20 Free Alphabet Activities to Use with Children

I have spent time reviewing many of the resources and materials I have created over the years. Over the next few weeks I would like to share some on this blog.

Learning the names and sounds of upper- and lower-case alphabet letters take time, patience and practice.

Many families are eager for 'take home' activities to help their children practice literacy skills at home. Educators are also looking for easy to gather and implement small group work for children to use at school. In this file I have shared 20 alphabet activities that can be printed and shared with families or used with children during the day. Print all, or take what you think will be a best fit for your little ones!

You can access the file here: 20 Instant Alphabet Activities

Creating a More Inclusive Math Environment

I grabbed a coffee from a drive through this past weekend. While there I chatted with the employee working at the window. I asked him how his day was going.

"It was great until about five minutes ago," he said. "I just saw my former math teacher. I haven't seen him in years. Nice guy but I dreaded his class. I just never really felt like I belonged. I hated the math. Just couldn't relate. Seeing him brought up all those old feelings for me again."

As someone who loves math I was devastated to hear this story. As a kindergarten educator I try my best to cultivate a safe and supportive space where children feel like they are equal members of a democratic learning environment. I want kids to love math and see themselves as authentic mathematicians. Inclusive learning environments are ones in which children feel fully supported, and that their contributions and perspectives are equally valued and respected regardless of their identities or learning preferences. There is a sense of belonging for everyone.

Every child has the right to learn and reach his or her highest potential. This is especially important in mathematics, where growth mindset and differentiated learning and assessment approaches can make all the difference in how children interact within, and enjoy classroom explorations.

Inclusive math education ensures access to quality learning experiences for all children by meeting their diverse needs in a way that is responsive, accepting, respectful and supportive. Educators should work to diminish and remove barriers that may lead to children's disengagement and exclusion. 

There are many ways we can creative inclusive learning environments. Here are a few suggestions:

Critically Examine your Math Questions and Prompts

Consider the types of questions you ask children. Can they relate to what they are being asked? Are the questions relevant to their age, interests, strengths and needs? Is inclusive language used? I recall feeling troubled reading a question in my daughter's math work about the number of marriages that could be possible in a group of people when X number of men and women paired together. "What about gay couples?" she asked me when we reviewed her homework that evening.

Honour Student Voice in the Learning Process

Consider asking children to create the parameters for math work together in class. As an educator reflect upon the math work you ask children to complete - do they have a voice in the explorations and activities? Does math work ebb and flow around natural learning situations in the classroom or does it exist in isolation from children's lives? In our classroom we often explore new math tools together and play with how they might be used before I suggest a more formal or structured approach. I try to include children's ideas as much as possible.

Encourage Unconventional Ways of Representing Math

Consider the ways in which you ask children to explore math ideas and showcase their understanding. Do you tend to default to paper and pencil activities? Do children work only from worksheets or textbooks? Are you able to encourage children to use their hundreds of languages (e.g., painting, drawing, building) to explore math problems and share their findings with others? In the photo this child is exploring multiplication by creating an array with sticky notes. In our classroom we try to represent math thinking using innovative, non-traditional ways of knowing and being that are self-selected by children whenever possible.

Invite Family Knowledge into Math Experiences

Consider how you can welcome families into your math activities in order to enhance children experiences. Do family members have interesting jobs and hobbies that can be shared to help supplement children's understanding of math concepts or how math is used authentically in the world? How do families feel about math learning? What is it they value as part of the math learning process? Are their feelings about math limiting their children's potential? What role can families play in supporting children's emerging confidence when learning new concepts (e.g., take home math games, reading math books together)? Share information about math learning with families to help them deconstruct tasks and engage more authentically with math explorations.

Use Diverse Learning Materials

Consider the types of materials that are offered to children. Are they diverse and meet the children's interests, strengths and needs? Do they offer multiple ways of engaging with math? Are they inclusive so all children feel a connection in some way to the experience? Offering math materials throughout the classroom and not just in a 'math area' helps children see the connection that math has to the world around them and their own lives. Invite children to co-construct math materials and visuals that are used throughout the learning space.

