Letter Review

We have been focusing on letter recognition, lately, as the first major undertaking in our Homeschool Journey. Each day, I planned “school time,” which consisted of various letter-specific youtube videos and printables. We also did a letter-specific craft and a tactile activity (drawing letters in salt or making them with blocks) each day.

My daughter adores learning time and loves to make people happy, so she was more focused on opportunities to learn, than she was with what HAD been learned or HADN’T.  My son, on the other hand, likes knowing exactly how much progress has been made and what is left.  He often asks how long it will take, or when will he learn them all.

One of my favorite FREE printables has been the Alphabet Flash Cards by Mr. Printables!!  I printed two copies, so that I could try to play Go Fish with the kids (That hasn’t happened yet…)  I cut each card out and then laminated them and trimmed them again.  They turned out beautifully!

I shuffle the “deck” and then hold up the cards for the kids to tell me what letter they see.

My son’s frustration seemed to grow, each time I “quizzed” him to determine our progress.  He was thrilled and proud with each correct answer, but nearly in tears with each incorrect one.  I caught on quickly, and was thrilled to find some reward sticker charts at the dollar store.

I wrote each letter into a box, in the chart (Z had to be written above) and as the kids named the correct letter from the flash cards, I would have them also find it on their chart.  When the letter was named and found, we would cover it with a sticker.  Our youngest, 2 years and 7 months, had mastered ALL of her letters by W day.  Our oldest, 4 years and 5 months, has mastered all but 6.

I also made a Letter Monster,  thanks to the creativity of Mrs. Ricca’s Kindergarten.  She had a FREE printable there and I got a two-pack of fly swatters at the grocery store.  I’ve heard they are easy to find at Dollar Stores, but did’t have any luck there.

I printed the Monster, colored it with a highlighter, and put a piece of green cardstock behind it and cut them together with an x-acto knife.  When I was finished cutting, I traced the outline onto the fly swatter and cut out the mouth opening.  I used double-stick tape to hold the cardstock – fly swatter – monster sandwich together.  Finally, I used contact paper on the front and the back and trimmed.  It’s adorable!

This particular part of our journey has been eye opening for me.  I’m discovering how my children not only play and behave differently, but learn differently.  My daughter learns easily through visual and audio methods, but my son responds best to tactile opportunities.  “Feeling” letters and numbers seems to help him register them properly, whereas he was confusing b and d and p visually (one example.)  Once I recognized this, and adapted how I try to teach him, he started responding well and his confidence grew.  I look forward to celebrating his learning of the Alphabet!

Meanwhile, our dining room wall showcases the work that both of my little munchkins have done, and the journey continues!  We are going to keep practicing and then we’ll complete our Alphabet Lessons and will plan an ABC party!  Stay tuned!