LITTLE LETTER LIMERICKS

My daughter wrote some letter limericks for uppercase letters several years ago.  Many teachers have asked for limericks for the lowercase letters, so Holly worked on these this summer.  (She also wrote some songs for Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman, George Washington, Susan B. Anthony, Lincoln, and George Washington Carver…but they are still “under construction.”)  And wait until you see the free download Mary Amoson has created for you on TPT!  THANK YOU MARY!  AND THANK YOU HOLLY!

I’ll post a few letter rhymes each day with ideas for introducing them in your classroom.

 LOWERCASE LETTER LIMERICKS A-E

By Dr. Holly

Small a is a great way to start.

It’s made of two joined parts.

First a small circle round

Then a small line straight down

For airplanes, apples, and art.

So bouncy and bold is small b,

With a line straight and tall as can be.

Then a circle that’s small

That looks like a ball.

You can bat, bubble, bop, with a b!

Small c is a cute buttercup;

Make a circle but don’t close it up.

Leave a space on the side

Like a mouth open wide

For eating cookies and coconuts!

For d make a tall line on the right,

Then a small circle down low and tight.

It’s similar to b

But backwards, you see,

For doughnuts, delicious, delight!

Every e starts like a c, you know.

Circle up and around, here we go.

Then a nice even line.

That looks just fine.

E is for eager and eyes that glow.

P.S.  Thanks to Faith Durinsky and K.J. Karapetkov for illustrating the rhymes!  
(Too bad they got bored after the first five letters!)

ACTIVITIES

As you say the letter limericks, encourage the children to close their eyes and make a picture of the letter in the brain.  Practice saying and reading the rhyme several times and then make the letter in the air using one of these techniques:

Air Writing  - Write letters in the air using the index finger and middle finger.  Keep your elbow stiff.

Clap and Clasp Writing  - Have children clap their hands together and clasp their fingers.  Practice making lines, shapes, and letters

in the air using clasped hands.

Writing Wand – Tape ribbon or tissue paper to a straw or craft stick and use it to write in the air.

Body Writing  - Use elbows, tongues, noses, feet, belly buttons and other body parts to write letters in the air.

Tummy Writing  - How about “tummy writing”?  Have children lay on the floor on their tummies.  They can extend their arm in the air and trace giant letters on the floor.