Highway
Letters and Vests – These are a MUST in any classroom. Go to makinglearningfun.com to download
the highway letters. Insert them
in clear sheet protectors.
Children can drive cars over these, trace the letters with a dry erase
marker, place Wiki Stix on top, etc.
Punch holes at the top and tie on string so children can wear these as
you sing songs. Children stand up when
the letter that they are wearing is sung in the song.
Letter Man –
Letter Man also wants to help children learn letters. He’s made from a small swing trash can available at the
Dollar Tree. Decorate with googly
eyes, pompoms and felt scraps.
Children can feed Letter Man letters that they know, letters in their
name, make words and feed him, letters in alphabetical order, and so forth.
Letter Looker
– Loop around a pipe cleaner to make a “letter looker.” Children can identify letters in the
classroom and in books with their lookers.
Sock It to Me
– Cut socks out of construction paper.
Write uppercase letters on half the socks and lowercase letters on the
other half. Children match upper
and lowercase letters and use a clothespin to put them together.
Pictures,
Letters, Words – Make a brochure from a sheet of paper. (This is easy if you roll the paper
into a burrito and smash it.)
Children cut out pictures from the newspaper or magazines and glue them
in the first section. They cut out
letters and glue them in the middle section. Words are cut out and glued in the third section.
Class Alphabet
Books – Write different letters of the alphabet in the middle of a sheet of
paper. Each child selects a letter
and creates an object, animal, or design out of the letter. Can they turn the letter into something
that starts with that sound? Put
their pictures together to make a class alphabet book.
*Hint! You can make alphabet books to go with
almost any theme, such as “Foods We Eat,” “Animals,” “Toys,” etc.
Alpha-Body
Book – Divide children into groups of 4. Challenge them to lay on the floor and make letters of the
alphabet with their bodies. Take
photos and put them together to make a class alphabet book.
Singing Sound
– Music is the most convenient way to learn anything! Here are a few songs to familiar tunes that children will
enjoy singing.
Alphardy
(Tune: “Jeopardy”)
A
for apple a-a-a. (Pretend to eat
an apple.)
B
for bounce B-B-B. (Bounce a ball.)
C
for cut c-c-c. (Open and close
index and middle fingers.)
D
for dig d-d-d. (Pretend to dig.)
E
– elbow (Point to elbow.)
F
– fan (Fan self with hand.)
G
– gallop (Gallop in place.)
H
– hop (Hop on one foot.)
I
– itch (Scratch self.)
J
– jump (Jump up and down.)
K
– kick (Little kicks with foot.)
L
– love (Hug self.)
M
– munch (Move mouth as if eating.)
N
– nod (Nod head.)
O
– opera (Extend arms and sing
dramatically.)
Q
– quiet (Index finger on lips.)
R – run (Run in place.)
S
– sew (Pretend to hold a needle
and sew.)
T
– talk (Open and close fingers
like a mouth.)
U
– upside (Lean over.)
V
– volley (Hands in air and pretend
to volley a ball.)
W
– wiggle (Wiggle all over.)
X
– x-ray (Make “x” with
arms.)
Y
– yawn (Extend arms and pretend to
yawn.)
Z
– zigzag (Make an imaginary “z” in
the air.)
Letter
sounds are all you need.
Put
them together and you can read!
(Hold
palms together and open like a book.)
*Download
this book as well as the ABC chart at drjean.org.
This
Is a Tale
(“Gilligan’s
Island”)
This
is a tale about the letter A.
It
makes a special sound.
/a/
/a/ /a / /a/ A!
Let’s
learn another sound….
*You
can download the book for this song at drjean.org.
Happy
Birthday Letters
Yo,
A,, it’s your birthday.
Let’s
all read
Like
your birthday.
/a/
/a/ /a/ /a/ /a/ /a/
/a/
/a/ /a/ /a/ /a/ /a/
Sign Language
– Sign language is multi-sensory and a perfect vehicle for learning letters and
sounds. Go to aslpro.com to learn
the manual signs for letters. (Tune: “Where
Is Thumbkin?”)
Children
repeat each line.
Where
is A? (Hands behind back.)
Here
I am. (Make
sign for “a.”)
What
do you say, A?
/a/,
/a/, /a/.
Continue
using other letters and making the manual signs.