Examine your Assumptions and Biases

Sometimes educators default to teaching about math the way they were taught. When something is new or uncomfortable it might seem natural to revert back to familiar ways of knowing and being. Many educators do not enjoy math and subconsciously communicate this to children. Consider how you talk about math with others. Do you present a growth mindset when problems occur that you are unsure of how to solve? Do you approach new and interesting mathematical situations with a stance of curiosity and willingness to learn? Math is a beautiful and engaging discipline and talking about it as such will help learners experience positive associations with math learning. 

Hold High Expectations for all Students

Children are natural mathematicians. They are curious about the world around them and want to understand how it works and make connections to others. Offering low floor, high ceiling tasks encourage all children to enter into math explorations and helps differentiate tasks for their individual needs. Activities that relate immediately to a child's world and experiences will be more meaningful for them mathematically. Communicate your belief to children that they are capable of participating fully in rich math learning and hold them to high expectations. Provide as much time, space and support as needed to ensure children experience success.

Use a Community Approach to Learning

Math is a communal experience. Too often children have been asked to complete math tasks in quiet isolation while working at desks. Rethink how you invite children into math exploration and encourage noise, mess, and social exploration. Ask children to work together to solve math problems and share their thinking with others. Resist the urge to default to thinking that math should look and sound like it might have in your childhood. Share with families and the greater community that math learning is rich and layered when we all work together.  

Create Unconventional Learning Spaces 

Math can happen anywhere, anytime. Help children see the authentic and meaningful ways math connects to our world by looking for it beyond the classroom. Be open to math moments that arise in outdoor play and exploration, and be intentional about the whole and small group math experiences you encourage in areas like the gym, library and music room. Embrace the questions children ask that are mathematical in nature, especially those related to risky play (e.g., "How fast/far/high can I run/jump/climb?").

Creating a Space that Cultivates Math Learning

 

As we head back into the school year many educators are working thoughtfully to create environments that are rich with math possibility. In Reggio Emilia the environment exists as the 'third teacher' inspiring, supporting, and extending children's learning in rich and complex ways. I have been contacted by many educators asking for advice on how to best set up their classroom and routines in order to create as many opportunities for authentic math as possible. This has inspired today's blog post - how to cultivate a math rich learning space for children at the beginning of another school year. When I reflect upon my own math pedagogy and practice, these are what I think stand out as mathematically meaningful for the educators, children and families that share our space. Although this list isn't all inclusive, I thought it might spark some ideas to support and inspire as we enjoy the first weeks of school and start back in our classroom with open eyes, minds and hearts this month.

1. Make math a part of every space in the classroom and child's school world. In the classroom are there math tools and materials available for use beyond a 'math center or math shelf'? Do children see how math relates to every subject in the space (e.g., how materials are sorted and stored on the toy shelf, how measurement is used when children decide on a size of paper to use for their project)? Can they translate math tools and ideas into other spaces in their immediate school world (e.g., see how math relates to their walks in the hallway or work in the gym)?

2. Ground and build math concepts into known objects for children. When introducing, extending or innovating a math idea is it organic and natural to the child's explorations and world? For example, it is more natural to engage children in an exploration of measurement if they measure things in their immediate world using the stick they are playing with, instead of using a standardized ruler (e.g., "Can you find something the same length as your stick in the yard?", "What is taller than your body?").

3. Use available math moments with children. In our classroom we have a large block of uninterrupted play each day. It's sometimes challenging to manage children, materials and activities during center time. However I try to engage with children as much as possible in the activities, and take on the role of 'play partner' together with them. When I am actively playing I am able to closely observe what they are saying and doing, helping me to identify and extend the rich math learning that is organically occurring (e.g., helping children to recognize why their tower keeps falling, using math terms when they equally share the play dough, introducing math terms as they discuss how many cars are in their parking lot).

4. Become a math role-model for children, families, and colleagues. Even if math isn't your favourite subject, how do you discuss it within your school and classroom? Are you excited by new activities and resources? Do you demonstrate a growth mindset? When mathematical situations arise with children that you aren't sure of, can you use these opportunities to showcase positive thinking and problem-solving? Share your new math learning with others - suggest articles and books you're reading and post these throughout your classroom to enhance documentation displays.

