Building literacy in kindergarten looks like...

San'i practices printing in a sand tray with his dominant hand. Sensory work helps create neural connections in our brains as we learn!

Jay works at sand tray attending to the direction of the continuous curve and size difference of uppercase and lowercase letter U. We use the  Handwriting Without Tears program in kindergarten.

Thatcher demonstrates writing position with three finger grasp of his "writing hand" and position of non-dominant "helping hand."

Kindergartners strengthen language skills and imagination as storytellers during pretend play. Today they are role-playing "Chinese Restaurant" with the "loose parts" (props) that they found in the pretend play area. They are acting out agreed upon roles in a story they created together. Creative problem-solving is a hallmark of social play and spurs language development.

 

 

Ella and Duncan are practicing spelling complex words with jewels. How do you play? Choose an object from the Alphabet Soup Bucket, say the name of the object aloud, listen for the sounds/sound parts (phonemes) in the word, and represent each sound/ sound part (phoneme) with jewels. Later on, translate your jewels into letters!

Michael works on a "shared experience"journal entry. He works as author and illustrator recording an activity we did with thermometers.  A written record of an authentic and meaningful, hands-on. thematic. and collaborative endeavor promotes writing in the context of the real world.. Young children love sharing their work with peers and teachers alike.

Structured board games and card games are very effective ways to build many skills at once! In this photo kindergartners are playing a matching game with sounds and letter cards. Besides letter work, what else do you think they are working on with Teacher Ben?

Bookflix is a lot of fun!  Cecilia is at "Tech Buddies" during Cooperative Play listening and reading along with a book of her choice. Both fiction and non-fiction books are available for children in an easy to navigate format.  Sign on from home and enjoy Bookflix today! (Username: fhaverford  Password: bookflix)

Anna and Lina follow their own initiative as authors and illustrators during Cooperative Play.  Many kindergartners love making cards, notes, drawings, and books on their own during Cooperative Play. Playful endeavors in areas of a child's affinity inspire imagination, nurture sustained focus and attention to task, and at the writing desk, affirm a child's sense of herself as a writer.