Exploring the alphabet - magnetic board?

[Lookslikerain]

I'm looking for something that my DS can use to play around with letters, spelling words etc. He's 6, is completely obsessed with the alphabet/letters/words at the moment, but still really struggles to hold a pencil in anything other than a fist grip, so writing isn't an option right now.

He has been using the foam letters we have in the bathroom but that means he is continually disappearing upstairs to play with them, then calling me up to see what he has written along the edge of the bath. While all the running up and down the stairs is good for my figure, I'd prefer something that we could keep downstairs. Plus we have millions lots of them and they're just too bulky to keep downstairs. And I'd have to cart them back up each evening for bath time.

I'm considering a magnetic board and letters, but wondered if there was something better out there that I don't know about? I've had a google but didn't find anything, but then I don't really know what I'm looking for! Anyone have any suggestions?

[ommmward]

This is surely a classic fridge letters moment? :)

[Lookslikerain]

It should be ommmward, but I put a stupid integrated fridge in when we did the kitchen...

I think the only magnetic thing is the radiator, and he's a bit wary of that after he dropped the ipad down the back of it and we had to have someone round to take the radiator off the wall... He learnt a lesson that day!

[Dripdrop]

Buy a magnetic whiteboard to put the fridge letters on? That also gives the option of writing on it later

[littlepinkmouseofsugar]

We started with home-made cardboard squares from recycled packets and I wrote letters on them. That way you can have as many as you want as invariably commercial sets don't have enough vowels or commonly used letters.

Or scrabble?

[Lookslikerain]

Ooo, scrabble letters! They are nice and small. Good idea, littlepinkmouse.

I didn't know you could get magnetic white boards. I shall look into that too. Thanks Dripdrop. I like the idea that he could practise writing the letters/words when he's ready for that.

[ommmward]

Oh, we have two sets of bananagrams. Even better than scrabble ☺

[MadeinBelfast]

Ikea sells a very cheap metal notice board that comes with a few normal magnets. I bought 2 of those and a big tub of magnetic letters from the ELC. They get played with lots.

[nennyrainbow]

My DS2 was obsessed with letters and numbers too. I picked up a second hand scrabble set from a charity shop and kept the letters in a tin. He then added fridge magnets, wooden puzzle letters and banana grams - basically, anything with letters. Whenever we went anywhere, we had to take the tin of letters with us.

[Saracen]

My kids liked me to open up a simple word processing programme on the computer, with an extra large font. It's very gratifying to be able to make dozens or even hundreds of letters in a few seconds by pressing keys.

Later, they can write their own stories, shopping lists etc, whether or not anyone else can decipher them!

[Lookslikerain]

Thanks for all your suggestions. I showed him a picture of the bananagrams last night and he liked them. So I found them for a good price online, did cash back, placed the order. Then we went shopping in asda this morning so he could spend this £2 tooth fairy money and he found them, full price and wouldn't be parted from them! So we have one set and another on the way. Never mind. He loves them and is currently at the kitchen table spelling words out of his dictionary!

[Saracen]

Result! Glad he is happy. I'm sure it will prove to be worth every penny since he loves it.