Leaping Into Literacy and
Kid-Friendly Math Centers
Julie Torkelson jtorkel2@aol.com
katieandcompany.net
Shari Sloane?s website: kidscount1234.com
They may forget what you said,
But they will never forget how you made them feel!
Julie Torkelson jtorkel2@aol.com
website: katieandcompany.net
651-482-1481 Cell: 651-270-0002
Shari Sloane?s website: www.kidscount1234.com
“Getting Acquainted!”
CD: “Keep On Singing and Dancing with Dr. Jean”
“Hello Neighbor”
CD: “Back to School Again” “My Name Is”
CD: “Is Everybody Happy? “The More We Get Together”
CD: “Rhythms and Rhymes for Special Times” J. Hartmann “Little Hands”
“Get Ready” and “School Is Cool”
“GETTING ACQUAINTED ”
*Meet Your Teacher/Daycare Provider: Take pictures of yourself, your family, your house, and things you like to
do. Mount them in a book and write a short sentence on each page. The children love learning about you and your
family. It?s a great way for them to discover that you do have a life outside of school/daycare setting.
Here are some suggested pages for: Meet Your Teacher/Daycare Provider
This a great way to introduce yourself to your families.
Each page has a sentence with a picture.
Meet Mrs. _______________
Hi. My name is Mrs. _________ and I am very glad to be your
day care provider\teacher.
I was born in ______, a very long time ago.
I live in a house in _____. My family has lived there since ____.
A page about your husband, children, pets, what you like to do, travel etc.
Last page might be: My favorite thing to do is get lots of hugs.
Who Are Your Friends?
This is a very simple book. Take pictures of your children, mount them in a book, label them and enjoy. Make it very simple
to start. Examples: I see Chad. This is my friend Ben. This is Ellen.Children In Your Center
“Look At the Letters in Our Names!” Who?s Who In Kindergarten?
Who Took the Cookies From the Cookie Jar?
CD: “Just For Fun” Song: “Pizza Hut”
“NAME ACTIVITIES”
1.
Name Rhymes
Have a student draw 2 names from a class set. Recite the poem below using
the 2 names drawn.
Repeat several times.
Two little children
Came to school (today)
One named [Kaycee.] And one named [Chad].
[Kaycee] said, “Hi.” [Chad] said it too.
They each made a friend
That day at school. ????( (They shake hands)
* Name -O
Name-O
Write each letter of a child?s name on a separate card. Sing the following song.
(Tune: “Bingo”)
There is a friend who?s in our class, (who?s at our house) And [Abby] is her name-o!
[A-b-b-y], [A-b-by], [A-b-b-y], And [Abby] is her name-o!
Celebrate Fun
Brain Sprinkles
Jump start children?s brains each day with “brain sprinkles.” Decorate a can that has a plastic lid.
Pringle cans work great! Label the can and add rice. Other suggestions for labels would be,
Quiet Sprinkles” or “Dream Sprinkles.”
Kiss Your Brain
When children are successful, tell them to “kiss your brain!”
Purchase a “That Was Easy! button from Staples. I found them on line from Staples. When a child conquers a task,(learns
to tie shoes/ potty training, zippers a jacket etc.) let them push the button.
Eye Can
Decorate a can that has a plastic lid. Decorate the can with movable wiggly eyes or eyes cut out from magazines. When a
children becomes frustrated, set the “I” Can in front of them and remind them that they can do it. Another idea would be
to put the names of students, high frequency words, color words, etc. on strips of card stock.
Put them in the “I” Can Read Can.
Rubber Fingers (tracking words when reading)
Bugle corn snacks. (And they are a great snack after reading around the room.)
.
Let?s Play Copycat!
Let?s play copycat just for fun.
Let?s copy Julie, she?s(he?s) the one
Whatever she says, we?ll do the same
Cause that?s how we play the copycat game.
Make cat headbands out of construction paper.
Tattling
Hand Hugs
Stand in circle and hold hands. Give a hand hug (gentle squeeze) to the child on your right
then sit down. The children pass the hand hug around the circle
until everyone is quietly seated.
Mouse in a Bag
2.
Cut a small hole in the bottom of a lunch bag. Mouse pokes out only when the children are sitting quietly on the circle.
