Preschool teachers and daycare providers can celebrate Mother’s Day and help children learn to recognize and write the Letter M through fun activities that support clear learning objectives.
Learning Objectives
- The students will identify the letter M.
- The students make and recognize the M sound.
- The students will learn to trace and write upper and lower case Ms.
- The students will identify objects that begin with the letter M.
- The students will listen to books about Mother’s Day.
- The students will experience Mother’s Day in dramatic play.
- The students will learn a Mother’s Day song.
- The students will make Mother’s Day Marshmallow Rolls.
Handwriting and Alphabet Recognition
Introduce the children to the letter M along with a sampling of objects that begin with the letter M. Create a colorful letter M poster board that presents both the upper and lower case M. Paste pictures of objects cut from magazines that begin with the letter M. For example:
Mother
Meat
Moon
Monkey
Motor
Mother
Marshmallow
Macaroni
Milk
Mouse, mail, mud, mirror, mushroom, and markers.
Write and display both the upper and lowercase M on a chalkboard. Demonstrate the M sound and encourage the children to make (repeat) the M sound. Next ask the children to recall words (names, objects, or places) that begin with the letter M.
Give children a letter M worksheet and encourage the children to practice tracing the letter M in both upper and lower case Children can also practice writing and tracing the letter M on blank sheets of paper using pencils, colored pencils, or crayon.
Mother’s Day Songs, Dramatic Play, and Storytime Activities
Books:
- Read Mama’s Day by Laura Joffe Numeroff and Jan Ormerod [Simon & Schuster, 2006]
- Read Mother’s Day by Anne Rockwell and Lizzy Rockwell [HarperCollins, 2004].
- Read: Little Critter: Happy Mother’s Day by Mercer Mayer [HarperFestival, 2009].
Dramatic Play:
Let children take turns playing the role of mother or children on mother’s day. Ask children what kind things they would do for their mother, grandmother or aunt on mother’s day such as making breakfast in bed, having tea together, or doing special chores for her.
Mother’s Day Song
Teach the children the song “Mother’s Day” (sung to Frere Jacques):
“We love mothers, we love mothers
Yes, we do yes, we do
Mothers are for hugging
Mothers are for kissing
We love you yes, we do!”
Mother’s Day Craft and Cooking Activity
Mother’s Day Marshmallow Rolls
Ingredients: Melt 1/2 cup butter or margarine and 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips in a medium sauce pan, stirring until completely blended. Cool for 5 minutes away from heat. Stir in one package (10.5 ounces) mini marshmallows and 1 cup of finely chopped nuts.
Put the mixture on wax paper and shape into two 7inch long rolls. Wrap the rolls in foil and refrigerate about 20 minutes. Then roll the rolls in chop nuts to coat. Wrap and refrigerate the rolls overnight. Then, cut rolls into 1/4″ slices.
Including these simple activities into childcare center curriculum will greatly enhance preschoolers’ language learning.
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