Pick a Popsicle! Braille Learning Activities

Summer is still a few months away, but I wanted to share this activity that could be adapted for about any holiday or theme. Popsicle sticks have an assortment of uses I've found out! And you don't have to eat a box of popsicles to get them either. I found a package of "Woodsies" at Michaels Craft Store for about $4. Here are a few ways to use them:

Letters: Print and/or Braille letters or words onto strips of paper, then glue to one side of the popsicle stick.Use Glitter Glue to make large Braille letters, words or numbers directly on the stick if standard size braille is too small for the child. (Note: For many of the games listed below, you'll need two of each letter, shape or color.)
Different game ideas include: Make a popsicle stick with the lower case letter, as well as a stick with the capital letter to match. Match the letter popsicle sticks to the word sticks that start with that letter. Put the sticks in ABC alphabetical order. Categorize word sticks by animals, foods, and toys. Or just pick a popsicle stick from the jar and identify. Play a game of memory by turning all the sticks upside down in a grid or line pattern, then turn over two at a time until you find all the matches. For sighted children learning braille, make a set of sticks with only print and a set with only braille, then let them match the letters! This is also a great way for parents to learn!

Close up of popsicle stick!

Colors: Paint or dip one end of the stick in paint, then add the color word to the other side. This can be useful for sighted, low vision and blind children, as even blind children need to learn the names of colors. You could also match the color words to other words that are that color. For instance, match a "yellow" popsicle stick with a "sun" popsicle stick; a "green" stick to a "grass" stick, and so on...

Shapes: Adhere foam or glitter sticker shapes to one end of the popsicle stick, then add the shape word to the other side. You can also follow the same idea as with the colors for a fun matching game.

You can also combine a variety of games on one stick. Here we used shapes, colors and braille (regular and large dots) all on the same stick, then just chose different games to play rather than making a different set of sticks for each game above. Enjoy!

Foam shapes can be matched by color and shape.
Braille letters are given in standard size and large dots for learning!