Materials
What to do
1. Take advantage of the love children have for rhythm and sound. Use time while you're waiting for everyone to get ready for outdoor play or other group activities to teach the sounds of the letters. (This can, and should, begin long before children are introduced to the symbols.)
2. Use an "echo procedure" for this activity. Say the letter name and the sound it produces using short vowel sounds ("A, /a/"). The children repeat. Then say, "B, /b/," and the children repeat. Continue until you have recited all the letters.
3. Children really enjoy this activity, and when the time comes to show them their first letter flash card, they will automatically attach the sound to the symbol.
Note: Be sure you know the correct sounds and enunciate clearly.
-Mary Jo Shannon, Roanoke, VA
Instructions
When you want to capture the children's attention, recite each line of the
following poem. Repeat it with them and together perform the motions.
Stirring sauce! (grip imaginary spoon and mix sauce)
Slicing cheese! (hit edge of palm with other hand)
Pepperoni, if you please (motion as if dealing cards)
A bit of dough that grows and grows (slowly spread hands apart)
Now you know... it's pizza! (take a big bite of imaginary pizza)
