Letter of the Week: Preschool Letter X Activities and Ideas

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Welcome to the Preschool Letter X installment in our Letter of the Week series! While the letter X may be one of the trickier letters to teach due to limited vocabulary options, that doesn’t mean it can’t be exciting and educational. With creative themes, hands-on crafts, delicious snacks, and engaging books, your little learner will have a blast exploring the letter X.

Letter X Theme Ideas for Preschool

There aren’t many words that start with X, but there are still plenty of fun and phonics-friendly options to explore. Here are some great Letter X themes:

X-Ray, Xylophone, X-Ray Fish, Fox, Box, Six, Mix, Ox, Taxi, Xerus (a type of squirrel), Xenopus (a type of frog), Xenops (a bird)

Tip: Many educators choose to include words that have the X sound in the middle or at the end of the word, like fox or mix.

Printable Preschool Letter X Activity Pack

This 20-page Letter X Activity Pack includes everything you need for a full week of alphabet learning. It’s part of my full Letter of the Week curriculum and works great for preschool and kindergarten students.

Activities Include:

• Letter tracing and handwriting practice
• Letter X mazes and puzzles
• Cut-and-paste phonics activities
• Dot marker and coloring pages
• X is for X-Ray Fish craft template
• Uppercase and lowercase letter practice

These activities build early literacy, fine motor skills, and letter sound recognition.

Teaching the Letter X: Sound and Tips

The letter X makes a unique sound—typically a /ks/ sound, as in box, fox, or mix. It can also make a /z/ sound as in xylophone or xenops.

Phonics Teaching Tips:

• Emphasize words with the /ks/ ending sound.
• Clap syllables to hear the /ks/ sound more clearly.
• Use visuals like X-rays, boxes, and xylophones to connect the sound to an object.

Preschool Letter X Books

Surprisingly, there are quite a few fantastic books that tie into the letter X theme. Here’s a list of 16 read-alouds perfect for your preschooler:

 Fox in Socks Andy’s X-Ray Not a Box A Box Can Be Many Things The Taxi That Hurried A Xylophone for X-Ray Fish What Does the Fox Say? Little Fox in the Forest What To Do With a Box Xavier Ox’s Xylophone Experiment My Mom Has X-Ray Vision Jessica’s X-Ray Hello Red Fox Dan the Taxi Man Mix It Up Hattie and the Fox

Fox in Socks by Dr. Seuss
Andy’s X-Ray by Wendy J. Hall
My Mom Has X-Ray Vision by Angela McAllister
Jessica’s X-Ray by Pat Zonta
Xavier Ox’s Xylophone Experiment by Barbara deRubertis
This is Not a Box by Antoinette Portis
What To Do With A Box by Jane Yolen
A Box Can Be Many Things by Dana Meachen Rau
What Does the Fox Say? by Ylvis
Hello, Red Fox by Eric Carle
Hattie and the Fox by Mem Fox
Little Fox in the Forest by Stephanie Graegin
The Taxi That Hurried by Lucy Sprague Mitchell
Dan, The Taxi Man by Eric Ode
A Xylophone for X-Ray Fish by Liza Charlesworth
Mix it Up by Herve Tullet

Letter X Craft for Preschool: X is for X-Ray Fish

One of the most memorable crafts for this letter is X is for X-Ray Fish. My son has loved x-ray fish since he was very young, so this project was a big hit!

Using the printable template from the activity pack, kids can color and assemble an x-ray fish with transparent fins and bones to simulate the look of a real one. Add some tissue paper or wax paper for the translucent effect!

Alternate craft idea: X is for Xylophone – make one out of strips of paper and craft sticks.

Preschool Letter X Snack Idea: X is for Fox

Okay, so fox doesn’t start with X, but it ends with the X sound, which totally counts in preschool phonics!

Make a cute fox-themed snack using orange slices for the face, banana slices for ears, and blueberries or raisins for eyes and nose. It’s healthy, creative, and fun to eat!

Other snack ideas:

• X-shaped pretzels
• X-tra fruit mix – a fruit salad with “extra” ingredients
• Box lunches – little snack boxes with letter X labeling

I love how cute he turned out!  My kids are always happy to eat fresh fruit, too!

Bonus Preschool Letter X Activities

• X-Ray Art: Use white crayons on black paper to draw “bones.”
• X Marks the Spot: Create a treasure hunt where X marks the hidden prize!
• Box Building Challenge: Use small boxes to build towers or buildings.
• Taxi Role Play: Set up a pretend taxi station with boxes and steering wheels.
• Xylophone Sound Match: Use a toy xylophone to play and match tones. Or make one with water!

Want to Print the Preschool Letter X Activities?

The Letter X activity pack is available in my shop individually or as part of the full Letter of the Week Alphabet Curriculum Bundle. Try out Letter A for free!

You can mix and match these ideas to fit your learning style or build a full week of themed preschool fun.

See all of the Letter of the Week Posts.