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      • activating schema
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      • visualizing
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    • fluency
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    • creative writing
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    • tripod grip
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    • numbers
  • science
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    • science experiments for kids
  • Activities
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      • new for us foods
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      • listening
      • pretend play
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      • president’s day
      • st. patrick’s day
      • april fool’s day
      • easter
      • mother’s day
      • teacher appreciation
      • father’s day
      • july 4th
      • halloween
      • thanksgiving
      • christmas
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homemade alphabet book: get personal with the abc’s

home / early literacy / alphabet / homemade alphabet book: get personal with the abc’s
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There’s been a ton of little things that we’ve done over here to help Maddy, Owen, and Cora learn the letters of the alphabet, but I have to say that an all-time favorite of theirs has to be their Homemade Alphabet Books.

And really, the Homemade Alphabet Books are not all that crazy, gorgeous, or special.

But they are made exclusively by each kiddo, with photos andย pictures chosen by them, with ribbons and colors and everything chosen by them as well. The Homemade Alphabet Books are theirs.

And though Maddy and Owen are long past needing–or reading–their books, they still like to look back at the photos they chose way back when they were ‘so, so little’ and my little Cora keeps adding to her book every few days.

It’s fun–it’s easy, and it’s totally worth your time.

Here’s the skinny. . .

Homemade Alphabet Books:

Making these books is super-easy.

Using them is just as important.

Alphabet Books are just that–books that have a page for each letter of the alphabet: one page with the uppercase and lowercase letter and the facing page with child-chosen pictures, drawings, photographs of images that begin with that letter.

I used old printer paper that my mom gave me, but any paper will do.ย  My kids love watching me make books–though we have a ton of cheapo notebooks in our house, they really seem to like books made ‘especially for them’ or in this case, by them.

We count out 28 sheets of paper–one for each letter of the alphabet and one for a front and back cover.ย ย  And the construction of the book is simple:

 

Creating the skeleton of the book is easy.ย  But building the book, filling each page, is a work in progress.

It’s not something that can be done in one day, by any means.

When I was tutoring, I’d often make one of these Homemade Alphabet Books with my little guys–especially my struggling readers–and we’d focus on one or two letters each session. And each time we added a new letter or two, we’d first read the previous pages, beginning with the cover and going through each and every page, pointing as we read the words: Colin’s Alphabet Book. .ย  A, a (we’d say the letter and then the sound), airplane! Apple! Alligator!ย 

We’d point to each picture that began with that letter as we said the name of each object.ย  For some kids, this Alphabet Book was literally the only thing they could read, but it was that teeny, tiny piece they needed to grow confidence and build a solid foundation of literacy learning and phonological awareness.

By the time they finished with letters X, Y, and Z, they memorized the first half of the book.ย  Which is awesome because if they forever remembered D, d, dog! duck! dolphin! donut! –words that began with certain letters–it gave them something.

Those words and those sounds belonged to them.ย  Finally, they ‘owned’ a little piece of reading.ย  A small book.ย  Their book.ย  And they were one step closer to really being able to put multiple sounds together to read words on a page.

Jewels–among other things–for letter ‘J’. . .

. . . icecream and iceskates for ‘I’. . .

. . . Grandma and Grandpa start off Cora’s ‘G’ page!

One thing I love about this activity is that it can really be child-directed.ย  There are some weeks when Cora wants to work on finishing her Alphabet Book for three afternoons straight.ย  And then days–or weeks–pass and she doesn’t pick it up.

But when she finally does, it’s like she’s reunited with an old friend.ย  Mommy! Remember the day I cut out the pictures of Grandma and Grandpa? They are here on the page for ‘G’!

Some days she’ll just want to cut out pictures and glue them in the next day.ย  And other days, she’ll pick and choose the letters she wants to do, depending on her mood, the weather, or what she finds in a magazine or photograph.

