-page Letter S printable pack is filled with engaging activities to help your preschoolers or kindergartners strengthen early literacy and fine motor skills.
What’s inside:
- Uppercase and lowercase S tracing worksheets
- Dot marker pages
- Letter mazes
- Cut-and-paste activities
- Coloring pages
- Dot-to-dot
- Letter puzzles
- Templates for crafts and snacks
Print, prep, and play—this is a low-prep solution for classrooms and homeschool families!
Teaching the Letter S: Sounds and Recognition Tips
The letter S makes the /s/ sound like sun, snake, and sock. It’s one of the first sounds most children learn, and it’s found in many familiar words.
Ways to teach and reinforce:
- Practice hissing like a snake while tracing the letter
- Emphasize the difference between soft sounds (/s/) and hard sounds (/k/ or /t/)
- Use letter sorting activities with C, S, and Z to notice sound differences
- Teach the sh blend later in the week to stretch understanding
You can also write the letter S with ribbons, playdough, or sand for sensory integration!
Preschool Letter S Books
We had a tough time narrowing this down—there are so many amazing books that go with S! Here’s a rich variety:
Silly Sally by Audrey Wood
Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt
Spiders by Gail Gibbons
Stone Soup by Marcia Brown
Strega Nona by Tomie de Paola
Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner
The Biggest Snowman Ever by Steven Kroll
Draw Me a Star by Eric Carle
How to Catch a Star by Oliver Jeffers
Sun Up, Sun Down by Gail Gibbons
The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Anderson
The Sneetches by Dr. Seuss
The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle
My Five Senses by Aliki
The Snowy Day Ezra Jack Keats
The Salamander Room by Anne Mazer
Swimmy by Leo Lionni
Stella, Star of the Sea by Marie-Louise Gay
Aaaarrgghh! Spider! by Lydia Monks
My Snake Blake by Randy Siegel
Preschool Letter S Crafts: Swan and Snake
We couldn’t decide on just one, so this week we have two crafts for you!
S is for Swan:
Create a graceful swan using a cutout letter S glued to blue paper. Add:
- White feathers for a tail
- A triangle orange beak
- Googly eyes or drawn eyes
Use the feather template from the printable pack or real feathers for added texture.
S is for Snake:
Use the S shape as a slithery snake! Just color, pattern, and decorate it with:
- Wiggly eyes
- A paper tongue
- Spots or stripes
Great for introducing patterns and textures in art!
Preschool Letter S Snack: S is for Snake
This snack is simple and silly—just like preschool should be!
S is for Snack Snake: Use circular fruits or veggies cut into thin slices:
- Cucumbers
- Kiwi
- Bananas
- Grapes (halved)
Arrange them in a curved line on a plate. Add a tiny piece of strawberry or carrot for a tongue and use raisins or chocolate chips for eyes.
Bonus idea: Turn this into a math patterning activity by alternating colors or foods!
Fine Motor & Hands-On Activities for the Letter S
- Salt Tray Writing: Use a salt tray for finger writing practice
- Scissors Practice: Let kids snip strips into spaghetti shapes
- Sticker S: Have children outline the letter S with star or spider stickers
- Sock Sorting: Match and sort socks by color or size
- Shape Sorting: Focus on squares for a shape-themed day
-
Straw Building: Create shapes or letters using plastic straws and connectors
Bonus Letter S Extensions
- Silly Song Dance Party: Move and groove to silly or slow songs
- Science with Senses: Try a taste test or sound guessing game
- Shadow Tracing: Use sunlight to trace outdoor objects
- Spider Web STEM: Make a web with yarn and paper plates
- Seasons Collage: Make a four-season collage with nature pictures
Favorite Letter S Moment This Week
We had the best time creating our swan craft with real feathers! But the snack snake might have stolen the show—it was a tasty, creative way to connect learning with food. Watching the kids proudly “slither” their plates across the table before eating made for a seriously sweet memory.
See ALL the Letter of the Week Activities. Letter A is always FREE in my subscriber library for you to try out.
Want to Download the Preschool Letter S Activities?
This Letter S printable pack is available individually or as part of my Letter of the Week Curriculum Bundle in the shop. Try it out first with Letter A—always free in my subscriber library!
See all of the Letter of the Week Posts.
