Teach children how to form both a lower-case and upper-case D by having children cut out the letters. Write out a dozen of each using block letters. Have children cut out the letters, then have them experiment to see what new shapes they can make. For instance, they can put two upper-case Ds together to make a circle. Use the letters to teach about patterns. Show children the start of a pattern, such as two lower-case Ds following by one lower-case letter. Ask each child to continue the pattern with his own letters.
Have children dig for dinosaurs and other creatures whose names start with D. Fill your sandbox or large plastic buckets with sand. Visit the dollar store to buy small plastic figurines of dinosaurs. Look for other animal figurines that begin with D such as dogs or ducks, then pick up a few animals that don't start with D. Bury all the animals in the sand, then let children dig around using shovels and their hands. Whenever they find creatures, have them separate them into piles of animals that begin with D and animals that don't.
Have children make collages out of Ds. Pass out magazines and newspapers. Have children cut out images of the letter D, along with pictures of objects that start with the letter. Give children reminders of some words that start with the letter, then ask children if they can think of other words that start with the letter. This will help them remember what they're looking for. Pass out pieces of paper and have children glue their pictures all over the paper.
Help children learn to identify words starting with D by creating a sorting chart. Divide a piece of poster board in half. Cut out a few dozen pictures or clip art images of animals and objects. Half the objects must begin with the letter D. Gather children together and hold up one picture. Ask children to first identify the object, then ask children if it starts with a D. Tape pictures of a dog, doctor and drum to one half of the poster and tape other objects to the other side.