More tactile learning tools to make at home! Last week on Instagram I did a full tutorial on how to make felted numbers and the same rules apply for these sweet felted letters. They are the perfect size for little hands to hold and explore, can be used for a variety of games, activities and lessons and- best of all- don’t cost a ton of money. They do take time though so I am starting my alphabet set NOW with the realistic plan of being done by December (whose with me on this one?!)
You will need pipe cleaners, wool roving and a felting needle. I’ll link everything I use down below. If your children are older you could even get them in on the action and let them learn this craft! It is very forgiving, can be adjusted and readjusted many times and the only downside is that you will inevitably stab your fingers a million times (have your littles use gloves…seriously, the needles are sharp).
First things first. Shape your pipe cleaner to look like the letter you are working on. Take your time, it is a little tricky but just keep trying and you will get it. I also try to double up my pipe cleaner by folding it in half on itself as I work just to make it even stronger.
Then, take a long strip of your wool and wrap it around the letter, try to just wrap in a single layer so it isn’t too bulky. Let’s all be real with each other right now. It is going to look awful and you are going to ask yourself what you’re even doing and you will doubt that it will ever look right. Trust me. It will.
Then, slowly and carefully, start poking your little letter with your felting needle. I always begin by securing the loose end of where I stopped wrapping it. Poke poke poke away y’all. Adjust the shape as you go, concentrate on the areas where you want to have a sharper angle and trust that the more you stab this little letter, the better it will look as it takes form around the pipe cleaner.
You can add a little detail to help your kiddos know which way is face up by adding stripes, dots or any other design onto the front of your letter. For the numbers I added counting dots and those have been a HUGE hit.
Here is what I used to make mine:
Needle Felting Mat
Felting Needles
Wool Roving
Pipe Cleaner
Felting needle KIT- this is the one I have (definitely not the highest quality but totally works for me)
