Making Friends, Letters, and Numbers

You’ve got mail

We are learning how to make friends and keep them. We discussed ways to let others know we care. One of our ideas was to draw pictures for our friends. I introduced postcards and how we use them. We discussed why we give cards to others and how it feels to receive a card. Using markers, colors, and scissors the boys and girls decorated their postcards. When they were done we discussed how the postal system works, from the mailbox to the sorting office to the letter which arrives at their mailbox. Having a post office dramatic play area in our classroom offers a variety of opportunities for working together, writing and sending notes and learning how mail is delivered. While our students are sorting, transporting, and sending packages, they are building language skills while working and playing together.

Learning to love letters and numbers

Handwriting Without Tears is a program that was designed by an occupational therapist to teach children how to write without frustrating them to tears. It uses hands-on, multisensory materials and was designed in such a way that it introduces shapes, numbers, and letters in an order that matches the progression of children’s developmental abilities so that it is easier for them to practice, learn, and remember.

We start by using the wood pieces to teach children what a big line, little line, big curve, and little curve are called. This is SUPER important because we use these very same terms when teaching them to build or write letters. Consistency is key!

Geoboards

Using rubber bands we made several different shapes and letters. The geoboards are used to help fine motor skills, understand spatial relationships and shapes. This helps build the foundation for geometry.