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Most of the kids in Pittsburgh went back to school this week, but for Baby Bird, classes won’t start until September.

I know what you’re thinking: What classes? She’s only 1!

It’s true. She’s too young for school in the traditional sense, but I don’t believe she’s too young to be introduced to certain concepts.

Beginning Sept. 1, we’re going to focus on a letter, number, color, and shape each month. I’ll keep her “lessons” fun (everything will involve toys and books) and brief (2 minutes or less a few times a day).

I’m not looking for her to be able to recite these things back to me, and I won’t be testing for comprehension at the end of each month (she is 1, after all). I just want to establish a foundation that we can grow from.

I don’t have any background in teaching, but I’m willing to do and try almost anything to help my kid succeed.

That’s why I was so excited when Jessica from Education.com contacted me about a DIY project. Her website offers tools and learning materials to guide teachers, homeschoolers, and parents like me, and I’ve found the preschool section to be a great resource as I prep for Baby Bird’s “lessons.”

The project Jessica suggested, alphabet blocks, is quick and easy, and it’ll help me kill multiple birds with one stone. With six sides to each block, I can cover all my target concepts in one easy-to-stack toy.

The blocks will be a great way to introduce Baby Bird to letters and sounds, increase her vocabulary, and practice kinesthetic learning.

What You Need

4-inch square cardboard boxes (like these)

Clipart, pictures from magazines, or foam letters like these

Paper (it can be wrapping paper, computer paper, or construction paper)

Glue

Scissors

What To Do

Wrap your boxes, then glue on your letters and the clipart or magazine cutouts. For my boxes, I’ll put the same letter on four sides, then add a colored number, and a colored shape.

Don’t want to use the foam pieces? No problem! You can print and cut out letters or write them on the boxes.

That’s it! In less than 20 minutes, you can make alphabet blocks that your baby will love stacking and learning from.

Visit Education.com for more educational activities, then come back here and tell me how your blocks turned out!