And other days, she just wants to flip through her Alphabet Book, reading the letters and saying the pictures to herself between playing dress-ups or coloring, and that’s fine, too.ย  It doesn’t really matter. . . after all, it’s hers!

That’s it–just a teeny, tiny bit of fun alphabet learning. . . with a whole lot of room to move, depending on how old your little ones are.

Alphabet books are generally designed for the “development of phonemic awareness through alliteration and assonance in emergent and beginning readers” and follow a very standard pattern of “a single focal letter and accompanying text with illustrations.”ย  However, I’m totally psyched about the different ways to expand upon these seemingly simple texts–and I cannot wait to play with them a bit with Maddy, Owen, and Cora over the next few weeks and months.ย  More to come!

And huge thanks to Evers, A. J., Lang, L. F. and Smith, S. V. (2009), An ABC Literacy Journey: Anchoring in Texts, Bridging Language, and Creating Stories. The Reading Teacher, 62:ย 461โ€“470. doi:ย 10.1598/RT.62.6.1 for the quote above and for providing more inspiring Alphabet Book ideas!

 

Want a few more alphabet activities? Check out:

  • backyard alphabet hunt
  • homemade alphabet book
  • leafy letter learning
  • ABC hunt
  • on the road ABC hunt
  • lowercase ABC hunt
  • build your own bingo: uppercase and lowercase match
  • ABC cards and clothespin match
  • alphabet letter splash
  • alphabingo (play with lowercase letters)
  • alphabet letter lids
  • leafy outdoor alphabet hunt
  • build your own board game
  • clothespin letter match
  • 10 fun ways to learn theย alphabet

And don’t miss our #raiseareader series on YouTube!

Follow us on pinterest, and check out our literacy pins:

 

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About amy mascott

teacher, mother, dreamer. lover of literacy, fun learning, good food, and three crazy-cool kids. finder of four-leaf clovers | dc metro ยท http://about.me/amymascott
tweet with me: @teachmama

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Celebrate, we will! โ€˜Cause life is short but sweet for certain. . . 

What a weekend. So incredibly proud of all of these talented athletes!

๐Ÿ† 3rd in the state of Maryland for @sherwoodcheerleading ๐Ÿ’™๐Ÿค

UMD Womenโ€™s Basketball won todayโ€” great job by @marylandcheer โค๏ธ๐Ÿ’›๐Ÿ–ค

#lovethesegirls #cheerweekend #marylandlife #lifeinmaryland #moco
View
Open
This Sugarfina Advent Calendar is what your teens want. 

$33 shipped TO YOUR DOOR w my 10% off and FREE SHIPPING!

Normally itโ€™s $60! 

I have been sharing my fave, super-COOL, Advent Calendars for teens and adults in my stories today!

This one right here was ours from last year, and we โค๏ธ LOVED it!

It is made by @sugarfina and each day we were surprised with FABULOUS sweet treats! 

Good-bye to the ole, crappy, tinfoil chocolates. Weโ€™re taking fun, new, and different candies each day of the month!

Grab it here: zulily.gfpv.net/MX9Ngn

#linkinbio @zulily #adventcalendars #adventforteens
View
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Hey #MoCo Voters, Itโ€™s #ElectionDay2022! 

Do you need a ride to the polls? If you do, @VOTE411 and @lyft has got you covered! 

So, #NoExcuses. Get out there and make your voice heard!

#VotePlan #VoteReady #expectus #MomsDemandAction #appleballot #MCEA
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Get out and VOTE. 

Please. 

Not sure where to vote? https://www.vote.org/polling-place-locator/

#midtermelections #getoutandvote๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ #linkinbio
View
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Did you have a chance to join my IG live today?

It was a rainy, gross Sunday here in Maryland, and I shared one of my top picks for the holidaysโ€”> LEGO but for BIG KIDS. 

Or GRANDPARENTS. 

Or PARENTS. 

Actually ANY grown-up who likes to unplug once in a while and CREATE. 

