Preschool Writing:
Rhyme-Acting
Today's Snack: If you don't have time to make Hot Cross
Buns from scratch, never fear: you can make just about any kind of warm bread
for a child, and they'll go crazy with joy. Nothing beats a little butter and a
little grape jelly on a warm bun. Mmmmm! And how about cocoa to go with?
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Supplies:
Book of nursery rhymes
There's
no more important tool in the preschool "arsenal" than a book of old-fashioned
nursery rhymes. They are the time-tested method of sparking a child's love for
language and sounds.
Preschool
kids adore listening to nursery rhymes, exaggerating the simple rhythms and
singing the tunes that often have been set to the words. Rhyming is a wonderful
form of language play, which instills an awareness to the "phonemes," or
segments, that form the sounds in the syllables which rhyme.
Understanding
phonemes is a real gateway to capturing the meaning of written text by reading,
and being able to "encode" those same phonemes by writing.
Nothing
is as exciting for a preschooler as getting to "act out" a nursery rhyme for an
audience. This is especially fun for wiggle worms, who don't like to sit still
while being read to. You can read the nursery rhyme while your child acts it
out.
This
method is a great way for your child to practice listening, so that your child
acts out the nursery rhyme in the right sequence.
If
you can arrange to have grandparents, siblings or others watch your preschooler
act out his or her favorite nursery rhyme, it will make a fun memory.
You
can set out props such as a couple of candlesticks (NOT LIT!) for "Jack Be
Nimble," or a couple of bread rolls and pennies for "Hot Cross Buns."
Be
careful! It's addictive!