Alphabet Learning Locks from Lakeshore

My son is entering Kindergarten in August. So over the summer I wanted to continue to work with him on his letters and the letter sounds. I was looking for a fun way to get him excited about learning. I was happy when I found the Alphabet Learning Locks from Lakeshore.  

The learning locks come with 26 locks and 26 keys to open the locks. My son loves to play with keys and pretend he is opening locks. He also loves it when I let him use my real key to open the car door. So I knew this would be perfect for him.

The locks are an assortment of colors that form a pattern of orange, blue, green, purple, and red if placed in alphabetical order. On each lock is the Uppercase letter and on the other side a word that begins with that sound.

To open the lock you simply match the lowercase letter to the uppercase letter or the lowercase letter to  the picture with the same sound. For example you would match the e key to either E or Elephant depending on which side of the lock you were using.

I played with Jerom a few different ways with the locks/keys. I would set out the locks on the picture side and then give him the keys. He would have to match them. Or I would put the locks on the Uppercase letter side. Sometimes I would have him pick out the key that made a certain letter sound and then he had to find the lock that went with it. He enjoyed playing no matter how I did it. He even placed the locks on things after he opened them. So later on he could take a lock and then go find something in the house that makes the same beginning sound as the lock. I love that there are a variety of ways for him to use the locks.

The locks opened easily with the correct key. Once you turned the key the lock popped open. We did have an issue with one lock not wanting to open.  After contacting the company they sent us a replacement lock and key. I had my new lock/key within a couple of days. The customer service was great.

The only drawback I have with this is when my son tries to use all 26 locks/keys at a time. Then he just dumps everything and makes a big mess. He loses focus and it becomes easy for him to lose the pieces. So I like to set out a few letters 6 or so at a time. This way he can learn but isn't overwhelmed . It would also be nice if the keys could be placed on a key ring.

Overall my son has really enjoyed the learning locks and even his big sister has played with them.