Looking for exciting chicka chicka boom boom activities to spark your child’s imagination? This beloved alphabet book is the perfect springboard for hands-on, educational fun. Whether you’re a parent, teacher, or homeschooler, these creative activity ideas will help children learn letters through movement, crafts, songs, and sensory play. From coconut trees to letter races, your little learners will stay engaged and entertained while reinforcing early literacy skills in playful, memorable ways. Let’s climb the tree of learning together!
10+ Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Activities
Get ready to bring the alphabet jungle to life with these fun and interactive activities:
1. Coconut Tree Letter Sort
This activity helps children distinguish between uppercase and lowercase letters by sorting them into different parts of a drawn coconut tree. Children identify a letter and place it on the “leaves” for lowercase or the “trunk” for uppercase.
Materials Needed:
- Large paper or poster board with a drawn coconut tree
- Construction paper in green and brown for leaves and trunk
- Marker
- Printable letter cards (upper and lowercase)
- Glue or tape
Instructions:
- Draw or create a large coconut tree on a poster board. You can make green leaves and a brown trunk from construction paper and glue them on.
- Scatter the printable letter cards on a table.
- Let kids pick up a letter card and say the letter aloud.
- Instruct them to “climb” the letter up the tree by placing it on the “leaves” if it’s a lowercase letter, or on the “trunk” if it’s an uppercase letter (or vice versa, depending on your focus).
- Continue until all letters have been sorted.
Want to make the Chicka Chicka Boom Boom activity even more fun? Download printable alphabet letter cards to use for your letter-sorting game!
2. Letter “Boom Boom” Sensory Bin
Engage children’s senses as they dig through a bin to find hidden alphabet manipulatives. As they discover letters, they can practice identifying them aloud and sorting them.
Materials Needed:
- Large bin or container
- Brown shredded paper or kinetic sand (for “dirt” or “sand”)
- Green craft foam or felt cut into leaf shapes
- Small alphabet manipulatives (e.g., foam letters, magnet letters, letter beads)
- Small scoops or tongs
- Optional: Small toy monkeys or coconuts
Instructions:
- Fill the bin with shredded brown paper or kinetic sand to represent the ground.
- Tuck the green leaf shapes around the edges.
- Bury the alphabet manipulatives within the sensory bin material.
- Encourage children to use the scoops or tongs to dig for letters.
- As they find a letter, have them identify it aloud. They can then sort them onto the “leaves” or “trunk” as desired.
3. Chicka Chicka Alphabet Necklace
Children create a wearable alphabet display by stringing alphabet beads onto a string or pipe cleaner. This craft encourages letter recognition as they add each bead to their necklace.
Materials Needed:
- Alphabet beads (various colors and shapes)
- String or pipe cleaners
- Optional: Green and brown beads for leaves and trunk
Instructions:
- Cut a length of string or provide pipe cleaners for each child.
- Invite children to string the alphabet beads onto their string in any order they choose.
- Encourage them to say the letter as they add each bead.
- If using, they can add green beads for leaves and brown beads for the trunk at either end.
- Tie the ends of the string to create a necklace or twist the pipe cleaners together.
4. Coconut Tree Letter Match
This activity focuses on matching uppercase and lowercase letters. Children pick a small “coconut” with a lowercase letter and find its corresponding uppercase letter on a coconut tree shape.
Materials Needed:
- Cardstock or construction paper
- Marker
- Scissors
- Clothespins (optional)
Instructions:
- Cut out several “coconut tree” shapes from cardstock.
- On each tree, write an uppercase letter.
- On separate small “coconuts” (can be oval shapes or simply small squares), write the corresponding lowercase letter.
- Mix up the lowercase “coconuts.”
- Children pick a “coconut” and find the matching uppercase letter on a tree. They can place the lowercase letter on top of the uppercase letter, or if using clothespins, clip the lowercase letter to the tree.
5. Letter Race to the Top
A dynamic game where children race to find and identify specific letters on floor mats. This activity combines letter recognition with active movement as they navigate between uppercase and lowercase letters.
Materials Needed:
- Large open space
- Alphabet floor mats or letter cards (one set of uppercase, one set of lowercase)
- Masking tape or painter’s tape
Instructions:
- Lay out the uppercase letter mats/cards in a line on one side of the room.
- Lay out the lowercase letter mats/cards in a corresponding line on the opposite side of the room.
- Call out a letter (e.g., “A”).
- Children race to the uppercase “A” and then to the lowercase “a” (or vice versa).
- Alternatively, you can have children race to find a specific letter and then “climb” (crawl or walk with knees high) to the other end of the room.
6. Playdough Letter Smash
Children use playdough to practice letter formation and recognition in a hands-on way. They can use alphabet cookie cutters or stamps to “smash” letters into the dough or form them freehand.
Materials Needed:
- Playdough (various colors)
- Alphabet cookie cutters or letter stamps
- Letter flashcards or written letters on paper
Instructions:
- Roll out the playdough flat on a surface.
- Show a letter flashcard or a written letter to the child.
- Have the child use an alphabet cookie cutter or letter stamp to “smash” the corresponding letter into the playdough.
- Encourage them to say the letter sound as they smash.
- They can also practice rolling playdough “snakes” to form letters freehand.