Talking Stick
Use the talking stick during circle time. It will help children to take turns,
to listen and to be respectful of others when talking.
“Little Hands” CD: “Rhythms and Rhymes for Special Times” Jack Hartmann
Little Red Box Puppet Box Sing Silly Songs Dr. Jean Feldman
I wish I had a little box to put my good friends in I?d take them out and say
how do you do and put them back again
Mouse Count
Letters/colors/numbers
Three White Mice (Tune: Three Blind Mice)
Three White Mice, Three White Mice, See how they hide, See how they hide
Number one comes out to see the sun
Number two comes out to have some fun
Number three comes out when day is done
Three White Mice, Three white mice
Can be sung by substituting ordinal numbers. The first one comes out to see the sun etc.
I Am Special:
Pass a mirror around the circle and sing the following song.
(Tune: Frere Jacques) I am special, I am special. If you look you will see. Someone very special, someone very
special. Yes, it?s me! Yes, it?s me!
* Flapjack Alphabet * Who Wants to be a Smarter Kid?
Alphabet Tic-Tac-Toe
Play Tic-Tac-Toe by using 2 different letters instead of x/o.
The Shark Nabber:
Begin with 5 alphabet flash cards face up on the floor/table.
Have the children examine the cards carefully. Teacher then turns the cards over.
Along comes the “Letter Nabber” and grabs a card. (Sing the Jaws theme) Turn over the remaining cards and the students
try to guess the missing card. Increase the number of letter cards.
“Picture Frame”
Using a decorated picture frame, place large letters of the alphabet in the picture frame opening.
Sing the following song; “What?s This Letter?” (tune; “Bingo”)
Oh, what?s this letter?
Do you know?
What letter can this be-O?
[B], [B], it?s a [B],
[B], [B], it?s a [B],
[B], [B], it?s a [B],
This letter is a [B]!
ABC Lineup: Put letters/numbers on feet. Put them on a metal ring. Hand each child an alphabet
letter. Have the children lineup alphabetically, sit on the circle in
3.
abc order, find a friend that has a letter before or after theirs, etc
“Hickety Pickety Bumblebee”
Hickey Pickety Bumblebee,
Will you say your name for me?
Now spell it! Now clap it! Now stomp it! Now whisper it!
Now shout it!
This activity also works great for: Will you read the word for me? . . .
“The Bumblebee”
(tune: “Jingle Bells”)
Bumblebee, Bumblebee,
Landing on my nose.
Bumblebee, Bumblebee, Now he?s on my toes.
On my arm, On my leg, Now on my elbow.
Bumblebee, oh Bumblebee, You land and then you go!
Easy Button from Staples
Let a child press the “Easy” button when they have accomplished something that they
thought was difficult. Ex. Learning to print their name, zipping a coat etc.
Love Dust
If you?re feeling sad,
For something one might say.
Sprinkle a little love dust
And chase your tears away!
Butterfly Kiss
A great tool to welcome back children who have been absent. Use a butterfly puppet, prop and chant this poem.
Where would you like your butterfly kiss?
You?ve been gone and you?ve been missed?
Where would you like your butterfly kiss?
On your toes or on your nose?
Where would you like your butterfly kiss?
“The Time Machine”
(Tune: “She?ll Be Coming Around the Mountain”)
Oh, we?re going back in time with our machine.
Oh, we?re going back in time with our machine.
Did you learn your ABC?s?
Did you learn your 123?s?
Can you tell me what you did in school today?
Using a spinning wand, go back in time to the beginning of the day and then review the day with the children.
Portable Flannelboard
Ask your local fabric store for discarded cardboard fabric bolts. Cover the bolt with felt; then hot glue it in place. (wool
felt works better) A perfect flannelboard for little hands or on a teacher?s lap
4.
“The Right Left Boogie” found on CD: “Get Ready” Shari Sloane
Use pony tail hair binders from the Dollar Store. Have each child place a binder on
their left hand. Sing the song.
The Baker Says
You?ll need a tagboard cookie cutout for each child. Optional; A baker?s hat
Give each child a cookie cutout. Remind the children that all directions preceded by the phrase
“The baker says” should be followed. Examples; The baker says put your cookie on your head, the baker says put your
cookie on the floor etc. Play it just like “Simon Says.” Put letters on the cookies, The baker says, “If you have a number b, hold
it up high etc.
