Valentine activity

Kindergarten Readiness – Valentine Song

1 little, 2 little, 3 little valentines.
4 little, 5 little, 6 little valentines.
7 little, 8 little, 9 little valentines.
10 little valentines.

10 little, 9 little, 8 little valentines.
7 little, 6 little, 5 little valentines.
4 little, 3 little, 2 little valentines.
1 little valentine.
(That’s you!)

This simple little song helps kids learn numbers, counting, sequencing, auditory memory, listening and other kindergarten readiness skills. It’s also good for kids who are learning English because the vocabulary is limited, basic and easy. (It might be a tad too easy because kids can sing at all by themselves, over and over and over.) I like to add the last line and and get a big smile on the face of a little one.
Speaking of over and over, what did the girl octopus say to the boy octopus? I want to hold your hand, hand, hand, hand, hand, hand, hand, hand. Now, what did the boy centipede say to…?

Kindergarten Readiness – Valentine Super Bowl

Sports reviews of yesterday’s exciting Super Bowl talked about key plays. While kindergarten readiness is not a sports contest some of the strategies are the same: practice, teamwork, using what you already know and having fun. A key play for kids is learning how words work. Just like the players on the field Sunday put together some different plays, when we use words we put them together using different bits of sounds, (think of the ‘at’ family of words-bat, cat, mat, rat, sat,  or words that start the same like super, sandwich, snack, etc. ) This is critical knowledge for later learning to read.  Here is a fun idea for some practice on word sounds, using the sound at the very start of words.

Valentine starts with the sound ‘vh’ . Together, you and your child can think of some other words that start like valentine, like vacuum, or violin, or vampire. Make up some pairs and ask your child if they start the same or not. “Do vanilla and grape start the same?” “How about vine and video?” Here are some more v words: vein, vulture, van, vent, voice. Oh, and one more–vacation! What else starts with a ‘vh’ sound? Q. What did the Valentine say to the stamp? A. Stick with me and we’ll go places.

Kindergarten Readiness – Valentines on the Go

Preparation for school isn’t just practicing ABC’s and 123’s. There are many aspects to kindergarten readiness and children all have their own unique gifts and talents. Hopefully your weekend has some leisure time so that you can squeeze in an activity to encourage physical development and encourage another part of readiness. It needs an open space, like a basement or yard.

Blow up a couple of balloons–red for valentines. Where there is space, tap them back and forth, trying to keep them up in the air. Just a few minutes will get hearts and pulses up, too. This is good for heart rates and the time together is good for heart feelings. Have fun and may the little ones tucker out before you! Does this sound like an activity you and your child can do?
Q. Why is lettuce the best valentine veggie? A. Because it’s all heart!

Kindergarten Readiness – Valentine Math Fun

I was reminded today of a great resource for numbers that we hardly every think about anymore. What is it? Cards! (the real ones, not the ones on our computers) Regular, ordinary, made-out-of-paper playing cards. I even remember in the ‘olden days’ making sets of them with my sisters and cousins using the thin cardboard … Continue reading Kindergarten Readiness – Valentine Math Fun

Kindergarten Readiness – Valentine Warm-Up

February and Valentine’s Day are very special highlights for kids. At Christmas, children are excited about getting presents. At Valentine’s the focus changes to giving and kids are excited to be able to create something to share. At Valentine’s they participate just like all the adults and feel quite grown-up themselves. To start a series of … Continue reading Kindergarten Readiness – Valentine Warm-Up