I showed how I was doing with the LEGO Flower Bouquet (๐ŸŒท๐ŸŒบ๐Ÿ’๐ŸŒผ) and how many other awesome sets are 15% off and FREE SHIPPING (yayyyyy!!) over on @zulily ๐Ÿ’œ. 

Check it out. Theyโ€™ve got a ton of sets to choose from, like 
Marvel, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Friends, Disney, Mario Brosโ€”you name it. 

Find them here: https://zulily.gfpv.net/jWqkmn

Fab prices + free shipping = BIG WIN. 

#linkinbio #ad #LEGOforgrownups #everyonelovesLEGO #holidaypicks
View
Open
LEGO at 15% off and FREE SHIPPING! 

Check out the AWESOME set that is PERFECT for teens, grandparents, and ANY grownup who likes to create! 

This bouquet will last forever!

๐ŸŒผ๐ŸŒท๐ŸŒบ๐Ÿ’

Use this link โ€”> zulily.gfpv.net/jWqkmn

#bestgiftsforkids #grandparentgifts #ad #LEGOforgrownups @zulily
View
Open
WHAT HAS ARRIVED FROM @zulily !?

Since Zulily carries such a vast array of items, it could be ANYthing: 

๐Ÿ’œ boutique-style clothes or shoes

๐Ÿค brand-name clothing & shoes

๐Ÿ’œ toys

๐Ÿค books or magazines 

๐Ÿ’œ pantry items, snacks, & treats

๐Ÿค haircare or cosmetics 

๐Ÿ’œ pet toys, treats, or accessories 

๐Ÿค personalized gifts

๐Ÿ’œ houseplants, seeds, or bulbs

๐Ÿค basics for kids through adults

๐Ÿ’œ craft supplies and kits

๐Ÿค furniture or home goods

๐Ÿ’œ designer handbags, sunglasses, or belts

๐Ÿค luxury items and gifts

๐Ÿ’œ sports equipment 

๐Ÿค sports gear for ALL fansโ€”NFL, MLB, NCAA, you name it

๐Ÿ’œ small appliances & kitchen items

๐Ÿค towels, sheets, blankets, linens

๐Ÿ’œ home storage & organization items

๐Ÿค coats, hats, scarves 

๐Ÿ’œ just about anything you can imagine!

Follow my stories for the deals and steals for families and educators, or check the Zulily Highlight!

Especially nowโ€”as we move into the exciting holiday seasonโ€”I will more frequently share items, and they will MOVE QUICKLY! 

So make sure you are checking in regularly, and pleaseโ€”if you are looking for specific items and a specific price point, let me know! 

I am happy to do some research to help you out!

๐Ÿ’œ๐Ÿค๐Ÿ’œ๐Ÿค๐Ÿ’œ

#zulilypartner #linkinbio #ad #holiday #giftgiving bestgifts

Want to check it out for yourself? zulily.gfpv.net/teachmama
View
Open
๐ŸŸฆ๐ŸŸฅ๐ŸŸฉ๐ŸŸจ

THE best toy for kidsโ€”and classrooms!โ€”is on sale right now. 

The 101-piece PicassoTile Building Set (WITH CARRYING CASE!)
is only $34.99 on Zulily WITH an extra 15% off!

Stock upโ€”think: teachers, daycare providers, classrooms!
AND birthdays, holidays or rainy days!

This is a toy that I cannot recommend highly enoughโ€”perfect for littles through elemor middle school. 

From a tween I know and love: The *click* of the magnetic blocks is so satisfying, and honestly, theyโ€™re just really fun and relaxing to use. 

๐ŸŸฆ๐ŸŸช๐ŸŸง๐ŸŸฉ

hereโ€™s the link that will get you AN ADDITIONAL 15% off โ€”> zulily.gfpv.net/JrDdbE

And remember: FREE SHIPPING ON orders of $89+

#ad #linkinbio #besttoysforkids #dealoftheday

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