Letter A Unit
All the activities in this unit have one thing in common, they are about items that start with the letter A. This is by no means a comprehensive list of activities. It's just some of the things I have tried with K myself which she has enjoyed. I have attached a few printables I created and used for this unit. Feel free to print them!
This post is curriculum based but it can be done by SAHMs and working parents alike. All activities here take 5 minutes or less to carry out from start to end. They also involve very little preparatory work. Give them a try and let me know what you think 😉
Materials:
- Apples
- Chopping board
- Kid-safe knife OR apple slicer
- Lemon juice (optional)
How to:
1. If you are using the kid-safe knife:
- Pre-slice and core apples
- Toss them in lemon juice to keep them from browning
- Let child slice the sliced apples into cubes.
2. If you are using the apple slicer
- Show child how to position the slicer or help them with positioning
- Let them push down to slice apples
Pro tips:
- Follow the I do, We do, You do steps: Show your child how to slice first, do it with them, then let them do one themselves and help only if needed.
- This activity has to be done fully supervised. Kid-safe knife or not, make sure you are right next to them while they slice.
- Don't worry if the cubes end up being a mix of tiny bits and mush. Just provide a spoon for them when they eat if that happens.
- You can do this right after a family meal and then let the child bring the apples to the table after and announce that it was prepared by them. This made K very proud of her 'work' and she ate a ton!
- Pom poms, a cork, or any round item that can be used for stamping
- Paint
- Markers, crayons or colour pencils
How to:
- Show child a picture of an ant and talk about how ants have three parts to their body and six legs
- Point to the three body parts and count them
- Take round stamp and stamp three dots in a row, counting as you stamp
- Point to the six legs and count them
- Take marker and draw them, counting as you draw
- Point to the antennas and count them
- Draw and count as you draw again.
Pro tips:
- For younger kids, you can trace the outline of the round stamp you are using on the paper and draw dotted lines for the legs and antennas to make it possible for them to do the art without you always having your hand over theirs. I have made a printable available in the link at the bottom of this post for reference.
- If you don't want to do lots of washing up, you can also do this activity with a stamp pad and the child's thumb or index finger. Just keep a wet wipe at hand for quick clean up.
Materials:
- Paper
- Colour pencils, Crayons or Markers
How to:
- Let the child draw on the paper however they like.
- Fold the paper into an aeroplane
- Have an aeroplane race, see who can fly it the furthest!
Pro tips:
- For older children, you can fold the plane with them first and then let them draw on the aeroplane after, adding windows and people.
- If you find your child losing interest in drawing on a plain piece of paper, sit and draw with them. Draw circles, lines or squiggles and get them to imitate you.
Materials needed:
- Counting clip cards (printable available below)
- Clothes pegs
How to:
- Print the counting clip cards
- Either cut them and laminate them, or just print them directly onto card stock to make them stiff enough to hold for clipping.
- Get child to count the number of items and clip the correct number.
Pro tips:
- If you find that clipping clothes pegs is a little to difficult for your young one, you can just use a dry erase marker to circle or dot the correct number.
- Don't worry if you had to guide your child through the entire activity. Don't be tempted to drill by doing it over and over till your child can do it independently. If after 2 cards, he is done, leave it. Counting is challenging, it requires concentration, memory work and tracking. Remember that the goal of this activity is just to introduce the idea that counting and numbers are related. Keeping learning fun is more important that getting things right for now 😊
Materials needed:
- Cut and sort strips (printable available below)
- Scissors
- Containers for sorting
How to:
- Cut out the strips
- Get child to position scissors on the grey part before snipping down.
- After cutting all the strips, sort the pictures to pit identical pictures together
Pro tips:
- You can just do the cutting till the child is doing it relatively well then incorporate the sorting
- Don't get anxious if the child cuts right on the picture instead of on the grey line. It is a learning process. Just remind the child and help guide and prompt again.
- Take a trip to the airport and look at the different airplanes.
A is for Artichoke
- Make a meal out of artichokes. Eating artichokes can be fun! Dipping makes it even more fun. What you do is remove a leaf, dip it in butter or sauce and scrape the fleshy part off with your teeth. Discard the rest of the leaf.
A is for Adventure
- Take the kids on an adventure to somewhere they have never been before. Have them write down or draw what they liked most about the trip.
