Letter hunt today ~ letter R. Although Adrian (4 years old), knows all his letters well now, I am a big believer in practice and repetition. Even if a child knows his/her ABCs, s/he will inevitably forget them in the absence of implementation and application of what the child has learned. Adrian really enjoys our Letter Series, as he gets to gather objects beginning with a particular sound, and I try to vary the lessons to keep the enthusiasm going.
"r" is for red (color), rainbow, rock, ring, rake, racket, rabbit, rat, rose, rattle, rope, rainbow rice, Rubik's cube, race car, rhinoceros, and ravioli
Adrian loves using dot stickers and dot markers to trace letters. I did not laminate the printouts since it is difficult to remove stickers (so no multiple uses here). Find free templates of the Uppercase traceable here. You can also offer your child to trace letters with marbles and pom poms. As you see below, Adrian created a pattern with dot stickers and then placed the matching marbles on top.
Adrian also made "R r" from Wikki Stix (see here), and he enjoys "following the letter"~ today using dot markers (free pdf link and more ideas here). Again, you can vary and offer marbles, pom poms or themed items like tiny acorns during Fall season.
Here, we also added "r" for ribbon, rain, and Robin (bird). We read this book to talk about rain.
"R" is also for a 🛣Road and for a 🏎Race car! I used a "road" tape to make "R" and a red sharpie to write proper ⬇️↘️tracing directions ~ ala 🏎a way to drive! This is a very 🙌🏻hands-on way to learn a letter! We are using these alphabet cards and wooden letters for reference.
For more on letter hunts, see our Letter Series post here, where you will also find an introduction to Montessori Language curriculum, as well as other letters we have been exploring.
R is also for 🌈Rainbow 🍚Rice M&D Word Boards
Today, we are upcycling an old toy! Is your little one losing interest in doing the same puzzle over and over again? Why not add a sensorial dimension to it with DIY Rainbow rice! (To make colored rice: add a little vinegar to dry raw rice in a ziplock along with the desired food coloring. Close the ziplock and shake it to color the rice throughout. Thereafter, pour colored rice into a flat dish and let dry.) Using, these word boards (buy less expensive here) Adrian would trace each letter of the word first, then read the word and lastly fill each letter with a rainbow rice. I offered him a scooper, but he preferred to use his fingers which is also an awesome fine motor exercise! For proper tracing directions guidance, we love referring to Montessori Letter Work book.
Another way to use your DIY rainbow rice is to make a sensory bin. Wrap each letter of a puzzle in an aluminum foil and hide letters in your sensory bin (you can use any other grain as a filler too). Then invite your child to seek and find each letter, unwrap it and match to the corresponding slot on the sound puzzle. This activity is perfect for toddlers and smaller children.
See here for more Educational Materials, 📚Books and Toys 🎥 Review.
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