5. Find the math in everything. Many educators plan forward by choosing curriculum and programming expectations and then building activities to fulfill these. Try back-mapping activities from time to time; embrace child-centered, organic experiences and then deconstruct them in order to identify the rich math concepts and curriculum expectations that they utilize. You'll be surprised to find that math happens in almost every experience children have in the classroom.

6. Try looking at life through a mathematical lens. When planning invitations for learning in your classroom, see what math you can sneak in as well. Changing one or two elements of the experience might be enough to engage children in rich math. It reminds me of how I used to sneak veggies into my children's meals - a little can go a long way!

7. Collaborate mathematically with colleagues. Share new ideas and resources informally. It's easy and effective to create math invitations and activities and share these within your school or division. If every educator plans one or two activities and these are shared, children will benefit from many rich and interesting games and activities without the burden of planning and preparation it would take one educator to accomplish the same.

8. Record and celebrate your math moments. Help children, families, and colleagues recognize that math happens everywhere in the classroom by creating a documentation display with photos, anecdotal observations and connections to curriculum. This bulletin board can be built over the course of the school year as artifacts of learning are continually added by staff and students. Keep sticky notes nearby and invite observers to record their own ideas and share them by posting the notes within the documentation.

9. Engage families in joyful math with children outside of school. Consider ways that you can promote and extend math for children after school. Encouraging families to play math games and activities together with their children will not only provide children with additional meaningful math moments, but it may help older family members reconcile their fear or dislike of math. In our classroom we send home 'family math bags' once a week. These are filled with math invitations and materials so that children and their families can play games inspired by our classroom work.

10. Build your collection of math stories, songs and games. Children love to sing, dance and play games. Ask colleagues to share their favourite games and activities, and use these to help with transitions and other 'math moments' throughout the day. Quite often the words in songs can easily be improvised to match something happening in your classroom, and many rich storybooks have mathematical elements and problems embedded within them that can inspire children.

ETFO PLEY Chat - A Classroom that Fosters Mathematical Thinking

As an educator helping children develop a love of and appreciation for math is one of my greatest professional interests. I strive each day to engage children in authentic math learning through play and inquiry. I was super honoured and excited this past spring to welcome ETFO into our kindergarten classroom and record a number of chats regarding how children explore math in our classroom. 

All videos are now available here: A Classroom that Fosters Mathematical Thinking

The Beliefs that Drive Practice

Moving the Learning Forward

 Math is Relevant and All Around Us

Understanding how Children Develop Mathematical Understanding

Math Happens Everywhere

 Thinking Through a Mathematical Lens

Documenting and Communicating the Learning

Documenting Children's Learning Using Instagram Reels

It was my absolute pleasure speak as keynote at the Canadian Early Mathematics Education Conference in quaint Kingston, Ontario on August 22, 2022. In addition to being able to stroll the downtown area and marvel at the beautiful campus of Queen's University, I meet many amazing educators who connected with me regarding early math learning, humbled me with kind comments about my work, and fascinated me with interesting questions regarding the teaching and learning of mathematics in the early years.

 

My presentation focused on sharing stories from my classroom in hopes of inspiring educators to consider how they might create opportunities for joyful math in all areas including art, literacy, the classroom environment, routines, and outdoor learning. I also shared information regarding the documentation I collect regarding math learning and how children can help co-create this documentation as part of assessment process. 

Throughout my presentation I shared many Instagram reels that I had created this past school year. These were often meant to be quick, easy and entertaining ways to make the learning visible for children, families and the community. I embedded the clips throughout the presentation to help highlight specific ways math could easily be integrated into other subject areas. I also spoke to how Instagram reels could be used as a form of documentation.

I was not surprised that the majority of conversations I had with educators after my presentation were regarding Instagram reels. Many people were curious to learn more. As a result I thought it might be helpful to blog about this and share the ideas beyond the conference.

There are many reasons why I would encourage any educator to consider creating reels as a form of communication regarding learning and special events happening in the classroom. I can think of many more, but here are my top ten:

1. Instagram reels are an engaging way to share information in a format that appeals to a viewer's senses and emotions. Catchy sound effects, music, text, stickers, hashtags and filters can be used to enhance photos and videos that help amplify the message you are hoping to send. In this reel I'm hoping to show in a humorous way how messy kindergarten children can get when exploring the outdoors, and that it's normal and healthy.

