Develop Listening Habits
Tune in to Print
PREPARATORY ACTIVITIES
Develop listening habits
Age: Preschool-Early Kindergarten
1. Sing “Pop Goes the Weasel”
~Let’s sit down it’s listening time.
~We’ll watch, be quiet, and listen.
~We’ll use our ears for listening time.
~Shh! It’s time to listen.
2. Naming Environmental Sounds
Talk to the children about the importance of sounds and how they give us information. Listen to prerecorded animal, vehicle, or environmental sounds, or make your own. Have the children close their eyes while listening so they are not distracted. Ask them to name the sounds that they hear. End the activity by summarizing the importance of sounds and how they convey meaning.
3. Sequencing Sounds
Have the children listen to prerecorded, easily identified common sounds such as animals and vehicles, or make your own sounds. When they are done listening, have them tell you what order they heard the sounds in.
4. What Sound Was Missing?
Present a sequence of three prerecorded sounds, or make your own sounds. Repeat the sequence, leaving out one sound. Have the children identify which sound was missing.
5. Simon Says
Have all the children stand facing a leader. Have the leader give one-step directions for the children to follow (e.g., “Simon says touch your nose. Simon says stand on one foot.”). If the leader says “Simon says” first, then the children should follow the direction. If the leader doesn’t say “Simon says” then the children should NOT follow the directions. And, if the leader doesn’t say “Simon says” but the children do the direction anyway, they have to sit down. Last one standing wins.
6. “I’m Going on a Trip”
Sitting in a circle, have the children decide on a place to take an imaginary trip. The first child will share an item to bring (e.g., “I’m bringing a pillow”). The second child will repeat the last child’s item and then share their own (e.g., “We’re bringing a pillow and a game-boy). Continue around the circle until someone forgets a previously mentioned item. You can then choose to end the game, or start a new trip!
7. Musical Patterns
Have children clap or use musical instruments to tap out the rhythm in songs. Or, clap a pattern for the children and have them imitate the pattern.
8. Sing Sound-Play Songs
- Old MacDonald
- This Old Man
- B-I-N-G-O - Apples and Bananas
- DooWah Diddy Diddy
*For song lyrics, go to: http://www.kididdles.com/lyrics/index.html
9. Circle Time Game
Have the children stand in a circle while you walk around them. Recite a nursery rhyme as you walk (e.g., “Hickory Dickory Dock”), tapping a child’s shoulder as you say a rhyming word (e.g., dock and clock). The child that is tapped must then sit down. Continue with the rhyme until all of the children are sitting. Be sure to repeat the rhyming words and talk about them. Here are some other examples that will work also:
- One Potato, Two Potatoes
- I’m a Little Teapot
- Eensy Weensy Spider
- Pease Porridge Hot
* For words to common nursery rhymes, go to: http://www.zelo.com/family/nursery/
Tune in to Print
Age: Preschool-Early Kindergarten
1. Everyday Signs
Use everyday environmental objects to tune the children into print. Point out print on their clothes, toys, or other items in their home, school, or community.
- Billboards
- Traffic signs
- Business signs
- Magazines
2. Alphabet Song
Teach the children “The Alphabet Song” while showing them examples of the letters.
- Materials
3. Matching Upper & Lower Case Letters
Play a letter matching game. Print out a large version of a letter and tape it to the wall. Give each child a letter on another sheet of paper. Instruct them to hang their letter by the matching letter. You may also try having them match the lower case letter to the upper case letter and vice versa.
- Materials
4. Matching Letters
Print out a large version of a letter and lay it on the floor. Provide the children with magnets or blocks that display the letters. Have the children take the magnets and blocks to the corresponding letter.
- Materials
5. Personal Letters
Have the children identify the first letter in their name. Tell them the corresponding sound it makes. Have each child find “his or her letter” in other places around the room. Talk about the unusual ones.
- “c” can sound like “k” or “s” - “ch” makes one sound
- “sh” makes one sound - “th” makes one sound
6. Hide & Seek
Play “Hide and Seek” with letters, hiding them around the room. Start with three to four letters until the children are more familiar with them. Have the children come together and name the letters they found.
- Materials
7. Letters have Sounds
Introduce key words to associate letters with sounds.
- Materials
8. Grocery Shopping Game
Play “Grocery Store” and talk about foods that start with different sounds. Write the words and point out the beginning letters. Place these words next to toy foods set up like a grocery store. Give each child a letter and have her find a food to buy that begins with that letter.
9. Letters are Objects
Have the children see if they can think of objects that look like the letters.
- “J” looks like a fish hook
- “O” looks like a ghosts mouth
10. Alphabet Books
Read alphabet books to the children such as the following:
- Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Martin (1989)
- Eating the Alphabet: Fruits and Vegetables from A to Z by Ehlert (1989)
- Animal Alphabet by Kitchen (1984)
- My Name is Alice by Bayer (1984)
*Click here for a list of activity references*