This post is curriculum based but it can be done by SAHMs and working parents alike. All activities here take 5 minutes or less to carry out from start to end. They also involve very little preparatory work. Give them a try and let me know what you think 😉
1. Apple slicing
Materials:
- Apples
- Chopping board
- Kid-safe knife OR apple slicer
- Lemon juice (optional)
How to:
1. If you are using the kid-safe knife:
- Pre-slice and core apples
- Toss them in lemon juice to keep them from browning
- Let child slice the sliced apples into cubes.
2. If you are using the apple slicer
- Show child how to position the slicer or help them with positioning
- Let them push down to slice apples
Pro tips:
- Follow the I do, We do, You do steps: Show your child how to slice first, do it with them, then let them do one themselves and help only if needed.
- This activity has to be done fully supervised. Kid-safe knife or not, make sure you are right next to them while they slice.
- Don't worry if the cubes end up being a mix of tiny bits and mush. Just provide a spoon for them when they eat if that happens.
- You can do this right after a family meal and then let the child bring the apples to the table after and announce that it was prepared by them. This made K very proud of her 'work' and she ate a ton!
2. Ant Art
Materials needed:- Pom poms, a cork, or any round item that can be used for stamping
- Paint
- Markers, crayons or colour pencils
How to:
- Show child a picture of an ant and talk about how ants have three parts to their body and six legs
- Point to the three body parts and count them
- Take round stamp and stamp three dots in a row, counting as you stamp
- Point to the six legs and count them
- Take marker and draw them, counting as you draw
- Point to the antennas and count them
- Draw and count as you draw again.
Pro tips:
- For younger kids, you can trace the outline of the round stamp you are using on the paper and draw dotted lines for the legs and antennas to make it possible for them to do the art without you always having your hand over theirs. I have made a printable available in the link at the bottom of this post for reference.
- If you don't want to do lots of washing up, you can also do this activity with a stamp pad and the child's thumb or index finger. Just keep a wet wipe at hand for quick clean up.
3. Paper Aeroplane
Materials:
- Paper
- Colour pencils, Crayons or Markers
How to:
- Let the child draw on the paper however they like.
- Fold the paper into an aeroplane
- Have an aeroplane race, see who can fly it the furthest!
Pro tips:
- For older children, you can fold the plane with them first and then let them draw on the aeroplane after, adding windows and people.
- If you find your child losing interest in drawing on a plain piece of paper, sit and draw with them. Draw circles, lines or squiggles and get them to imitate you.
4. Counting Clip Cards
Materials needed:
- Counting clip cards (printable available below)
- Clothes pegs
How to:
- Print the counting clip cards
- Either cut them and laminate them, or just print them directly onto card stock to make them stiff enough to hold for clipping.
- Get child to count the number of items and clip the correct number.
Pro tips:
- If you find that clipping clothes pegs is a little to difficult for your young one, you can just use a dry erase marker to circle or dot the correct number.
- Don't worry if you had to guide your child through the entire activity. Don't be tempted to drill by doing it over and over till your child can do it independently. If after 2 cards, he is done, leave it. Counting is challenging, it requires concentration, memory work and tracking. Remember that the goal of this activity is just to introduce the idea that counting and numbers are related. Keeping learning fun is more important that getting things right for now 😊
5. Cut and Sort Strips
Materials needed:
- Cut and sort strips (printable available below)
- Scissors
- Containers for sorting
How to:
- Cut out the strips
- Get child to position scissors on the grey part before snipping down.
- After cutting all the strips, sort the pictures to pit identical pictures together
Pro tips:
- You can just do the cutting till the child is doing it relatively well then incorporate the sorting
- Don't get anxious if the child cuts right on the picture instead of on the grey line. It is a learning process. Just remind the child and help guide and prompt again.
Other Suggestions:
A is for Airplane- Take a trip to the airport and look at the different airplanes.
A is for Artichoke
- Make a meal out of artichokes. Eating artichokes can be fun! Dipping makes it even more fun. What you do is remove a leaf, dip it in butter or sauce and scrape the fleshy part off with your teeth. Discard the rest of the leaf.
A is for Adventure
- Take the kids on an adventure to somewhere they have never been before. Have them write down or draw what they liked most about the trip.
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