Letter XYZ Unit
So the letters X, Y and Z aren't particularly exciting letters and don't have that many words that we can focus on so I'm grouping them all into one post. All the activities in this unit have one thing in common, they are about items that start with the letter X, Y or Z. This is by no means a comprehensive list of activities. It's just some of the things I have tried with K and N myself which they have 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
- Colours paper cut into strips of different lengths
- Double-sided tape
- Markers
How to:
- Get kids to order the strips from long to short or short to long, whichever your prefer, and stick them down.
- Write the word 'XYLOPHONE' and get some chopsticks and hit away pretending to play a xylophone!
Pro tips:
- K was already writing letters at this point so I just spelt the word while letting her practice her writing. You can also write it onto dot stickers and get them to match the letters instead to add in some letter recognition practice in.
Materials:
- Big cardboard box
- Black and White paint
How to:
- Paint the entire one side of the box black the night before.
- Look at some photos of X-rays and then draw one on the black face of the box, talking about the different bones
- Pretend to be in a doctor's office and let the kids stand behind it to take an 'x-ray' of themselves
Pro tips:
- We talked about the bones and which bone is connected to which bone. We also talked about our fingers and how each finger actually has 3 bones but the thumb only has two. Look up some interesting facts about our bones and talk about them!
- If you can save some bones from lunches or dinners a few days before, you can let the kids touch and feel some real life bones!
- If you have a real X-ray result, take them out and show them to the kids and show them which part of the body that was taken from.
Materials:
- Cardboard cut into a circle
- String
- Tape
- Markers
How to:
- Let the kids decorate their 'yo-yo's however they like by drawing on the cardboard circle.
- Stick the string at the back of the yo-yo with the tape and then loop it at the other end so that they can slip it through their fingers.
Pro tips:
- I used thicker string just so that it would be less likely to tangle when the kids swung it around.
- If you have a real yo-yo lying around the house, I would skip this craft and just let them draw one and write the word 'YO-YO' on a piece of paper, then spend the rest of the time trying to master playing the yo-yo.
Materials:
- Cardboard cut into the letter 'Y'
- Rolls of Yarn
- Tape
How to:
- Cut out a length of string from the yarn.
- Stick one side to the cardboard Y and get the kids to wrap it round then tie the other end to secure it.
- Repeat till they are happy with their yarn Y.
Pro tips:
- This activity not only lets them express their creativity, it teaches them that not all art is just painting and drawing.
- This is also a good activity for kids who like to work with their hands.
- It also helps to train persistence as they cannot end it whenever they like to. They kind of have to at least finish wrapping the length of yarn around.. only then can they choose if they would like another colour and another length of yarn. As you can see, 2 year old N only had patience for one colour, while 4 year old K could persist for 3 colours. I don't stop them if they want to end it as long as they have finished the length of yarn they were working on.
- I intentionally made the Ys very small so that they don't need to work on it too long to get it wrapped considerably. You probably know the attention span of your child, so remember to set them up to succeed.
Materials:
- Cardboard cut out into the letter 'Y'
- Yellow paint
- Dot stickers
How to:
- Paint the 'Y's and let them dry.
- Write the words yellow and 黄 onto the dot stickers
- Let the kids stick them onto the yellow painted 'Y's.
- Get the kids to gather items that are yellow around the house to put on a table with these yellow 'Y's.
Pro tips:
- I stretched this activity over two days just so I could let the paint dry before I stuck on the dots. It also helped that I could then remind them what colour it was and that in Chinese it is 黄.
- It could be interesting when they go round gathering yellow items. 2 year old N took some items that were not yellow so I got him to check with the letter 'Y's to see if he was right.
Materials:
- Zebra print out
- Black marker
- Figure of Zebra (optional)
How to:
- Show a picture or a figure of a zebra and talk about what pattern is on the zebra.
- Get them to draw stripes on the print out.
Pro tips:
- As you can see, just drawing stripes can be very difficult for kids. This works on their ability to copy lines which is a developmental milestone.
- Don't stress if they aren't doing it well, it takes practice.
- This activity also points out to them that when we draw, we look at defining characteristics of the item we are drawing.
Other Suggestions:
Y is for Yacht
- Do some origami and fold a Yacht. Use glossy magazine paper for a water resistant boat that can withstand some water play after!
Z is for Zoo
- What better time than now to make a trip to the zoo! Something interesting to talk about could be what makes a zoo, a zoo.
Z is for Zip
- Get a sweater and work on mastering the zip. This works on so many things like hand-eye coordination, bilateral coordination, visual skills and pinch and grasp patterns. Children as young as 18 months should already start working on being able to use their fingers to pinch a zip tag and pull it close and open.
