Happy back to school, teachers!! Summer sure did fly by, but I hope you were able to relax and make amazing memories. This summer I was busy traveling, sitting poolside, lindy hopping, and creating & publishing centers that I use in my classroom. I find that it is so much easier to have centers already made and ready to go for the school year. With all of the demands of teaching, it is one less thing to think about! All about working smarter, not harder 😉
Through the years, I have changed my literacy centers and tried to improve upon them. If anything, I hope you find inspirations or ideas to use in your classroom!
Alphabet Match
One of the first skills we were on is letter/sound identification. Kinders match the letter with the picture showing the appropriate sound. I prefer to use recording sheets for literacy games to hold students accountable for their work (only the front is pictured).
Rhyming Pairs
Another skill often taught/reviewed at the beginning of the school year is rhyming. The rhyming pairs have both the CVC word for readers, and the corresponding picture for non-readers.
CVC Football
After students master letter and sound identification, they progress to blending onset and rime, and eventually CVC words. This fall-themed CVC game is a fun and engaging way to have students practice blending!
Clip the First Sound
One key skill for kinders at the beginning of the year is identifying the first sounds in words (a precursor to blending words). This game builds first sound identification skills, as well as helps with fine motor development. Students clip the first sound with a clothespin which activates and strengthens muscle groups crucial for fine motor development.
Syllable Count
A fun skill we teach at the beginning of the year is how to count syllables. I teach the mini humans to clap the syllables, or to put their hand under their jaw and count how many times their jaw touches their hand when saying a word.
Letter Hunt: I Have, Who Has Solo Style
If you can think of a better name for this game, please share in the comments! Haha! This game is essentially a solo version of I have who has. Kinders start with the “start” card (naturally), and go find the card with the next letter. They try to find all of the letters and record on the recording sheet. I have two differentiated versions of the recording sheet, one without letters, and one with traceable letters.
Alphabet Caterpillar
So in my classroom, as we count the days in school we add segments to our days in school caterpillar. The kids love watching it grow! I thought why not take the same concept and use it for letters?! This center is pretty self explanatory (unfortunately no recording sheet), and the kids love building the letter caterpillar.
Sight Word Roll and Write
I love roll and write games! One of the things we go over at the beginning of the year is how to roll the dice correctly (read: please don’t hit the ceiling or a friend with a giant foam cube, tiny human). Pictured below is the recording sheet since I forgot to bring a learning cube home with me (oops), but the sight words are on acorns. Yay, fall! Top version has no words, bottom version has traceable words.
Sight Word Books
I love any activity that integrates writing! It’s so important for young learners to practice writing skills, letter formation, and picture drawing. These sight word books are foldable books (no staples for the win!). On each page, the kiddos use the sight word in a sentence and draw a picture to match.
Not pictured: Sight word A reader, and listening comprehension pages for the beginning of the year.
I hope you were able to get some ideas for beginning of the year literacy centers! If you are interested in this resource, you can click here or the image below!
Cheers!
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