Talk to the child about a time that they felt they did not belong, such as their first day of school. How did making a friend help? Talk about different ways to welcome someone who is new.
July 6, 2020
Help the child write their name in large letters on poster board. Crumple tissue paper into many small balls and help the child glue the tissue balls over the letters, creating a cool 3D name poster.
July 3, 2020
Talk about different superheroes with the child. Give the child a blank sheet of paper and have them draw their own superhero, name the superhero, and list their special powers.
July 2, 2020
Invite the child to fill in the blanks: "I like to [blank] with my family member [blank]." Depending on the child's age, embellish the sentence with a drawing.
July 1, 2020
Use construction paper to create five cutouts of the child's hand. Have the child write their name on the 5 cutouts. Send the cutouts to four friends and ask them to do the same. Glue the cutouts onto a cardboard wreath.
June 30, 2020
Talk with the child about meeting new people. Ask the child to write down a list of experiences, skills, talents, and interests that they can share when they make a new friend.
June 29, 2020
Starting with the letter "A," have the child identify an animal whose name starts with "A" and draw a picture of that animal. Work through the whole alphabet.
June 26, 2020
Take a walk around where you live. Brainstorm ways to add value and beauty to the surroundings. Ideas could include picking up litter or planting flowers.
June 24, 2020
Brainstorm a list of insects. Have the child write down their names and traits. Discuss how insects are similar and different to each other.
June 23, 2020
Sing the song “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” and teach the hand movements to the song. Invite the child to create actions for other familiar nursery rhymes.
June 22, 2020
Ask the child: “What is the most important thing that ever happened to you?” Have them storyboard the event by drawing a picture to represent the beginning, middle, and end.
June 19, 2020
With the child, write the alphabet on a piece of paper or poster. Sing “The Alphabet Song” with the child as you clearly point to each letter on the chart.
June 18, 2020
Search the internet together to view examples of insect homes, such as hives, nests, and holes. Discuss what kinds of insects live where, and why.
June 16, 2020
Choose a nursery rhyme that your child is familiar with and innovate on it by substituting other rhyming words. Set an example of how to make a substitution.
June 15, 2020
Brainstorm three important experiences in the child's life. Draw a box for each memory and fill with answers to the questions: Who, What, When, Where, Why.
June 5, 2020
Gather craft materials like modeling clay and instruct the child to make a sculpture of a letter. Talk about the features of letters (sticks, lines, curves, circles).
June 4, 2020
A statement from the Fountas & Pinnell Literacy™ Team on anti-racism.
Have the child do a quick write and sketch about something they think is beautiful. Then talk about the meaning of beauty and share the different ideas of what is considered beautiful.
June 3, 2020
*The views expressed in our blog are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of Fountas and Pinnell.
