Wikki Stix are a fun, creative, and hands-on way to teach letters to your young child. Some children need more tactile ways to learn how to shape their letters, and these products from Wikki Stix are an excellent way to do this.

There are 27 cards in the Alphabet Cards set. Each letter of the alphabet is represented on one sturdy, 7-inch square card. On each card is written a dotted form of the upper and lower case letter, and also a small drawing of an object or animal that begins with that letter. For example, the C card has a clown, the M card a mouse, and the W card has a whale. They are simple drawings that the child can copy with the accompanying Wikki Stix. The last card has a blank space and asks the child to make the first letter of their name. 36 Wikki Stix come with this set in 9 different colors. Wikki Stix are made of hand knitted yarn and coated with a microcrystalline, food grade, non-toxic wax. They stick to any surface, peel off easily, and do not leave any residue. They can be shaped, rolled, pushed, cut with scissors, and conveniently enough, do not dry out. This makes tracing the large letters on the card lots of fun and very hands-on.

The Alphabet Set comes with six large alphabet worksheets. They measure 12 x 18 inches in size. Each worksheet features 4-6 letters of the alphabet in order. At the top is a lined space on which to practice forming the letters; on the sides, the upper and lower case letters are shown. The center of the worksheet is blank, and is meant to be a place where your child can shape different objects that begin with the chosen letter. Around the edge, different objects are pictured. For example, on the A through D card there is an ant, ball, bat, car, cat, dog, and duck. There are 2-3 images for each letter. This set also includes 36 Wikki Stix to use on the worksheets.

My 6-year-old really enjoyed both of these products. The Alphabet Cards were what we used first; I would give her the one that we were working on in our phonics program each day. She had no problem shaping the Wikki Stix to the shape of the letter on the card, and I appreciated that each letter had a starting point and numbered arrows to follow. A few of the Wikki Stix I cut in half and thirds; this made shaping the shorter lines in letters easier for her. After we had gone through the alphabet, I brought out the Alphabet Set Worksheets. These gave further practice in letter formation, and also helped with recognizing the first sound in a word. The worksheets are on regular paper, so we did laminate them to make them sturdier. Now that she has a firm grasp of the alphabet, she still enjoys getting out the Wikki Stix and creating animals, cars, people, and objects. I would highly recommend this product for anyone who is looking for a tactile way to teach letters to little ones.

Product Review by Charlotte Gochnauer, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, January, 2012