7. Chicka Chicka Rhyme Time
This activity highlights the rhyming and rhythmic elements of the Chicka Chicka Boom Boom book. Children identify rhyming words from the story and are encouraged to create their own.
Materials Needed:
- Chicka Chicka Boom Boom book
- Whiteboard or large paper
- Markers
Instructions:
- Read Chicka Chicka Boom Boom aloud, emphasizing the rhyming words and rhythm.
- After reading, go back through the book and identify some of the rhyming pairs (e.g., “skit, skat, scoot, doot,” “hoop-dee-doo”).
- Write down some of these rhyming words on the whiteboard.
- Challenge children to come up with other words that rhyme with those from the book.
- Encourage them to create their own simple rhyming phrases or short chants.
8. Letter Line-Up
Children practice alphabetical order by arranging alphabet flashcards or foam letters in sequence. Once ordered, they can hang the letters on a clothesline, reinforcing the ABCs.
Materials Needed:
- Alphabet flashcards or large foam letters
- Clothesline or a long piece of string
- Clothespins
Instructions:
- Scramble the alphabet flashcards or foam letters.
- Have children work together to put the letters in alphabetical order.
- Once they have the letters in order, they can use clothespins to hang them on a clothesline, creating an alphabet display.
- Sing the alphabet song while pointing to each letter as it’s hung up.
9. Build a Coconut Tree Letter Collage
A creative art project where children cut out letters from printed materials and glue them onto a drawn coconut tree. This activity combines fine motor skills with letter identification and artistic expression.
Materials Needed:
- Large paper or poster board
- Brown and green construction paper
- Scissors
- Glue sticks
- Magazines, newspapers, or old books with large print letters
Instructions:
- Draw or create a large coconut tree outline on a poster board.
- Let kids cut out letters (upper and lowercase) from magazines, newspapers, or old books.
- Encourage them to identify the letters as they cut them out.
- They can then glue the cut-out letters all over the “coconut tree,” creating a colorful alphabet collage.
- Discuss which letters are “falling” or “climbing” on their tree.
10. Letter Toss Game
This active game combines letter recognition with gross motor skills. Children identify a called-out letter and then try to toss the corresponding letter beanbag or foam letter into a basket.
Materials Needed:
- Basket or hula hoop
- Soft alphabet beanbags or foam letters
- Masking tape (optional, for a throwing line)
Instructions:
- Place the basket or hula hoop a short distance away.
- Scatter the alphabet beanbags or foam letters on the floor near a designated throwing line.
- Call out a letter.
- Have the child pick up the correct letter and try to toss it into the basket/hula hoop.
- Increase the distance for a greater challenge.
11. Chicka Chicka Story Retell with Puppets
Children use letter puppets to act out the Chicka Chicka Boom Boom story, encouraging imaginative play and storytelling. They can make the letters “climb” and “fall” just like in the book.
Materials Needed:
- Small alphabet manipulatives or paper cut-out letters
- Craft sticks
- Tape or glue
- A small cardboard box or “coconut tree” made from paper
- Optional: Small toy monkeys
Instructions:
- Tape the alphabet manipulatives or paper cut-out letters to craft sticks to create letter puppets.
- Read the Chicka Chicka Boom Boom story again.
- As you read, or after reading, ask learners to use the letter puppets to act out the story.
- They can make the letters “climb” up the cardboard box tree and then “fall” down, just like in the book.
- Encourage them to use their own voices for the letters and add details to the story.
12. Name Letter Tree Building
Children will create a visual representation of their names while practicing letter recognition and fine motor skills.
Materials Needed:
- Construction paper (green and brown)
- Scissors
- Glue sticks
- Alphabet stickers or letter cut-outs
- Optional: Markers or crayons
Instructions:
- Cut out a simple tree trunk shape from brown construction paper for each child.
- Cut out several leaf shapes from green construction paper (the number of leaves can correspond to the number of letters in their name, plus a few extra).
- Have each child select the alphabet stickers or letter cut-outs needed to spell their name.
- Instruct them to glue one letter of their name onto each green leaf.
- Guide them to arrange and glue the letter leaves onto their brown tree trunk, starting from the bottom and going upwards, or in any way they like.
- Encourage them to say the letters in their name as they glue them onto the leaves. They can also decorate their trees with markers or crayons if they wish.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What age group are Chicka Chicka Boom Boom activities for?
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom activities are perfect for preschool and early elementary students, typically ages 3 to 6. They’re designed to match young learners’ developmental stages, helping them build foundational literacy skills through play, movement, and hands-on creativity.
2. How do these activities support early literacy?
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom activities aren’t just fun—they’re thoughtfully designed to build core literacy skills in engaging ways. Here’s how they help young learners grow:
- Letter crafts and games build alphabet recognition and recall.
- Story retelling with props enhances comprehension and sequencing.
- Songs and rhymes support phonemic awareness.
- Matching uppercase and lowercase letters strengthens visual discrimination.
- Sensory and motor tasks reinforce learning through multi-sensory input.
Sum up
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom activities turn early literacy into a joyful adventure, where letters come to life through crafts, songs, games, and movement. By combining fun with learning, these playful experiences not only capture children’s attention but also build lasting skills in a meaningful way. Whether at home or in the classroom, let your little ones climb their way to alphabet success—one coconut tree at a time!
