Can you believe it’s almost Fall already? When I think of Fall, I dream of apple orchards and pumpkin vines and leaves changing colors. It’s probably because I live in South Florida, where I do not actually get a chance to experience these things — but it doesn’t stop me from teaching my children about the changing of the seasons. One of my favorite Fall themes is apples. There are so many things these learning activities can teach. Here’s one idea that targets matching, writing, sight word identification, fine motor skills, and visual-perceptual skills: Preschool Apple Spelling Game.
Materials:
- Red construction paper
- Black marker
- Filler material, such as shredded paper or hay
- Large basket
- Scissors
- Plain index cards
- Large tweezers or tongs
Directions:
- Begin by cutting out 26 apples from the red construction paper. Have your child write one uppercase letter of the alphabet on each apple, A through Z.
- Place the letters and the filler material (shredded paper or hay) into the large basket and toss together so that the apples are partially hidden.
- Write sight words using lowercase letters on the plain index cards. These can be seasonal words, spelling words, words the child has already mastered reading independently, etc.
- Have the child select a sight word from the index cards. Using the large tweezers or tongs, the child will “dig” through the basket to find the letters to spell the given sight word.
- Learning to match letters and create sight words is an important foundation to reading skills for preschoolers.
For more variations to teach different ages, abilities, and subject areas using similar concepts, click here.
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