How many times have I written out something with a pen or regular marker, handed Aaron the pen, and asked him to trace the letters? Does he try it often? Nope... but pull out a dry-erase marker and he comes running across the room ready to trace anything I hand him! You've got to love the magic of dry-erase markers!
This week, we're prepping for Friday's lesson on the letter "P." I found these clear pouches (3 in a pack) at the local dollar store and knew this activity would catch his attention. I typed up his name and the letter of the week on my computer and added in the shapes of a few "p" words.
I love watching him trace his name because he's starting to understand that each letter makes a distinct sound, not a full syllable's-worth of sounds. Usually, when he tries to write his name on his own it turns out looking like a contour drawing, one looooong line with a lot of curves and squiggles. He's slowly realizing the difference between individual letters and full words.
I loved walking through each of the "p" word shapes too to realize which words were in his vocabulary. It created a good conversation to help him make connections (ex: Not all paintbrushes look like watercolor paintbrushes. Some are bigger for big painting jobs!), and encouraged him to talk about memories (ex: He learned about palm trees when we went on vacation to Palm Springs!). We wrote out each word and underlined all of the p's to help him see the pattern.
If you don't already have these clear pouches, they're a must have for so many kinds of activities!
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