This is my M themed preschool unit part 2. M is for monster, again, in this round of preschool activities. The first of these activities focuses on using different things to write the letter M. And the final activity, the fourth in the series, is a literacy activity focusing on fun books themed around monsters and monstrous characters.
Activity Three: M Mash Up!
The key to learning letter formation is practice. However, simple writing the letters over and over is boring — even for adults. So, this activity uses three different ways of “writing” the letter M to help little hands better understand how M is formed.
The clay used in this activity is more of a tactile experience for the children. Using two colors of crayons for the second line of M’s is more of a visual experience for the children. The final line, involving a pencil, is a more traditional approach to learning letter formation.
Objective: to help children understand how the letter M is formed.
Materials:
One copy of the M Mash Up Worksheet, available here, for each child
Some clay for each child
Crayons
Sharp pencil for each child
Method:
Begin by giving each child a copy of the worksheet and the clay. Explain that the children need to push, or squish, or roll the clay into the shapes of the letter M’s on the first line of the worksheet. Make sure they are forming the M’s in a way that mimics how the letter is written.
Next, have the children trace the outline of each M on the next line with a crayon, and then color in the letters with a different color. Again, be sure the children are forming the M’s in a way that mimics how the letter would be written.
Finally, have the children write the letters with pencils following the arrows for the formation.
Activity Four: Reading Monster Themed Books with Finger Puppets
In this activity the children will create monster finger puppets to take with them to a read aloud about monsters. My kids love bringing “guests” to our read aloud, so this activity was a lot of fun for all of them. Even my big kids wanted to get in on this activity.
Objective 1: Help the children develop their cutting skills
Objective 2: Help the children develop their fine motor skills
Materials:
One finger puppet worksheet, available here, for each child.
Crayons
Scissors for each child
Tape
Method:
Explain to the children that they are going to take special guests to the reading time. These are monsters who love to read. Explain that they need to be colored.
After they children have colored the monsters, help them cut along the parallel lines and around the monsters. This allows the puppets to be taped around wrists and fingers for the reading time later. My children struggled with this step, a lot. Make sure to be very clear in explaining where to cut the puppets.
After the puppets have been cut out, tape them to the children using the paper bands, and sit down together to read some monster books.
We read: Monster’s Inc, the Scary Sleepover; What Moms Can’t Do; and 3 Wishes for Cookie Monster. But you can read what ever books you’d like.
These two weeks have been fantastic as we focused on Monsters and the letter M. This unit, both parts one and two, allowed my children to explore M in a lot of different ways and was a lot of fun.
