GRANDPARENTS DAY MAGAZINE
  • IN THIS ISSUE
    • Abbreviations
    • X marks the spot
    • Alphabet questions
    • The finger alphabet
    • The printed word
    • Dyslexia
    • In your corner
    • Sequoyah
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Craft Corner

Art and craft are very important for children, and teaching letters can be a great deal of fun!  It’s a clever way to reinforce letters and the sounds they make. Preschoolers and early elementary kids love to get messy and do crafts, and they are a great way to fine tune those fine motor skills and let your kid’s creativity shine while learning something along the way.
 
There are many versions of crafts to cover the entire alphabet and here are just a few to get you started. You can easily see how to make up simple images for the entire range, and you will see that most themes suit both capital or lower-case letters – it’s up to you to choose one or get the grandchildren to use both!

A is for airplane

Younger children might work first on a short vowel, for instance A for Ant. However, a more interesting challenge is a long vowel letter – in this case, an aeroplane! To use a lowercase shape, simply transform the stem into wings and add windows and a propeller!
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YOU'LL NEED:
  • Various colours of construction paper
  • Scissors
  • Glue Stick


HERE'S HOW:
Step 1: Assist the children by cutting out several uppercase ‘A’ shapes from the construction paper.
Step 2: If the children aren’t familiar with a lot of shapes and their relevance to an airplane, you’ll find this another great teaching exercise by cutting out the shapes for them. The photographs provide the most helpful instructions.
Step 3: Begin by cutting out figure-8 shapes and right-angle triangles with a rounded top for wings to complete the picture.
Step 4: Have the children “build their airplanes” with their supplied shapes and glue sticks. Let them put together the ‘plane’ as they wish but try to keep the ‘A’ properly orientated.

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B is for Bunny

B is for Bunny letter craft is best kept as a capital letter. It’s a great activity on its own, or as a tool to segue into the subject of pets, farm animals, or exploring the classic children’s book, Peter Rabbit.  
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YOU'LL NEED:
  • Construction paper or cardstock
  • Googly eyes
  • Glue sticks
  • Cotton balls
  • Scissors
  • Mini pompoms
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HERE'S HOW:
Step 1: Using the scissors, cut the construction paper into lower case “b” shapes and make a few sets of long pointy ears.
Step 2:  If you wish, try using a contrasting colour to make the inside of the ears - simply a smaller version of the same shape.
Step 3:  You could also add mini pompoms or small circles for the nose, and either long rectangular bits of paper or pipe cleaners for the whiskers.
Step 4: Have the children assemble their letter B craft however they think looks best. Ensure that the letter stays properly oriented – especially with a letter craft like “b” that can be easily confused by children already with the shapes for “d”, “p” and “q.”

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C is for corn

While this craft seems extremely easy, it’s still a challenge for little ones, but always great fun to use food and glue – just remember to explain that the corn, and/or popcorn are just for crafting and not for snacking!

Another easy one is ‘c for cotton’ using cotton balls or try ‘c is for cocoa’ and make some cocoa-based paint. It is also helpful to have small containers to keep the corn kernels in, and trays for a portable craft drying area.

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YOU'LL NEED:
  • Paper plates
  • Glue
  • Corn kernels
  • Scissors
HERE'S HOW:
​Step 1: If working with children who can adeptly handle scissors, show them a letter c and encourage them to cut their paper plate into a “C” shape. (If your children are not yet at this stage, prepare the c-shaped paper plates beforehand.)
Step 2: Provide glue and small containers of corn kernels to use to decorate their c is for corn “C.” Ask the children if they know if this is a “big C” or “little c,” (uppercase or lowercase) and inquire how they got to that conclusion. It’s a great way to encourage children to practice critical thinking skills and build a better understanding of the formation of this letter.

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D is for dinosaur

Most kids love dinosaurs so a “D is for Dinosaur” letter craft is a fun fit.
A dinosaur is tough, and making the /d/ sound involves baring your teeth. Your children will enjoy really scrunching up their faces as you emphasise that “D is for Dinosaur.”
Other options for letter “d” crafts are ducks, dandelions, dogs, or donuts.

YOU'LL NEED:
  • Construction paper
  • Scissors
  • Glue
  • Googly eyes
  • Bingo dabbers (Ink pens shaped like small plastic bottles with spongy tips)
HERE'S HOW:
Step 1: Cut out ‘scales’ for the dinosaur. Try to make rick-rack edges, but it that’s too hard for little ones, triangles work just as well.
Step 2: Cut out the ‘d’ shapes and help your children decorate them with the scales, eyes and any other distinguishing marks they like.
Using the same concept other ideas include:
E: Elephant, F: Fish, G: Giraffe, H: Hippo, I: Inchworm, J: Jellyfish,
K: Kangaroo, L: Lion, M: Mushroom, N: Nest (with eggs), O: Octopus, 
P: Pig, Q: Quilt, R: Robot, S: Snake, T: Turtle, W: Whale, X: Xylophone,
​Y: Yarn (ball), Z: Zebra
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  • IN THIS ISSUE
    • Abbreviations
    • X marks the spot
    • Alphabet questions
    • The finger alphabet
    • The printed word
    • Dyslexia
    • In your corner
    • Sequoyah
  • FOOD
  • LIFESTYLE
    • TRAVEL
    • CRAFT CORNER
    • GARDENING
    • BOOKENDS
  • SUPPORT SERVICES
  • CONTACT US