Parent to Parent ABC's & 123's

Military Child Education Coalition®

Fort Hood Parent to Parent Program

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SERVIN G PA R E N TS O F T H E A R MY CO M M U N I T Y

A Military Child Education Coalition® Initiative

ABC’s & 123’s

Parent Note:

Letters & Writing:

“Rhymers will be readers”

…at Home

~ Mem Fox

DID YOU KNOW? Children who can recite eight rhymes by the time they are four are more likely to be reading on or above grade level by the time they are eight?

We want children to love reading!

Looking for a really unusual approach to letter review? Try this suggestion as a before or after nap transition. With your room completely darkened, use a flashlight to “write” a letter on the ceiling for your youngsters to identify.

Then give each youngster a turn to do the same. Glo-sticks work well too!

…Outside Preschool/early elementary students need hands-on activities to develop fine motor skills and refine their letter and number writing ability. A good activity to help with this is to practice drawing letters/numbers by connecting lines with their index finger either in sand at the beach or at a sand table. Make sure you place the alphabet in visible sight for reference. www.brightclub.com/education/early-childhood

Books on Counting & the Alphabet One, Two, Three! by Sandra Boynton

Monkeys On the Bed (Action poem)

Five little monkeys Jumping on the bed One fell off and bumped his head Mama called the doctor and the doctor said, “No more monkeys jumping on the bed” Four little monkeys jumping on the bed, Three little monkeys jumping on the bed (and so on…)

Ten Little Ladybugs by Melanie Gerth Ten Apples Up On Top by Dr. Seuss B is for Bear by Roger Priddy Dr. Seuss’ ABC’s by Dr. Seuss Chicka, Chicka Boom, Boom by Bill Martin, Jr. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Erick Carle The Alphabet: from A to Y… by Steve Martin Eating the Alphabet: From A to Z by Lois Ehlert

Mathmadness.org songsforteaching.com

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Learn to Love the Alphabet In kindergarten and as early as preschool, your child will be taught to recognize all the letters and sounds they make.

The alphabet is all around us. Practice recognizing the alphabet in daily activities: • Alphabet refrigerator magnets • Make and trace letters when drawing and painting with your child • Write your child’s name together • Sing the alphabet song a lot! (good to use as a time marker, i.e. have her brush her teeth while you sing it 3 times) • Read books that play with letters. Point out things that start with the same letter. “Susan starts with S, so does ‘sing.’ Can Susan sing?”

• Encourage preschool students to find letters in the world around them by playing a letter scavenger hunt.

This can be done easily in the house or outside while on a walk, riding in the car or at the grocery store.

Numbers, Numbers Everywhere!!

Psychologists estimate that toddlers as young as 12 months old are capable of understanding the concept of numbers and basic math.

While a toddler may not be able to perform multiplication or a complicated math problem, there are a variety of activities you can perform with your toddler to teach him his numbers and prepare him for the future: • Ask questions – When you play with your toddler, look for opportunities to ask questions about numbers: “How many blocks do you have?” or ”What number is on the block?”

• Count out loud – Frequent repetition works wonders when it comes to memorization. Count out loud with your child at every opportunity to practice counting. i.e. while buttoning a shirt, rinsing their hair, etc.

• Sing together – Each day, sing songs with your child about numbers.

• Notice numbers – Take time to point out numbers on your telephone and say the name of each number.

Notice the numbers on street signs or even on the front of your house.

• Use visual aids – Take advantage of number worksheets or flash cards to practice number recognition with your child. Print off number worksheets or coloring pages with your child and let her draw on the page. http://www.ehow.com/info_7882564_ideas-teaching-numbers

PtoP.Hood@MilitaryChild.org • Find us on Facebook @ Parent to Parent—Fort Hood, TX