Letter E Unit
All the activities in this unit have one thing in common, they are about items that start with the letter E. 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:
- Cardboard
- Googly Eyes (optional)
- Paint or Crayons or Colour pencils
- Party blower
How to:
- Cut an elephant head out of cardboard and a hole for the party blower where the trunk would be.
- Let the child paint and decorate their elephant
- Stick the party blower through the hole and have fun blowing, making the trunk of the elephant move!
Pro tips:
- If your party blower comes with a decorative paper, use the hole on that paper as a template for your own so that your hole is the perfect size.
- This activity helps exercise oral muscles that would help with speech, particularly the 'oh' and 'ooh' sounds.
Materials needed:
- Paper plate
- Ziplock bag big enough for the paper plate
- Paint
How to:
- Squeeze blue, green and white paint on the paper plate
- Pop paper plate into the ziplock bag and zip it up tight
- Let child squish the paint all over
Pro tips:
- Put an extra tape over the opening of the ziplock to make it doubly sure that the paint doesn't escape
- Store this activity away for a day where you know you'll have very little time to supervise or for a group activity. It has virtually ZERO clean up and ZERO prep time, a perfect activity in my opinion!
Materials:
- Paper
- Marker
- Multiple eyes cut out from magazines
- Letters EYES cut out from magazines OR letter stickers
- Glue/ Double sided tape
How to:
- Draw the letter E on the paper
- Either put double sided tape on the eyes or let the child put glue and stick them down on the E.
- Get child to spell EYES with either the cut out letters or stickers and point out the letter E.
Pro tips:
- Glue can get messy so if you want it to be super neat and fuss free then use double sided tape.
- For younger kids, write EYES and get them to just match to reduce frustration. This 'spelling' activity is just to expose them to the idea that words are made up of a combinations of letters and every word is a specific combination.
Materials:
- Cardboard
- Markers
How to:
- Cut out an egg from cardboard
- Either let the child decorate as they wish or draw out some patterns with a black marker and let them colour in the details.
Pro tips:
- This activity works on fine motor skills. It is a skill to be able to colour within the lines. It also works on patience and perseverance. Young children tend to have very short attention spans for activities. Use different patterns or mixed media (pasting paper, painting, fingerprinting, shape stamps) to prolong their attention spans.
- Don't worry if your child just swipes a marker through the entire egg disregarding the patterns and lines. Just gently guide them to colour just one small shape and see if they get the idea. If not, it's okay! They will get it eventually. Remember, it is all just about exposure :)
Materials:
- Hardboiled egg
- Bowl of water (optional)
- Empty Bowl
- Mayonnaise
- Bread
Optional seasoning:
- Paparika
- Salt
- Pepper
How to:
- Let child peel the egg
- Put peeled egg into a bowl and let child mash it.
- Add mayonnaise to the mashed egg and stir.
- Spread onto bread and enjoy!
Pro tips:
- It's okay if the peeled egg ends up in pieces while being peeled. It is going to get mashed anyway! Just let the child enjoy peeling! Make it easier for them by cracking the egg all round and peeling about 1/3 away in different spots.
- The extra bowl of water is for them to wash their peeled egg and hands in between peeling.
- Use Japanese mayonnaise if you don't want to use the extra seasoning. Japanese mayo is usually tasty enough, even for adults.
- Put those extra Easter eggs to good use here!
E is for Emotions
- Read Pout Pout Fish and talk about different emotions. Draw up what different emotions might look like or just look into a mirror and make faces. Fun and prep free!
E is for Excavator
- Will any unit be complete without a sensory bin activity? The rice bin, pasta bin and water bin all work for this! And another use for those construction toys of yours!
E is for Envelope
- Perfect time to recycle those envelopes you get in the mail! Get your child to sort them by size, colour, shape, etc or just have fun decorating one!
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. Elephant craft
Materials:
- Cardboard
- Googly Eyes (optional)
- Paint or Crayons or Colour pencils
- Party blower
How to:
- Cut an elephant head out of cardboard and a hole for the party blower where the trunk would be.
- Let the child paint and decorate their elephant
- Stick the party blower through the hole and have fun blowing, making the trunk of the elephant move!
Pro tips:
- If your party blower comes with a decorative paper, use the hole on that paper as a template for your own so that your hole is the perfect size.
- This activity helps exercise oral muscles that would help with speech, particularly the 'oh' and 'ooh' sounds.
2. Ziplock Earth Paint
Materials needed:
- Paper plate
- Ziplock bag big enough for the paper plate
- Paint
How to:
- Squeeze blue, green and white paint on the paper plate
- Pop paper plate into the ziplock bag and zip it up tight
- Let child squish the paint all over
Pro tips:
- Put an extra tape over the opening of the ziplock to make it doubly sure that the paint doesn't escape
- Store this activity away for a day where you know you'll have very little time to supervise or for a group activity. It has virtually ZERO clean up and ZERO prep time, a perfect activity in my opinion!
3. E is for Eyes
Materials:
- Paper
- Marker
- Multiple eyes cut out from magazines
- Letters EYES cut out from magazines OR letter stickers
- Glue/ Double sided tape
How to:
- Draw the letter E on the paper
- Either put double sided tape on the eyes or let the child put glue and stick them down on the E.
- Get child to spell EYES with either the cut out letters or stickers and point out the letter E.
Pro tips:
- Glue can get messy so if you want it to be super neat and fuss free then use double sided tape.
- For younger kids, write EYES and get them to just match to reduce frustration. This 'spelling' activity is just to expose them to the idea that words are made up of a combinations of letters and every word is a specific combination.
4. Egg Decorations
Materials:
- Cardboard
- Markers
How to:
- Cut out an egg from cardboard
- Either let the child decorate as they wish or draw out some patterns with a black marker and let them colour in the details.
Pro tips:
- This activity works on fine motor skills. It is a skill to be able to colour within the lines. It also works on patience and perseverance. Young children tend to have very short attention spans for activities. Use different patterns or mixed media (pasting paper, painting, fingerprinting, shape stamps) to prolong their attention spans.
- Don't worry if your child just swipes a marker through the entire egg disregarding the patterns and lines. Just gently guide them to colour just one small shape and see if they get the idea. If not, it's okay! They will get it eventually. Remember, it is all just about exposure :)
5. E is for Eggs
Materials:
- Hardboiled egg
- Bowl of water (optional)
- Empty Bowl
- Mayonnaise
- Bread
Optional seasoning:
- Paparika
- Salt
- Pepper
How to:
- Let child peel the egg
- Put peeled egg into a bowl and let child mash it.
- Add mayonnaise to the mashed egg and stir.
- Spread onto bread and enjoy!
Pro tips:
- It's okay if the peeled egg ends up in pieces while being peeled. It is going to get mashed anyway! Just let the child enjoy peeling! Make it easier for them by cracking the egg all round and peeling about 1/3 away in different spots.
- The extra bowl of water is for them to wash their peeled egg and hands in between peeling.
- Use Japanese mayonnaise if you don't want to use the extra seasoning. Japanese mayo is usually tasty enough, even for adults.
Other Suggestions:
E is for Egg Match- Put those extra Easter eggs to good use here!
E is for Emotions
- Read Pout Pout Fish and talk about different emotions. Draw up what different emotions might look like or just look into a mirror and make faces. Fun and prep free!
E is for Excavator
- Will any unit be complete without a sensory bin activity? The rice bin, pasta bin and water bin all work for this! And another use for those construction toys of yours!
E is for Envelope
- Perfect time to recycle those envelopes you get in the mail! Get your child to sort them by size, colour, shape, etc or just have fun decorating one!
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