Uppercase Letter X Craft for Preschool

Sharing is caring!

Have fun making a xylophone when you do this Uppercase Letter X Craft with your preschool child and practice the shape and sound of X. Learning the letters can be an engaging process when you use crafts, books, and activities to keep things interesting.

Play around with the letter X and explore different ways of learning the letter and its sound. You can use any one of these activities to highlight the letter and practice the “Z” sound of X. The two main sounds of X are “ks” and “z”. Our lowercase letter X craft focuses on the other sound.

Disclaimer: This blog post contains affiliate links. If you use them, I might be rewarded credit or a commission of the sale. Please note that I only recommend tools that I personally use and love and I always have my readers’ best interest at heart.

Xylophone Extension Activities for the Letter X

Music Making with the xylophone. If you have a toy xylophone at home, now would be the time to pull it out and play! You will also enjoy this video of a professional xylophone player solo. Here are a couple of options of xylophones to play at home.

• An Accurately Tuned Kids Toy. If your child has a musical ear, a poorly tuned kid’s xylophone will be very frustrating and painful to play. This can be true even with very young children.
• A 13-Note Xylophone For Kids with simple color-coded songs to play.
• A more professional 25-Note Xylophone for keeping around to play long term.

Read Picture Books that Feature a Xylophone. Our list of Letter X Books for Preschool has several options you will enjoy!

Move Like a Bumblebee. This xylophone solo can get your kids pretending to be a bumblebee and moving all over the place.

Xylophone Science. Make a water xylophone and study the science of sound together with this simple experiment.

Make a Garden Xylophone. Enjoy playing this outdoor xylophone in your garden or backyard.

How Extension Activities Help With Letter Learning

As you are completing any of the activities on the list above, you should be highlighting the sound of the letter X in the word xylophone. Review that sound over and over by saying “X says zzzz as in Xylophone.” You can also review the other sound of X if you have already learned it in the word x-ray or at the end of the word fox.

I would also take the time to practice tracing the letter X when you come across it in books, on signs, or around your home. When you go across a railroad crossing, you can all take a moment to “write” the letter X in the air with your fingers and practice.

Setting up the Uppercase Letter X Craft

I recommend completing at least one xylophone activity from the list above on the day you will do the xylophone craft, either before or after craft time. Once you have all of your materials pulled out for the craft, invite your child(ren) to the table to craft with you. Make the experience light and encouraging. No pressure to get things perfect! If you have a xylophone, bring it to the table and play with it for few minutes while you review the sound of X.

Materials for the Uppercase Letter X Craft

• black construction paper
• blue construction paper
• yellow construction paper
• purple construction paper
• red construction paper
• pink construction paper
• construction paper for the background (color of choice)
• glue
• scissors
• alternative – white paper and crayons

Instructions for the Uppercase Letter X Craft

1. Draw the cut pieces as shown on each piece of construction paper with a thick marker. Then have your student follow the remaining instructions.
2. Cut out 2 large rectangles (these will form your uppercase X), a thin rectangle, and a medium circle from the black paper.
3. Next, cut out a rectangle from the red paper about the width of your uppercase X.
4. Then cut out a rectangle from the purple paper slightly smaller than your red rectangle.
5. Next, cut out rectangles from the pink, yellow and blue papers, ensuring that each one is slightly smaller than the last cut.
6. Then glue down one large black rectangle, slightly off left center, on the backing paper to form one half of your letter X. 
7. Next, glue down the other large black rectangle to form the second half of your Uppercase X.
8. Then glue down your red (or longest rectangle) across the bottom of your X.
9. Next, glue down the purple rectangle (or next largest) slightly above the red rectangle.
10. Then, glue down your remaining colored rectangles working your way up the X from largest to smallest.
11. Then glue down the thin black rectangle to the side of your Xylophone.
12. Finally glue down the medium circle on the top of your rectangle to complete your Xylophone mallet.