D Is For Dinosaur

Introduce the letter D and its phonetic sound with a coloring page where students can cut and paste "D" words onto the letter.  Kids love dinosaurs, so what better way to supplement learning the letter D than with some dino-themed projects?  As your child cuts out each picture, be sure to stress the beginning letter sound.  For example, D says /d/, /d/, dog.  D says /d/, /d/, duck, etc.

For alphabet book crafts, transform your letter D into a keepsake dinosaur with this easy template.  For young learners, you may have to prep this craft by cutting out all the pieces for them.  For older learners, let them do all the cutting.  This craft is trickier than it looks.  The pieces have to positioned properly to make sure they all fit--this is a great way to teach your child about spacing. 

"Dot" is another D word, so try bingo dotting a dinosaur--another great fine motor skill!  No, it's not Barney--this one isn't nearly as annoying!  Just a reminder that bingo dotters tend to saturate paper, so be sure to have a craft blanket, newspaper, or clipboard underneath before your set your preschooler loose with the dotter!

Even cuter, this dinosaur template allows you to color a baby dino and show it hatching from an egg with one brass fastener.  Check your community's rec center for special Dino Days.  Some programs even offer dino digs, where kids can't dig through sand to find mini plastic dinosaurs, dinosaur eggs, and "fossils."  Click here for ten fun facts about dinosaur eggs.  Did you know most dinosaur eggs never got a chance to hatch?

Review your shapes with this worksheet, and then count and tally the shapes on a dino. 

Are you looking for fun books on dinosaurs to go with your lesson?  To teach important concepts to your little one about cleaning up his room, try How Do Dinosaurs Clean Their Rooms?  If your learner is older and interested in fun facts, a better selection is National Geographic's, Little Kids First Big Book of Dinosaurs. 

"C" Is For Very Hungry Caterpillar

Introduce the letter "C" with a coloring page.  This freebie has multiple pictures with the phonetic sound.
 

 

Next, practice writing the letter "C" and do a cut and paste of "C" words onto the letter.  This worksheet provides critical scissor practice that young learners need.  What is cutting so important?  Using scissors builds muscles in a child's hand that are necessary for holding pencils and crayons.  The stronger your child's hands are, the longer they will be able to keep up with the writing, coloring, and cutting demands of kindergarten.  Cutting also develops great hand and eye coordination in addition to bilateral coordination, or the ability to have each hand doing a separate task at the same time.  If your child struggles with cutting initially, backtrack to some simple pre-scissor activities, like ripping.  Give him or her construction paper and let them practice ripping paper in half and then into pieces.  Use those pieces to create a mosaic.  To practice opening and closing, let them pick up various objects with salad tongs.  Hanging objects or pictures with clothespins also teaches the opening and closing concept and builds their finger strength with the squeezing practice.  Just don't expect your child to cut out complicated pictures right off the bat!  Practice snipping and making fringe on paper.  Practice cutting along straight and then jagged lines, just like in the construction page pictured below.  Baby steps! 

 

 

"C" is also for "cutting."  For scissor practice, download this construction worksheet and cut away!  Once your child masters cutting along various shaped lines, progress to large, simple shapes.

 

 

The letter "C" is also for "color" words.  Since it's October, you can practice your color words with this pumpkin coloring worksheet.  Your child will be doing this in kindergarten as well, so help them get ahead of the game with activities like these, which you can also find in emergent readers. 

 

 

To continue with your "C" study, read the classic, The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle.  There are so many activities you can do with this book that what you choose is dependent on the age/skill level of your students.  For younger learners, do a sticker dot caterpillar, where you affix the correct number of dots stated on each line.  Forming a straight line is extremely difficult for young learns, yet it is an essential skill to master.  Don't expect perfection at first, but work towards that goal.

 

Try this worksheet to practice gluing pom poms onto caterpillar segments.  Young learners need to grasp how much glue is actually necessary to do the job and to work on those straight lines.  For older kids, direct them to affix their pom poms in patterns, such as AB, ABB, etc.

If you are compiling an alphabet book, some great craftivity for this includes marshmallow painting a large letter "C."  The marshmallow stamps offer a quick review of circles at the same time.  Once the paint dries, add a face and antennae! 

To make letter learning fun, make your own Very Hungry Caterpillar that your children or students can feed each week with picture words, letters, or objects with the same phonetic sound of the letters you are studying.  You can also tie in the life cycle of a butterfly, using a tri-fold display board.  To keep them on their toes, be sure to include items that do NOT have the correct phonetic sound to make sure they can differentiate. 

Here are some "C" words to include: count, color, and trace cars too!

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