“Nursery Rhymes”
Early literacy research suggests a positive correlation between
the children?s ability to rhyme and their ability to read
Mother Goose Day is actually May 1st. But use the whole year to introduce Nursery
Rhymes to your children.
Use them to fill bits and pieces of time during the day.
Favorite Nursery Rhyme CDs
CD: “Rhyming to the Beat Jack Hartmann & Friends”
CD: “Rhyming to the Beat 2 Jack Hartmann & Friends”
Favorite Nursery Rhymes and Songs
Nursery Rhyme/Song Notebook:
3 ring notebook or pocket folder copies of songs, nursery rhymes Have the children decorate their
notebook/folder Each week prepare a copy of nursery rhyme/ song that your are working on.
(increase font size and double space between words/lines)
After learning and practicing the rhyme or song, distribute copies to the children.
Have them decorate their pages with their personal illustrations and place in their notebook/folder. Use
for shared reading,(large group) guided reading, (small group) and or independent reading. (quiet reading or buddy reading)
*Nursery Rhyme Cube:
Put nursery rhyme stickers/pictures on a cube.
A child rolls the cube and the nursery rhyme that comes up is the one you recite.
Nursery Rhyme Props/ Rhyme Review
In a basket, collect items to represent the nursery rhymes you have taught your children. Some examples would be: a plastic egg for “Humpty
Dumpty,” a candle for “Jack Be Nimble,” a spider for “Little Miss Muffet” etc. Tell the children that Mother Goose left a basket to help them
remember her nursery rhymes. Have one child at a time select an item from the basket and identify the rhymes it goes with. Then have each
child lead the class in reciting the rhyme. Following song can be sung before identifying nursery rhyme:
(sung to the tune of “The Bear Went Over the Mountain”
Baa, Baa, Black Sheep - black sheep
Hey, Diddle, Diddle - cat, fiddle, or cow
Hickory, Dickory, Dock - small clock
Humpty Dumpty - plastic egg
Jack and Jill - small pail or crown
5.
Jack Be Nimble - candle
Little Bo-Peep - toy or felt sheep
Little Boy Blue - toy horn
Little Jack Horner - plastic plum
Little Miss Muffett - spider
Mary Had A Little Lamb - wooden lamb
Old King Cole - crown
Old Mother Hubbard - bone
Pat A Cake - felt cake or toy cake
Sing A Song of Sixpence - black bird
The Queen of Hearts - queen playing card
There Was An Old Woman - shoe
This Little Pig - plastic pig
Three Blind Mice - 3 mice attached
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star - star
Fun With Mother Goose
This activity is fun with all ages! Ask the children these questions about Mother Goose rhymes.
When they give an answer, ask them to recite the entire rhyme.
Who went up the hill?
Jack and Jill
Who lost her sheep?
Little Bo Peep
Who could eat no lean?
Jack Sprat?s wife
Who ran away when the boys came out to play?
Georgie Porgie
Who sat on a wall?
Humpty Dumpty
Who was under the haystack fast asleep?
Little Boy Blue
Whose cupboard was bare?
Old Mother Hubbard
Who had a wife and couldn?t keep her?
Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater
Who called for his pipe, bowl, and fiddlers
Old King Cole
Who lived in a shoe?
Who was frightened by a spider?
Who jumped over the moon?
Who ran up the clock?
Who kissed the girls and made them cry?
Who was in the Counting House
counting his money?
What time was it when the mouse fell down
in Hickory Dickory Dock?
Who is the father of the boy who ate
a pie in a corner?
Who jumped over the candlestick?
How many men were in a tub?
What ran away with the spoon?
Who could eat no fat?
Who was in the parlor eating bread and hone?
Who couldn?t put Humpty together again
Little Jack Horner?s Alphabet Pie
An Old Woman
Little Miss Muffet
The cow
The mouse
Georgie Porgie
The King
One o?clock
Mr. Horner
Jack
Three
The dish
Jack Sprat
The Queen
All the king?s horses and men
6.
