Objectives:
Children will demonstrate an interest in books and stories read aloud.
Children will listen to directions, stories, and conversations.
Children will experience that speech sounds are represented in print by letter sounds.
Children will recite rhymes, songs, and familiar texts.
Children will learn and understand new vocabulary.
Children will learn to retell a simple story in sequence using illustrations in a book.
Children will make connections between story events, personal experiences, and other books.
Children will differentiate between real and make believe.
Children will learn to use illustrations to predict what will happen next in a story.
Instructions:
The letter A can be integrated into the following themes:
Fall
Apples
Ants
Alligator
Acorn / Squirrels
Astronaut / Space
Airplane (Travel)
Animals (Zoo)
Visit the KidsSoup Resource Library for a bountiful harvest of great ideas.
Activities:
Book Suggestion:
Rain Makes Applesauce by
Description:
Read this storybook of silly verse to children. Then, make applesauce with children using the following recipe or another favorite:
Red Hot Cinnamon Applesauce
Simmer 4 to 6 cups sliced apples, sugar to taste (optional), a few squeezes of lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons of red hot cinnamon candies in a crock pot for 30 to 40 minutes until apples are tender and can be mashed or pureed.
Find more apple resources and ideas inside our KidsSoup Resource Library.
Book Suggestion:
Hey, Little Ant
Description:
An ant begs a small boy not step on him. Children will learn about bullying, peer pressure, and empathy for those who are weaker.
Anthill with Ants Artwork
With a brown crayon, draw an anthill on a white sheet of paper. Have children make fingerprints on their anthill using an index finger dipped in black washable ink. Once the ink has dried, have children add six legs to each fingerprint using black markers.
The Anthill
Once I saw an anthill
With no ants about;
So I said, "Dear little ants,
Won't you please come out?"
Then as if the little ants
Had heard my call,
One, two, three, four, five came out,
And that was all.
~Author unknown
More Ant Activities
Sing the song "The Ants Go Marching" (see movement section).
Tape a giant letter A to the floor or outside area. Have children crawl around on the letter and pretend to be ants. Have an ant parade. Let children carry objects that start with the letter “A.”
Have children decorate letter "a" cutouts so that they are crawling with ants. Have them make fingerprints on their letter "a" cutouts using an index finger dipped in balck washable ink. Once the ink has dried, have children add six legs to each fingerprint using black markers (see craft section).
Book Suggestion:
The Lady with the Alligator Purse
Description:
In this silly book of nonesense rhyme, a baby drinks his bathwater, eats the soap, and then tries to stuff the bathtub down his throat. His mother calls the doctor, and the nurse, and the lady with the alligator purse, and so on.
Craft:
Letter A Alligator (see craft section)
Book Suggestion:
Apple Picking Time (Dragonfly Books)
Description: When the apples are ready for harvesting, Anna’s family, as well as the entire town, sets out for the orchard to pick apples. This year Anna is determined to pick enough apples to fill an entire bin, a goal that she has yet to attain.
Apple Tree Artwork
What you need:
Red paint
Green paint
Brown craft paper
White craft paper
Green craft paper
Wine cork
Glue
Scissors
What you do:
Tear a strip of green craft paper and glue it to the bottom of a piece of white craft paper. Tear a strip of brown craft paper for the trunk and glue to the picture. Pour a small amount of green paint into a flat, plastic dish. Have children use their index finger to make fingerprints for the tree’s leaves. Let dry. For the apples, add a small amount of red paint into the dish and use a cork to stamp apples onto the picture.
Extension:
Play the A for Apple Picking Folder Game (see folder game section).