If you're a teacher or parent looking for a fun and interesting way to teach your children the letter E, this sensory E is for egg carton craft is perfect. Sensory letters {also known as tactile letters} are an engaging and effective way to teach children the letters of the alphabet.
A sensory alphabet is an exceptional tool that merges the tangible experience of touch with the abstract world of letters, making the learning process not only more fun but also more immersive for children. Follow our step by step instructions below to create your own sensory letter E, I've also included a free printable letter E template.
What is a sensory alphabet?
A sensory alphabet combines a hands-on activity with diverse tactile materials resulting in tangible letters and eventually a complete tactile alphabet. Engaging with a sensory alphabet simultaneously stimulates multiple senses such as sight, touch and sometimes sound, providing children with a holistic way to deepen their comprehension of individual letters.
Through a sensory alphabet, children explore the diverse textures of materials as they run their fingers along the letters and affix them in place. Not only can they perceive the distinct shapes of the letters, but also appreciate the array of colours and patterns exhibited by each material, making them perfect for classroom displays. Some sensory materials also produce auditory feedback as children construct and trace the letters.
What are the benefits of a sensory alphabet?
Teaching the alphabet with a hands-on, multisensory approach like a sensory alphabet will help increase a child's concentration and focus, which means they'll retain much more of the information because they've been actively involved in the learning by constructing the letter.
Making sensory, or tactile, letters will also help:
Letter recognition - Children will learn to recognise each individual letter and the letter names.
Correct letter formation - Constructing the sensory letters will also introduce the correct letter formation and this can be further enhanced by getting children to finger trace the completed tactile letters.
Introduce phonics - The sensory item used matches phonetically with the letter so it introduces the concept of phonics and can be used for further exploration. For example e is for egg carton /e/, /e/, egg carton. Letter E is a little bit tricky as it has multiple sounds, there are different sensory options for other letter E sounds further on in this post.
Build fine motor skills - As children stick down their materials onto the template they'll be building their fine motor skills which are essential for correct pencil grip and writing. For letter E they'll be working on their hand strength as they squeeze glue onto the egg carton and push them down onto the template.
E is for Egg Carton: Sensory Letter E
To make your sensory letter E you will need:
- Letter E template
- White paper
- Empty egg carton
- Scissors
- Glue
I chose to use an egg carton for the letter E because it's a free recyclable item {if you eat eggs} that you probably already have at home. It also represents the most common short e sound /ĕ/ pronounced eh which is the easiest e sound for children to learn.
If you're doing this craft in a classroom you can buy new egg cartons in bulk online including coloured egg cartons if you want students to have different colours. Please make sure there are no egg allergies before doing this craft, even though there are no actual eggs involved, there may be a chance of contamination with used egg cartons. There are alternative options for making a sensory letter E further on in this post.
How to make a sensory letter E
1. Download and print letter E template. Download the template from this post and print it onto white paper.
2. Cut the egg carton into required sizes. I highly recommend an adult doing this step as cutting an egg carton requires strong hand strength and scissor skills.
To make the letter E you will need the base of 1 egg carton. Follow the instructions in the photo below. Cut the egg carton in half horizontally then cut those pieces in half vertically. Keep 2 of the 3 piece sections and cut a third one into a 2 piece section and a single piece.
3. Glue a 3 piece section onto the bottom row of the letter E. Use the egg carton piece with the curve at the end as shown below. It's easiest to attach the egg carton pieces by adding glue to the base of each egg slot and then pushing them down firmly in place for a few seconds.
4. Glue the 2 piece section of egg carton to the vertical part of the E.
5. Glue the other 3 piece section to the top horizontal arm of the letter E. Face the curved end down as shown in the photo.
6. Glue the final piece of egg carton to the middle section of the letter E. Turn the piece sideways so the flat sides are on the left and right as shown below. Set aside to dry completely so the egg carton is properly attached to the paper.
Once the letter E is completely dry children can trace their fingers over the letter to practice the formation of letter E. This is great tactile sensory feedback as their fingers follow the bumps and ridges of the egg carton.
The egg carton letter E can also be used {flat on a table} with plastic Easter eggs, fake plastic eggs, foam eggs, wooden eggs or egg toys so that children can fill up and empty the letter E. This makes it even more interactive for kids and can add in some counting practice and imaginary play.
More sensory ideas for the letter E
If you don't have an egg carton, or just want other options for a sensory E, then use one of the fabrics, textures or items below along with the free letter E template to create a different sensory letter E. Each option will provide a different visual and textural sensory effect.
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Eyes - There are many ways to make a sensory letter E with eyes including with googly eyes, foam eye stickers or eye beads. We made an E is for eyes letter E using different foam stickers. Just keep in mind that the word eyes has the long I sound which is one of the harder letter e sounds for children to learn.
Eggshells - If you don't have any egg allergies you can thoroughly rinse out empty eggshells and crush them into small pieces then glue them onto the letter E template.
Elastic - Strips of elastic or elastane fabric can be glued to the letter E template. Elastic is an extremely stretchy fabric that reverts to it's normal shape.
Elastic bands - also known as rubber bands have the same stretchy quality as elastic fabric and can be glued onto the letter E template.
Emojis - Emojis can be used to represent the long e sound {eee} by using different emoji beads or stickers. This is also a great way to talk to children about different emotions.
DOWNLOAD FREE PRINTABLE LETTER E TEMPLATE
Click the download template button below to download the letter E template. This will take you to the PDF that can be downloaded to your device and printed.
Please note that this free printable letter E PDF is for personal or classroom use only and may not be shared electronically, uploaded or sold on any platform. If you would like to share or feature this craft in a blog post please link back to this post directly.
COMPLETE 52 PAGE LOWERCASE AND UPPERCASE ALPHABET TEMPLATE SET
If you want to create an entire sensory alphabet you can get my complete set of alphabet templates in a bundle from Etsy. This includes all 26 uppercase and 26 lowercase letters on their own template page. You can print them directly onto paper or cardstock to create quick alphabet displays.
They can also be used as colouring sheets, playdough mats, tracing sheets, or cut out the individual letters and use them as templates for other activities. You are able to print as many copies of the pages as you need, however please note that the PDFs are for personal or classroom use only and may not be shared electronically, uploaded or sold on any platform.
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