Collect old magazines from family and friends. You will need a poster board, permanent markers, a pencil and eraser, a glue stick and scissors. Flip through the magazines looking for large letters of the alphabet or colorful pictures that will be easy for the youngster to recognize. You can also write the letters on the board with a pencil and trace over them with a permanent marker. Cut pictures out and place them on the poster board in alphabetical order. Just cut a square around the letters and pictures, these will be easier to arrange on the poster. Glue them in place with the glue stick.
If you have time, you could cut carefully around the pictures and place them on a colorful square of construction paper. Measure your board and make the squares all the same size or have various sizes for a fun look. Alternate colors for a patchwork quilt effect and have fun asking the child to name the colors for a different kind of game to play with the poster.
Glue the pictures and letters to the poster board and outline the area with colorful permanent markers. If the letters are not bold, outline them also--you want the letters to be easy to recognize.
Dltk-teach.com suggests printing out the letters and pictures and having the child color them with crayons. You can join in the fun; your child will enjoy having you try to stay in the lines with your crayons.
Try to choose pictures that are easy to recognize but will still present a challenge to your child. The image of an apple for the letter A is on practically every wall in daycare centers and pre-schools. Using pictures other than what is expected will increase your child's vocabulary and her understanding of how letters form words. A good example would be the letter S for scale, or the letter V for vehicle.