More Letter A Activities
Handprint Angel
Use the Angel Template and cut the shape out of the desired color of construction paper, or follow the directions on the template. Trace your child's handprints onto a piece of white construction paper and cut them out. Glue the hands onto the back of the angel's body to form the wings. Color the angel as desired. You can decorate the wings and robe with glitter, markers, etc.
Ankle Art
My kids absolutely love doing this. Basically, all you're going to do is create temporary "art" on the kid's ankles. There are a couple of different ways you can approach this project. One way is to use a Temporary Tattoo Kit and create your own A theme tattoos printed from your computer. You can also purchase temporary tattoos that are already done and use those. Just do a search for "temporary tattoos" to see what they have available. You can also use
The Body Crayon Book to actually let the kids draw on their ankles. The book comes with all kinds of body drawing ideas, and it comes complete with 6 non-toxic body crayons. My kids absolutely love doing any kind of "body art" and these crayons let them draw all over themselves and then we get in the bath and wash it all off. These are great!
Apple Shakers
Paint the backsides of two paper plates red. After they are dry, staple the plates together with the red facing out three quarters of the way around. Attach a brown or black pipe cleaner and green leaf in between the plates and put some beans inside (I use dry pinto beans). Finish stapling the two plates together to make an apple shaker. These shakers will become absolutely necessary when you start singing the songs below... wink wink.
Textured Aligators
Use the alligator shape here and cut one out of heavy construction paper. Paint the alligator with green or brown paint and then sprinkle with sand, salt, or even glitter to add texture. You can glue on some wiggle eyes to create some very funny alligators.
"A" Songs
5 Little Monkeys
5 little Monkeys
Sitting in the tree.
Teasing Mr. Alligator,
"You can't catch me!"
"You can't catch me!"
Along comes Mr. Alligator
Quiet as can be…
SNAP! that monkey right out of that tree!
4 little Monkeys
Sitting in the tree.
Teasing Mr. Alligator,
"You can't catch me!"
"You can't catch me!"
Along comes Mr. Alligator
Quiet as can be…
SNAP! that monkey right out of that tree!
3 little Monkeys
Sitting in the tree.
Teasing Mr. Alligator,
"You can't catch me!"
"You can't catch me!"
Along comes Mr. Alligator
Quiet as can be…
SNAP! that monkey right out of that tree!
2 little Monkeys
Sitting in the tree.
Teasing Mr. Alligator,
"You can't catch me!"
"You can't catch me!"
Along comes Mr. Alligator
Quiet as can be…
SNAP! that monkey right out of that tree!
1 little Monkeys
Sitting in the tree.
Teasing Mr. Alligator,
"You can't catch me!"
"You can't catch me!"
Along comes Mr. Alligator
Quiet as can be…
SNAP! that monkey right out of that tree!
No little Monkeys
Sitting in the tree.
Away swimming Mr. Alligator
As full as can be.
The Ants Go Marching
The ants go marching one by one
Hoorah, hoorah
The ants go marching one by one
Hoorah, hoorah
The ants go marching one by one
The little one stops to suck his thumb
And they all go marching
Down to the ground
To get out of the rain
Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom
The ants go marching two by two
Hoorah, hoorah
The ants go marching two by two
Hoorah, hoorah
The ants go marching two by two
The little one stops to tie his shoe
And they all go marching
Down to the ground
To get out of the rain
Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom
The ants go marching three by three
Hoorah, hoorah
The ants go marching three by three
Hoorah, hoorah
The ants go marching three by three
The little one stops to climb a tree
And they all go marching
Down to the ground
To get out of the rain
Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom
The ants go marching four by four
Hoorah, hoorah
The ants go marching four by four
Hoorah, hoorah
The ants go marching four by four
The little one stops to shut the door
And they all go marching
Down to the ground
To get out of the rain
Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom
Additional Verses:
Five by five: Stops to see a bee hive
Six by six: Stops to pick up sticks
Seven by seven: Stops to pray to heaven
Eight by eight: Stops to close the gate
Nine by nine: Stops to climb a vine
Ten by ten: Starts all over again
1 little 2 little 3 little Apples
(to the tune: 1 little 2 little 3 little Indians)
1 little 2 little 3 little apples,
4 little 5 little 6 little apples,
7 little 8 little 9 little apples, on my apple tree.
Munch little, munch little, munch little apples
Crunch little, crunch little, crunch little apples
Bunch of little, bunch of little, bunch of little apples,
Good for you and me!
"A" Recipes
Aligator Skins
This is basically the Rice Krispies Treat recipe with corn flakes instead of Rice Krispies. The corn flakes make the treats look rough like alligator skin... especially if you play it up with your kids.
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons margarine or butter, 1 package (10 oz., about 40) regular marshmallows or 4 cups miniature marshmallows, 6 cups corn flakes cereal
Directions: In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt margarine and marshmallows on HIGH for 2 minutes, stirring after 1 minute. Stir mixture until smooth. Add a few drops of green food coloring and mix up. Add cornflakes cereal, stirring until well coated. When slightly cooled, shape cereal mixture into desired shape using buttered hands, or lay out flat on waxed paper. Allow to cool.
Ants on a Log/Ants on a Stump
I remember having Ants on a Log when I was a kid. All you basically have to do is put some peanut butter on a celery stick and then put some raisins on it to make ants. Unfortunately, my kids HATE celery, so I changed the recipe. Instead of celery, I use an apple. Core your apple whole and then cut it across so that it makes round shapes. Spread your peanut butter, add your raisins, and you have ants on a stump!
Alphabet Pasta - Prepare any kind of alphabet soup, or other pasta dish and then have fun picking out all the A's. (We like the Spaghettios A to Z's) You can do this with any letter.
"A" Books
EVERYONE has some type of ABC book out on the market, but these are the tried and true books that my kids like.
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom - I believe that this story was single handedly responsible for teaching my son his letters. He was hooked on this book the first time I read it to him and he never gets tired of it. I started out by pointing to the letters as I read it to him, now he points them out to me!
My First Phonics Book - My daughter loves to read this book before bed. It has helped her to get excited about words and their beginning letters.
Dr. Seuss' A B C - I love Dr. Seuss books because they keep the kid's attention. Not always an easy task!
My First ABC Book - My two year old son has this book and absolutely loves it! He makes me read it to him over and over and over and over!
More Great "A" Books
The Ants Go Marching - This is a good book for very young children to illustrate "The Ants Go Marching" song. It takes the song lyrics and helps make them something tangible for children.
Amelia Bedelia - I love reading the Amelia Bedelia books to the kids. They are funny! They also make the kids (especially my oldest) think. You can't assume anything with Amelia Bedelia because she takes everything so literally!
Ten Apples Up on Top - Another Dr. Seuss classic with an A theme.
The Alphabet Tree - This is a great book if you are trying to give your child the idea that letters turn into words... the first step to reading.
"A" Play
There are probably a lot of free-play things kids can do that will encourage them to think about the letter A. Here are a few of the things that I've tried with my own kids: Have an apple tasting party. Your child will enjoy going to the grocery store and picking out different kinds of apples. Then you can bring them home and try them out. If you can stand the idea, you can purchase an ant farm and teach the kids about ants. You can teach them about acrobats and what they do and then practice doing somersaults so that they can be acrobats. I think you get the idea. Remember, the more you can immerse them in the "A" theme, the better chance you have that they will remember the letter, it's sound, and words that start with "A."
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