This is the progression we like to follow when learning to write letters:
- Fill a printed block letter with objects or stickers.
- Create the letter using straight or curvy objects from around the house.
- Use small manipulatives to make the letter.
- Write the letter using a finger.
- Use handwriting pages in three levels of difficulty.
First I printed a giant letter O (get yours by clicking HERE). Then I gave my Four oval foam stickers to place around the letter.
My Two enjoyed using round office stickers to complete this free O is for Octopus printable. Get yours by visiting this post.
We got out some Bendaroos that my Four received for his birthday and made a letter O with these flexible, waxy sticks.
I remembered that we had a small olive jar left in the fridge, so my Five made the letter O with olives. You could also use oranges, but they were most definitely not in season when we did the letter O, and I couldn’t see paying big bucks for a bag of summer oranges just for this post!
I put dry oats on a baking sheet, and my Four and Five took turns writing the letter with a finger.
My Four worked at my simplest handwriting pages: Letters of All Sizes. He was a bit grumpy, complaining that it was “too easy” but then wasn’t able to stay inside the lines when he finally got started. I did insist he practice the larger letters, but I let him quit when the letters became smaller. I don’t push letter writing too much until my kids are close to kindergarten. He still has over a year. Get your copy by visiting this post.
Sometimes my just-turned-Four does these Level Two handwriting pages, but this time he wasn’t interested. My Five completed the letter O page instead.
My Five also completed my Level Three handwriting page. You can find the entire set in this post.
Alphabet Curriculum for Preschool
$36.00
Our curriculum includes lessons for teaching both upper and lowercase letter names and sounds. You’ll get three lessons per letter, built-in review, simple handwriting practice, rhyming, syllable counting, phonemic awareness, and a whole lot more!
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shaya
oh I have another question (sorry forgot to ask in the previous comment), so they learn the letters only not how to blend them yes? what do you do with all the done worksheets? if I have lots of students should I give one worksheet to each, and about the stickers that they have to paste to the letter O is it useful? because they will do it very fast and have to throw the sheet (I alwasy have problem with these parts, kids do some worksheet very fast and I wonder if it is good even). I am glad you read and answer my questions, since I am a new teacher any idea would be great!
shaya
wow Anna thank you so much that was amazing as usual God bless you and your family. thanks for sharing. I have a question , do you do all these at one day? thank you so much again
Anna Geiger
Hi Shaya,
About doing this all in one day… no, not for kids making the letter for the first time. In your case, since English is not the kids’ first language, you could do activities where you print the letter and then they place items on it. Like little rocks or cereal or other things. Then you would not be wasting a lot of paper. If you laminate the page first, it will work well for a lot of children to use now and in the future. I would make sure the kids could make the letter with a finger in a tray of salt or sugar before having them write it with pencil. That is going to be much harder, and you don’t want to frustrate them. If children are quite young, they might not be ready to actually write the letter for months. You will have to see what each child is ready to do.