Updated: Nov 25, 2021
Children in reception will be learning to:
Read individual letters by saying the sounds for them.
Pop It toy (or you could use bubblewrap)
Flashcard/piece of paper with the letter p
Press one of the bubbles on the fidget toy or the bubble wrap and listen to the sound it makes. Can they make the same sound with their mouth? Say pop and then make the p sound. P-p-p-pop. Try not to add an 'uh' to the end of the p sound. Imagine blowing a candle out as you say it or whisper it to try to make the sound as short as possible. This is important because it makes it easier for children to blend the sounds together e.g. puh-o-puh is harder to blend that p-o-p.
Show your child the p flashcard and tell them the letter name and sound. This is the letter p and it makes the p sound. As the pop the bubbles they could make the p sound.
The challenge: Make sure you don’t pop the last bubble!
The rules:
• Take it in turns to pop the bubbles.
• You can pop any number of bubbles on your go but they must be in the same row. Will you pop them all or leave some for another player?
• Keep taking it in turns until there is only one bubble left to pop! The person that pops the last bubble loses.
This game is a great way to practise turn taking which is a great skills for children to have when they start school.
Having a winner and a loser also gives them opportunities to learn how to deal with different feelings. The last photo is Benji’s face when he realised he had to pop the last bubble! We often play the best of 3 so that the losing player gets another chance to win.
Finger Isolation - Finger isolation is an important stage in the development of grasp. It is the ability to move certain fingers apart from the rest of the hand/fingers. When children begin using their hands, all fingers move together at the same time. As they grow and develop, they gain the ability to move individual fingers. Popping the bubbles with their index finger will help them to hold and control a pencil for drawing and writing.
If you have a go at this activity and share any photos on social media I would love to see them. Please tag @miniwritersclub and let me know how you get on.
Anna
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