August is quickly approaching, and you know what that means: school time! We are in full prep mode for getting back into the school routine, which means that we’ll be practicing our letter recognition a little bit more daily. And you know what makes letter recognition fun? Snacks!
Every day when Colin is taking his second nap, Charlotte and I spend some quality one-on-one time together. It’s usually reading a book, eating a snack, or watching a favorite show. The other day I came up with a super fun, smile-worthy letter recognition activity that will be perfect for after-school once school is in session, too.
Since I have a teaching background, it’s been easy for me to pick out what type of learner Charlotte is, and I’ve realized that she is very much a kinesthetic learner, as are most young learners. Once figuring that out, I came up with a plan: help her learn the alphabets by using Goldfish crackers to outline each letter of the alphabet. Charlotte ate it up! Literally.
By using Goldfish crackers to trace the upper and lower-case letters, it allows her to see and create the shape of each letter with a manipulative, upping her chances to work the recognition into her long-term memory. She tells me what letter she’s working on as we spend time together, and after she’s done with a few, she eats the Goldfish as her afternoon snack. It’s the perfect snack hack: learning while eating! She could have fun with this for hours if I let her, but it’s all up to you and your schedule.
I printed out each letter of the alphabet individually, with the upper and lower case letter on the same page. I poured some Goldfish® crackers into a bowl, and let her go to town. We will be practicing this any time we can. I can’t wait to reinforce the “letter of the day” when she’s back at school. When I get the time, I’m going to laminate the printouts, that way I’ll have them ready to go at all times. You could definitely do the same!
——-> ALPHABETS FREE PRINTABLE <——–
And I don’t know about you, but Goldfish® crackers are my favorite go-to after-school snack (or anytime snack), a snack you can feel good about serving your kids. They’re always baked with real cheese and have no artificial flavors or preservatives. Goldfish always put a smile on Charlotte’s face, and I’m a sucker for anything that makes her happy, especially a snack that will hold her off until dinner. But learning and eating at the same time? Jackpot!
