How to Make the Most Awesome Ombre Wooden Letter Blocks

“Mama, what does L-O-P-K spell? Is that my name? Jansen.”

“Mama, how about O-Q-P-W? Does THAT spell my name, Jansen?”

After about 27 minutes of continued spelling-inquiries, I came to the realization that this poor kid needs to learn how to spell his own name – and he needs to learn STAT!

Jansen started preschool a few weeks ago. He has officially entered the sponge-stage. He takes in everything you teach him. He’s an eager learner, and I wish I could bottle his enthusiasm before it fades.

(This post was sponsored by Woodpeckers® in return for my honest review of their products.)

Jansen’s second passion is crafting by my side, especially if it involves paint. Every time I pull up a chair, pour some paint and grab the paint brushes, he comes running as if I had called his name.

We sat down, rolled up our sleeves, or in Jansen’s case, took the shirt off. We were prepared to let our creativity flow and get messy. It is not truly a crafting success until someone wears evidence of paint or glue on his body.

These wooden blocks from Woodpeckers® were perfect for our projects this weekend. They are 1.5”, which is a great size for little hands and to display on a shelf. I know the 20 blocks I bought will be gone before too long.

[bctt tweet=”Learn how to make #ombre wooden letter blocks for #PlayBasedLearning. @Woodpeckercraft” username=”MamaintheNow”]

While we were crafting, Jansen and I decided to expand upon the friendly Halloween decorations we made last month. The blocks are a perfect compliment to our wooden Halloween peg dolls.

We made the ombre name blocks and the ombre Halloween blocks using the exact same technique. The possibilities are really endless with Woodpeckers wooden blocks. I can’t wait to see what this post inspires you to create!

Materials used:

1.5” wooden blocks from Woodpeckers

Acrylic craft paint, satin finish

Paint palette

Paint brushes

1” vinyl letters

Thumb tack (just one)

Step by step instructions:

I love the ombre effect on these blocks, but you can easily paint them all the same color.

Paint one side of each block.
- This will be the color of the letter. Allow the paint to dry for several hours, otherwise, the paint may peel off when you remove the vinyl lettering.
- (Note, I only put one letter per block. You can easily put additional letters on the other sides too.)
Center one vinyl letter on the painted side.
- Rub the sticker down firmly, especially along the edge.
Mix the ombre paint.
- Determine how many shades of paint you need. Pour an equal amount of base color into paint cups, one cup per shade.
  - Leave one cup with the base color the way it is.
  - Add a few drops of white paint to the next cup.
  - Add twice as many drops of white paint to the next cup.
  - Add even more drops of white paint to the next cup in line…
  - and so on.
- Stir each of the cups thoroughly.
- Take a step back to confirm that the shades are truly graduating.
- Remember, you can always ADD white, but you can’t really take it out.
Paint the blocks.
- Swipe the brush in the same direction and paint OVER the vinyl letter.
- I painted all six sides of the blocks. You may choose to leave the bottom unpainted.
- The top coat can either be thin, letting the color below shine through, or cover with two coats, so the color is richer.
Allow the paint to dry for a few hours.
Lift a corner of the vinyl letter using a thumb tack.
- Carefully remove the entire vinyl letter.
VOILA! Your letter block is done!

These blocks from Woodpeckers® have been so helpful for our little eager speller. Over the course of a weekend, he mastered identifying the letters in his name and he’s working on putting them in the right order.

Manipulating blocks is a powerful play-based learning tool for early learners. I am going to expand our collection to include all the letters needed to spell sight words… And – I can’t wait to make blocks for our Christmas decorations!

Seriously, the possibilities are ENDLESS with these blocks: decorations, calendars, gifts, play-based learning tools for spelling and math… or… I will let your creativity fill in the blanks.

Wood products from Woodpeckers®:

I have been very impressed with the wood products I have bought from Woodpeckers® through Amazon.
Their products lend themselves perfectly to crafts and DIY projects.
The wood shapes are uniform and without blemishes.
Their customer service is wonderful with personal attention to each customer.
They even send you an adorable ebook for inspiration when you purchase their peg dolls and wooden blocks.
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