2. Instagram reels can help educators share best practices with others using social media, helping them reach beyond their immediate learning community and idea share with many others. I like to post reels that explain teaching strategies or that challenge traditional ideas or routines that others might be curious about. For example here is a reel that encourages educators to think beyond traditional 'calendar' during morning message.

3. Instagram reels can help explain the steps behind a specific activity so others can try it themselves. This way of explaining the process appeals to visual learners who would rather watch a video than read steps. The size of reels also mean that the instructions should be succinct. This reel explains how to create textured watercolours using simple materials.

4. Instagram reels can help educators unpack activities for families and the community so the learning can be made visible. This might be especially helpful for experiences that families might be unsure about including messy sensory experiences. I tried to use this reel to explain the rich learning that happens in mud play.

5. Instagram reels can help change a viewer's perception of a non-preferred subject or task. For example I try to use reels to show the beauty and wonder of mathematics because so many people still default to their negative experiences and consider it a cold and solitary experience. I want to portray math as beautiful and interconnected to nature and our everyday experiences. This reel shows a few examples of math integrated in areas of the classroom.

6. Instagram reels can be co-created with children and used as a form of communication to provide a summary of the week's experiences. They can very effectively replace weekly newsletters or bulletins meant to share news from the classroom. Children can suggest clips to include and educators can chose salient videos that highlight the rich learning that has occurred. This reel highlights some of the events that happened in one week in the spring.

7. Instagram reels can be used to give families and the community tours of the classroom and other school spaces. I have shared tours of my classroom during kindergarten registration when potential families are viewing the school, during Covid closures so families could virtually step into their children's learning space, and also as a way to share with other educators who might be looking for new ways of organizing their space. This reel is a flashback to a previous classroom I had in hopes the ideas sparked conversations and starting points for educators.

8. Instagram reels are a fun way to share a bit about yourself to your school community. I like to create a few personal ones that show my interests, pets and family in order to humanize me to my school community and make myself relatable. This definitely depends on one's comfort level to allow others to take a small step into your life and might not be for everyone. This reel was created on a sunny, lazy Sunday in my backyard.

9.  Instagram reels help educators connect with a 'professional learning community' or PLC. Use a rich wording when describing your work. Adding hashtags to your reel will also help audiences find your work as well as having it appear in the reels section of the app. It can be liked, shared or commented upon by others. Many times creating reels will help an educator connect with other like-minded people, and it's very enriching to view reels created by others. An Instagram PLC will provide endless opportunities for networking and collaboration! This reel piggybacked on a sound trend and was meant to show math in very different ways.

10. Instagram reels are a fun, creative outlet! I am always engrossed in creating these and love the challenge they provide. Involving students in their creation helps a class become producers and not just consumers of information. When co-creating and reflecting upon reels, children engage in digital documentation and can appreciate the depths of their work and understanding, and plan next steps for action. I love how this reel coordinates a fun song with the child's math game.

Tips to get started:

*find educators to follow on Instagram that work in your field, or share interests - use hashtags to help locate experts and other interesting people

*watch the reels stream in your Instagram wall - even though many of these videos are not related to education, they are entertaining and can spark ideas for your reel creation

*use up to 30 hashtags to describe your work - the more you use, the better viewers can locate your work

*capture as many videos and photos as you can in your classroom - you never know what might turn out to be interesting and important to include in a reel

*ask children to share ideas for photos and videos, or invite them to include their own work to make reels authentic and meaningful

*take photos and film videos vertically to make them fit properly into the Instagram formatting. Horizontal images and videos can still be used, but they have a large black frame around them which makes them appear small and harder to view

*use filters, stickers, locations, text, etc. to enhance your work

*jump on trends and modify them for educational use in order to help your reels be discovered by others

*reels (unless they have sound copyright or restrictions) can be saved to your phone or computer, and mashed with other tech - you can share these saved videos on twitter, in digital documentation programs like Edsby or Seesaw, or added to a blog (like I have here) to get the most out of your work

To see more of my reels and connect on Instagram please follow @McLennan1977!

