ABC Table Art is one of my new favorite centers for my littlest kiddos!
I'm lucky enough to have one day of all Ks and 1st graders so I can easily set up centers just for them. For this center, I cover a table with paper (like Table Top Poetry) and the kids write words or draw pictures of things that start with the letter of the day.
I change the letter each week, going in order of the alphabet. I have seen a huge difference in the variety of words the kids have come up with in just a few weeks. From A to C, they have gotten more and more creative. We went from apples (and little else) on "A" day to composter, candy corn, cat, crocodile, clock, candles, castle, carrot, corn, cheetah, and more on "C" day. I can't wait for the other letters!
I also set up a table with books that go along with the letter of the day:
Last week, I mentioned to a 4th grade class that I needed to find books about things that start with B and they went nuts over finding B books. It's almost like a scavenger hunt for them and now I just write the letter of the week on my center choice board so they know what to look for. The older kids feel important pulling books and it certainly makes my life easier!