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. X is for Xylophone
- Cardboard
- Colours paper cut into strips of different lengths
- Double-sided tape
- Markers
How to:
- Get kids to order the strips from long to short or short to long, whichever your prefer, and stick them down.
- Write the word 'XYLOPHONE' and get some chopsticks and hit away pretending to play a xylophone!
Pro tips:
- K was already writing letters at this point so I just spelt the word while letting her practice her writing. You can also write it onto dot stickers and get them to match the letters instead to add in some letter recognition practice in.
2. X is for X-ray
- Big cardboard box
- Black and White paint
How to:
- Paint the entire one side of the box black the night before.
- Look at some photos of X-rays and then draw one on the black face of the box, talking about the different bones
- Pretend to be in a doctor's office and let the kids stand behind it to take an 'x-ray' of themselves
Pro tips:
- We talked about the bones and which bone is connected to which bone. We also talked about our fingers and how each finger actually has 3 bones but the thumb only has two. Look up some interesting facts about our bones and talk about them!
- If you can save some bones from lunches or dinners a few days before, you can let the kids touch and feel some real life bones!
- If you have a real X-ray result, take them out and show them to the kids and show them which part of the body that was taken from.
3. Y is for Yo-Yo
Materials:
- Cardboard cut into a circle
- String
- Tape
- Markers
How to:
- Let the kids decorate their 'yo-yo's however they like by drawing on the cardboard circle.
- Stick the string at the back of the yo-yo with the tape and then loop it at the other end so that they can slip it through their fingers.
Pro tips:
- I used thicker string just so that it would be less likely to tangle when the kids swung it around.
- If you have a real yo-yo lying around the house, I would skip this craft and just let them draw one and write the word 'YO-YO' on a piece of paper, then spend the rest of the time trying to master playing the yo-yo.
4. Y is for Yarn
- Cardboard cut into the letter 'Y'
- Rolls of Yarn
- Tape
How to:
- Cut out a length of string from the yarn.
- Stick one side to the cardboard Y and get the kids to wrap it round then tie the other end to secure it.
- Repeat till they are happy with their yarn Y.
Pro tips:
- This activity not only lets them express their creativity, it teaches them that not all art is just painting and drawing.
- This is also a good activity for kids who like to work with their hands.
- It also helps to train persistence as they cannot end it whenever they like to. They kind of have to at least finish wrapping the length of yarn around.. only then can they choose if they would like another colour and another length of yarn. As you can see, 2 year old N only had patience for one colour, while 4 year old K could persist for 3 colours. I don't stop them if they want to end it as long as they have finished the length of yarn they were working on.
- I intentionally made the Ys very small so that they don't need to work on it too long to get it wrapped considerably. You probably know the attention span of your child, so remember to set them up to succeed.
5. Y is for Yellow
- Cardboard cut out into the letter 'Y'
- Yellow paint
- Dot stickers
How to:
- Paint the 'Y's and let them dry.
- Write the words yellow and 黄 onto the dot stickers
- Let the kids stick them onto the yellow painted 'Y's.
- Get the kids to gather items that are yellow around the house to put on a table with these yellow 'Y's.
Pro tips:
- I stretched this activity over two days just so I could let the paint dry before I stuck on the dots. It also helped that I could then remind them what colour it was and that in Chinese it is 黄.
- It could be interesting when they go round gathering yellow items. 2 year old N took some items that were not yellow so I got him to check with the letter 'Y's to see if he was right.
6. Z is for Zebra
- Zebra print out
- Black marker
- Figure of Zebra (optional)
How to:
- Show a picture or a figure of a zebra and talk about what pattern is on the zebra.
- Get them to draw stripes on the print out.
Pro tips:
- As you can see, just drawing stripes can be very difficult for kids. This works on their ability to copy lines which is a developmental milestone.
- Don't stress if they aren't doing it well, it takes practice.
- This activity also points out to them that when we draw, we look at defining characteristics of the item we are drawing.
Other Suggestions:
Y is for Yacht
- Do some origami and fold a Yacht. Use glossy magazine paper for a water resistant boat that can withstand some water play after!
Z is for Zoo
- What better time than now to make a trip to the zoo! Something interesting to talk about could be what makes a zoo, a zoo.
Z is for Zip
- Get a sweater and work on mastering the zip. This works on so many things like hand-eye coordination, bilateral coordination, visual skills and pinch and grasp patterns. Children as young as 18 months should already start working on being able to use their fingers to pinch a zip tag and pull it close and open.
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