Letter I Activities for Preschoolers (Crafts & Printables)

Letter I activities were a fun mix of creativity and chaos in our house, especially when we pulled out ice cream crafts or started hunting for insects in the backyard.

Teaching this letter felt easier when we focused on hands-on projects that didn’t feel like formal lessons.

From sensory bins to simple alphabet printables, these activities helped my son remember the shape and sound of the letter I without getting bored.

Whether you’re in the middle of an alphabet unit or just need ideas to keep early learners engaged, these letter I activities offer a playful way to build confidence and early literacy skills.

Hands-on letter I activities for preschool with worksheets, crafts, coloring, and sensory bins focused on the letter I.

How I Taught the Letter I to My Preschooler

When we introduced the letter I, I focused on simple, hands-on ways to keep it memorable, ice cream crafts, insect hunts, and Play-Doh letters.

Tracing the letter in kinetic sand or finding it on cereal boxes turned everyday moments into learning.

The goal wasn’t perfection, it was just getting him to recognize the letter I in different places, say its sound out loud, and start connecting it to fun, familiar things.

Fun Activities Starting With I

Letter I Coloring Page

Simple but effective, this was our quiet time go-to. My son liked starting by naming as many “I” words as he could before coloring. It helped him connect the letter to real things in his world, and we turned it into a little game of “I spy” as he colored.

Handprint artwork for a child's educational activity, depicting an ice cream cone using a handprint as the cone and painted scoops of ice cream on top. The words 'I is for ice cream' and a clever pun are included, showcasing a creative way to learn the alphabet and enjoy craft time. Mardi Gras beads and Crayola crayons are placed around the artwork, emphasizing the fun and hands-on learning experience.

I is for Ice Cream Handprint

This was the perfect mix of messy and manageable. My son picked his own paint color (which was never brown), and stamping his hand for the cone made it feel like real art. The pun on the page made him giggle, and coloring the scoops after gave us a calm moment to talk about the letter I without it feeling like a lesson.

This image contains insect-themed cards and a word scramble game. It features a memory card game with cartoon illustrations of insects like bumblebees, spiders, ladybugs, and butterflies.

Free Insect Memory Game Printable

We printed this on cardstock and used it as a boredom buster one afternoon. Matching insects became more fun when we added our own silly bug names and tried to guess which ones might start with I. Total hit for visual memory and phonics practice.

Set of five ice cream-themed math worksheets. Includes exercises like counting, matching numbers, and identifying patterns with ice cream illustrations.

Ice Cream Math Worksheets

Combining ice cream and counting was a win. He practiced number recognition while matching scoops to cones and insisted on adding pretend “toppings.” It was an easy way to sneak in early math without pulling out manipulatives.

Insects Color By Number Printables

This worked really well for winding down after lunch. It tied number, color, and letter recognition together, and he especially liked when we talked about what each insect eats or where it lives. Learning without pressure.

Insect Alphabet Worksheets

These gave us a great excuse to talk about weird and wonderful bugs while practicing letters. My son especially liked coloring the inchworm and trying to trace its name. It turned into more than just handwriting, he started asking to find insects outside too.

Letter I Tracing Worksheets for Preschool

We used these during quiet time when he needed something focused but low-energy. I’d slide a few sheets into a dry erase pocket, and he’d go back to them over and over. It helped him get more confident with writing without the pressure of perfection.

I is for Impala Handprint

This one was a fun surprise after we saw an impala at the zoo. He couldn’t wait to turn it into a craft. The antlers were his favorite part, he added extra just to be silly. It’s a great way to tie real-life experiences into alphabet learning.

Find the Letter I is for Iguana Worksheets

We turned this into a letter hunt game, he circled every letter I he could find, then colored the iguana at the end. It helped reinforce the sound while introducing a rainforest animal we hadn’t talked about much before.

Ice Cream Soup (Step into Reading)

A silly story that tied perfectly into our ice cream theme week. He loved the idea of “melting” ice cream soup and we ended up acting it out with pretend food. It’s light and playful, just enough to make the letter I stick.

Find the Letter Printables: Ii is for Igloo

We used this on a chilly morning and ended up building a paper igloo afterward. It turned into more than just a letter hunt, it sparked curiosity about snow, cold places, and polar animals.

Mañana, Iguana

This book gave us a fun twist on the letter I with some Spanish vocabulary mixed in. My son was completely pulled into the story, and loved that the iguana wasn’t just a background character but the main one. It sparked a mini discussion about teamwork, and he asked to read it again the next day.

Paper Plate Ice Cream Craft

This one had big visual payoff with barely any prep. We cut out scoops from construction paper and glued them onto a paper plate “cone.” My son added googly eyes and named each scoop something ridiculous, definitely more giggles than glue.

Ice Cream Sensory Bin

Probably one of our most-used bins that week. We filled it with cotton balls, scoops, pom-poms, and old ice cream containers. He served up “orders” and practiced letter I words as we played. Great for imaginative play and sneaky vocabulary work.

Letter I is for Ice Cream Missing Letters Activity

We used this to practice alphabet sequencing, but I let him use real sprinkles as a reward for each correct answer, suddenly, missing letters became very exciting. It was a low-prep, high-reward way to build phonics skills.

I is for Ice Cream

If you’re doing an ice cream unit, this pulls everything together, crafts, math, sensory play, and printables, all focused on the letter I.

I is for Ice Cream Do a Dot Printable

This one was a fast favorite. The dot markers kept him engaged longer than crayons ever do, and it gave us a fun way to reinforce both fine motor control and letter recognition with zero mess (unless he dotted his hands).

Carry on the alphabet fun with our favorite Letter J activities and Letter K activities.

Last Updated on 11 July 2025 by Clare Brown

How I Taught the Letter I to My Preschooler

Fun Activities Starting With I

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