Spring Math

The last week has been interesting for those of us adjusting to a new kind of normal here in North America. Like many of you, my family and I had a whirlwind of a week - cancellation of a trip two years in the planning, notice of school closure for weeks after our March Break, no time visiting family and friends, and limits to how often we are travelling in our local community.

The first few days were surreal; I had a difficult time saying goodbye to my students on Friday, wondering how long it would be until I saw them again. As my teaching partner and I prepped our centers and morning message, we worried about when the next time we would see each other might be. I walked out of school bringing home my plants, teaching materials, and personal belongings, not knowing when I would return.

In times of uncertainty, helping one another is one of the best ways to get through the stress and worry of what awaits. I know that many educators and families right now are wondering how to help support children even when we can't be together physically.

I love math. I also love to help educators, families and children love math. I have decided to create this blog post in order to continually provide ideas for how children can explore math in their natural world. The CDC is asking us to engage in social distancing and being aware of what is recommended is important. Right now being outdoors in our yards, on trails, and in gardens is still safe and encouraged. I realize that some of us are limited by our personal circumstances and not everyone has access to a yard or natural trail. I will try my best to vary activities in order to meet as many circumstances as possible. I will also tweet ideas for math learning on a regular basis @McLennan1977.

My hope is that the website will give ideas to educators who might be providing virtual support to the children and families in their care (e.g., if you are providing home schooling ideas, if you are engaging children in virtual classrooms), or ideas for families who are trying to engage their children in a sense of normalcy by playing and exploring math together in the outdoors. Check here regularly for new ideas as I will add more every few days, and feel free to email me questions or suggestions deannapecaskimclennan@yahoo.ca.

Here are some fun ways to get outside and see/think/wonder about the math you discover:

1.  Natural and Man Made Patterns

Go on a hunt and see what patterns you can see or hear (e.g., bird calls, veins on leaves, fence posts, brick designs, tile mosaics). Bring a clipboard and crayons and ask children to copy and extend the patterns they see. Ask children to classify the patterns as natural or man made.

2.  Same and Different

Choose two or more random objects from the outdoors (e.g., a rock and stick, a leaf and bird). Ask children to describe the characteristics of each and see how many similarities and differences they can find between the two objects (e.g., a rock and stick are both hard and nonliving; a stick is longer than a rock).

3.  Number Hunt

Choose a range of numbers appropriate for the age of the child (e.g., 0 to 10, 0 to 20, 0 - 100). Create an easy template for children to use that help them track the numbers they see. Go on a walk with your child and encourage him or her to record how many of each number they can spot by placing a check mark next to the corresponding number on their sheet. At the end of the walk calculate how many of each numbers were spotted and analyze your data (e.g., which number was spotted the most, least, the same).

4.  Estimate and Count

Before venturing out with a specific destination in mind (e.g., biking around the block, walking to the mailbox) ask your child how long it will take to get there (e.g., five minutes to bike one block, twenty steps to the mailbox). Decide how you will conduct an accurate measure (e.g., use a stopwatch to time your bike ride, count steps as you walk). Once you have reached your destination compare your estimate to the actual measurement. What do you notice?

5.  Shape Hunt

 

Take a sketch pad and pencil with you on your next walk. Encourage your child to spot shapes in the world around them. Ask you child to consider if these are natural or man made shapes (e.g., a round flower, a triangle in the climber). Encourage your child to sketch a picture of the shapes they find or take digital pictures that can be reviewed at a later date.

6. Shadow Play

 

Experiment with how your shadow reflects your exact movements by playing in the sun. Ask your child to consider whether or not the shadow is a reflection? Ask them to explain their thinking and justify their reasoning. Play with shadows at different times of the day. Digital photos can be taken and the lengths compared.

7. Wiggly Worms

Worms are a treat for many children to find on wet, spring days. Ask the child to closely examine how the worm moves, and hypothesize how it travels so easily without arms or legs. Worms move by constricting their body muscles in a pattern. Ask the child to closely examine the stretching and pulling motion that it makes while wriggling about.

8. Puddles

Children love to jump and splash in puddles. Puddles offer children many rich math opportunities too! Ask a child to determine how deep a puddle might be (e.g., looking at how high it is on their boot, using a stick). Ask the child to hypothesize how s/he might go about measuring just how much water is in the puddle. Watch the puddle over time and record how long it takes to evaporate. Note how much smaller it is each day by drawing the outline with sidewalk chalk each passing day and comparing the different rings to one another. 