Little (Jack) Horner Sat in a corner, Eating his/her alphabet pie(child?s name)
He stuck in his thumb And pulled out a (letter on a purple circle) And said, “What a good boy am
I!” Make 26 purple circles and put a-z on them. Place them in an aluminum pie tin and let the fun begin.
Humpty Dumpty
Brainstorm
How can Humpty Dumpty be fixed?
Where else could Humpty Dumpty sit?
Poor Humpty Dumpty Song
Sung to "Three Blind Mice"
Poor Humpty Dumpty
Poor Humpty Dumpty
It's sad to tell
He broke his shell!
He hurried and scurried to the top of the wall
He sat on the edge and had a great fall
But he couldn't bound like a rubber ball
Poor Humpty Dumpty!
Humpty Dumpty Science
First get enough eggs for each child to have one. Hardboil some of the eggs. Don't tell the children this. Make a brick wall from
blocks, put newspaper underneath. While reciting the poem, each child takes a turn to drop an egg from the wall--they will be
amazed to see the raw eggs spatter and the
hard-boiled eggs crack.
Baa Baa Black Sheep
COLOR REVIEW
.Pass out different colors of paper sheep. Sing the song "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep" several times substituting another color word for
"black."
When children hear their color, they hold up their sheep. Good rhyme to use with
Prepositions:
Have cow and moon
The cow jumped over the moon. The cow jumped under the moon.
The cow sat next to the moon. The cow landed on the moon. etc.
Jack and Jill
Jack and Jill went up the hill
To fetch a pail of letters,
Jack took A and Jill took B And they jumped down the hill together.
skipped, hopped, rolled, twirled, ran And they jumped around the circle together
Literacy
Favorite Literacy CD?s
CD: “Singing with Shari/ School Is Cool”
7.
“Those Sounds”
“Sounds Around the Mountain”
“Letters on the Bus”
CD: “Singing with Shari/ “Get Ready”
“Letterpop”
“If Your Name Has the Letter”
“Some Children Went to Sea”
CD: “Hip Hop 2 Jack Hartmann
CD: “Kiss Your Brain” Dr. Jean
Literacy Activities
CD: “Singing with Shari/ School Is Cool”
“Those Sounds”
“Sounds Around the Mountain”
“Letters on the Bus”
CD: “Singing with Shari/ “Get Ready”
“Letterpop”
“If Your Name Has the Letter”
“Some Children Went to Sea”
CD: “Bop, Pop & Hip-Hop in Preschool “”ABC Cha Cha Cha”
Monsters In the Closet
Letters on the Bus
Little Mouse
CD: “Sing To Learn”
Dr. Jean and Friends
Color Farm
The Black Cat
Can be used with the book: “Pete the Cat”
Author: Eric Litwin, illustrated by James Dean
CD: “Kiss Your Brain” Dr. Jean and Friends
“Who Let the Letters Out?”
“The Alphabets In My Mouth”
“What Letter Is Missing?”
“Green Eggs and Ham”
Before reading, talk with students about foods that they like and dislike.
While reading the story, discuss how the character that keeps refusing to taste the green
Why did he finally give in and try the green eggs and ham? What did he
find out?
After reading the story, ask students to make predictions as to whether green scrambled
as yellow scrambled eggs.
Let students assist in making green eggs and ham or have an adult cook the eggs while the
read (Be sure to find out ahead of time if anyone is allergic to eggs.)
Read other Dr. Seuss Books to Read During The Week
8.
The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss
The Cat in the Hat Comes Back
Dr. Seuss's ABC
Green Eggs and Ham
The Foot Book
Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories
I Can Read With My Eyes Shut Hop on Pop
Wacky Wednesday
Wear Silly Socks and have a relaxed reading time in your socks
with Seuss books.
Read Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin
Use cookie sheet and magnetic letters. Color coconut tree and adhere it to the cookie sheet. Let
the children retell the story using the magnetic letters on the cookie sheet.
ABC Lineup: Hand each child an alphabet letter. Have the children lineup alphabetically.
“Picture Frame”
Using a decorated picture frame, place large letters of the alphabet in the picture frame opening.
Sing the following song;
“What?s This Letter?”
eggs and ham feels.
eggs taste the same
story is being
(tune; “Bingo”)
Oh, what?s this letter?
Do you know?
What letter can this be-O?
