Looking at Letters

Pin It

Most of us know that reading aloud to our children is critical in laying a strong foundation for success and enjoyment in reading. Do we provide the same experiences in mathematics?

Practice being a keen observer with children whenever possible. Notice patterns on clothing, details in pictures, plants, and in the street you live on. Talk with your children and really listen to what they are saying. Don't think you have to know an answer to every problem or question! That is one of the best examples we can set for our kids: teach them that asking questions can be more important than answering them!

I've been enjoying many of the activities in Family Math for Young Children by Coates and Stenmark. One of our favorite activities is called, Looking at Letters. It is a simple, yet powerful activity about observation. I think this is a worthwhile activity for Pre K and Kindergarten classrooms where children are beginning to master their letters, and are ready for a more challenging way of looking at them. We use an old coffee bag to keep our letters in.

On a recent snow day, we had some fun with letters.

Looking at Letters from (Chris) on Vimeo.