[B], [B], it?s a [B],
[B], [B], it?s a [B],
[B], [B], it?s a [B],
This letter is a [B]!
“Where Are All the Letters?”
(Tune: “Where is Thumb kin?”)
Where is [B}? Where is [B]? Here I am! Here I am!
Can you say the [B] sound? Can you say the [B] sound? [/b/b/b/,/b/b/b/]
Letter Pokey
Pass out letter cards to the children on the circle.
You put your [R] in You put your [R] out. You put your [R] in, And you shake it all about.
You hold up letter [R] as you?re dancing all around. What is this letter sound?
Pass out letter cards to the children
“Lost Your Partner”
“What Letter Is Missing?”
“Tic Tack Toe”
Use magnetic letters. Children use the first letter in their name to play.
Book Puzzles
Photo copy favorite book covers. Laminate and cut into puzzle pieces.
Great center activity.
Read: “Shiver Me Letters A Pirate ABC”
by June Sobel Illustrated by Henry Cole
CD: “Hip Hop AlphaBop 2” “Silly Pirate Song” Jack Hartmann
“Pirate Chest”
What?s in the chest? What?s in the chest?
Red vest, bird?s nest? What?s in the chest?
9.
or
What?s in the box? What?s in the box?
Goldilocks, smelly socks? What?s in the box?
or
What?s in the bag? What?s in the bag?
A US flag, name tag, What?s in the bag?
Parrot, Parrot, On My Head
letters, numbers
Favorite Five Letter Activities Sung to “BINGO.”
“S-M-I-L-E”
A-P-P-L-E
B-U-N-N-Y
R-O-B-I-N
T-O-M-M-Y
“Squirrels”
P-I-Z-Z-A
Q-U-A-C-K
B-I-N-G-O
Read: “Earl The Squirrel by Don Freeman
Read: “The Busy Little Squirrel” by Zoe Hall /Ill. Shari Halpern
Play “Gray Squirrel” (Gray Duck)
Have the children sit in a circle and assign a child to be “it.” Pass out different colored construction paper squirrels to the children
sitting on the circle.
The child assigned to be it carries a gray squirrel while going around the circle.
For example, white squirrel, green squirrel, GRAY SQUIRREL! He/she drops the gray squirrel behind the child they choose. That
person stands up and chases the other person around the circle. Play it just like Gray Duck.
Math Centers
How Many Scoops?
counting, identifying numbers
Dish up some counting fun with the help of pretend ice cream. To prepare, write a different number from 1-10 in the bottom of ten
foam/paper bowls.
Put the bowls in your math center along with an ice-cream scoop and some large pom poms. Invite your children to the center by
choosing a bowl and putting in the corresponding number of pom poms.
“Monster Math” by Anne Miranda Illus. by Polly Powell
To prepare, cut several note cards in half and place a sticker or stamp of a dinosaur on each card. Place the cards in a
basket on the center table along with a set of dice. For younger children, use only one die. Children at the center roll the
die or dice and then count out the corresponding dinosaur cards
Yum, Yum, Shape Soup!
Identify shapes, counting, patterning, sorting
Place a variety of craft foam shapes in a large soup pot. Provide a ladle. Have each child ladle
some of the soup into a bowl. Prompt the children to remove their shapes and sort them into
piles. Have each child identify his/her shapes, count or pattern and then place their shapes back into the soup bowl.
10.
Black Ants, Watermelon, Shape-asaurus, Happy Birthday,
Mouse Takes the Cheese, I Scream, You Scream for Ice Cream,
“Keys Are Cool!” “Counting Gems”
“Counting Piggies”
“The Three Little Pigs”
CD: “Perfectly Purple” the Learning Groove
“Reptile/Monster Roll” counting
“Watermelon”
Books “The Watermelon Seed” by Greg Pizzoli
“Down by the Bay” Illustrated by
Nadine Bernard Westcott
Clean-Up and Good bye Songs
“It?s Clean-Up Time” CD: “Sing Me Some Sanity”
“It Is Time To Say Good-bye” CD: “Dr. Jean Sings Silly Songs”
CD: Just For Fun Dr. Jean and Friends “What A Wonderful World”
“It?s A Wonderful World” by George David Weiss, Bob Thiele, Ashley Bryan (Illustrator)
11.