9. I Spy

Encourage children to pay careful attention to their surroundings. While walking outdoors look for interesting designs. Play a math "I Spy" game with children using only math clues (e.g., "I spy something with a circular pattern." "I spy something that has a growing pattern.").

10. Bubbles

 

Blowing bubbles provides an opportunity to engage your child in rich discussions about open ended math questions: What is the biggest/smallest bubble you can blow? Why is the size of the bubble different depending on the force of your breath? How high/far do you think your bubble might travel? 

11. Unusual Numbers

 

Encourage your child to look for numbers in unusual places (like the 185 on this hydrant). Ask your child to identify the number, and hypothesize the purpose for the number. See if you can find other similiar objects with numbers too (e.g., find other hydrants and keep track of what numbers are listed on each).

12. Foil Textures

 

Look for interesting textures outdoors (e.g., tree bark, bricks, paving stones). Give your child a small piece of foil and encourage him/her to smooth the foil on top of the object, carefully revealing the texture as the foil is pressed and molds against the object.

13. Number Challenge

Keep track of the different numbers you find. Challenge your child to find specific numbers (e.g., the highest number, the lowest number, their age, an even number, an odd number).

14. Sorting Rule

 

Find an interesting collection of objects (e.g., pile of rocks, sticks, flowers in a garden). Ask you child to list as many different ways that she/he could sort the objects as possible (e.g., sort by size, colour, shape, function). If possible ask your child to physically sort the objects.

15. Different Number of Groupings

 

Challenge your child to find groupings of objects. Can you spot 2s, 3s, 4s, & 5s? Here we spotted 3 groupings of 3 grasses for a total of 9 similar plants in the yard. Encourage multiplicative thinking when asking your child for the total number of objects (e.g., Three groups of three equals 9.).

16. Tape Resist Art

 

You (or your child) can create an interesting geometric design with tape on a flat, outdoor surface. Fill each section of the tape with sidewalk chalk or paint. When each section is filled, remove the tape to reveal a beautiful piece of mathematical art!

17. How Many Steps?

Find a challenging walking surface, like the wooden beam at the edge of a garden. Encourage your child to walk one step after the other along the length of the beam. Count each step. See how many steps your child can walk before she/he steps off the beam. Challenge your child to reach the highest number she or he can!

18. Leaf Patterns

 

Look for leaves on your walks - new leaves are emerging with the warmer weather and many older leaves are preserved in piles gathered in landscaping. Turn the leaf over and examine the vein pattern you discover. Use crayons and paper to create rubbings of all the different patterns you find.

19. Measuring Stick

 

Create a 'measuring stick' by finding a sturdy branch outside and wrapping it in equal segments using a heavy duty duct or masking tape. This is a nonstandard measuring tool so as long as the segments are equal, it will work. Encourage your child to explore the outdoor space and look for different things to measure (e.g., the depth of a puddle, the height of a plant).

20. Outdoor Easel

 

Create an easy 'easel' for painting or drawing still life observations outdoors by using a recycled plastic hanger to attach a paper to the fence. The hanger prevents the paper from blowing in the breeze, and can be used to hang the painting until it is dry. Encourage your child to paint or draw patterns that are visible in the outdoor space.  

21. Real Life Arrays

 

Encourage your child to look for real life arrays while exploring the neighbourhood, Help your child reframe the array as a multiplication sentence (e.g., "Three rows of three is the same as three multiplied by three.") and ask you child to calculate the product.

Spring Math Walk

To help inspire children and provide background information regarding the math that is accessible in the natural world around us, I am making the Kindle version of my newest book Spring Math Walk free on March 19. This offer is only valid on the amazon.com site. I will add additional dates in the future. I'm hoping that this free resource will be of interest for families looking for additional math information for their children - helping them venture outdoors and becoming inspired by the amazing math nature has to offer!

Cooking Squash

We were so lucky to have a special parent volunteer with us today! Mrs. Montcalm spent time with the children in our kitchen cooking two kinds of squash. The children were very excited to be making something to eat! They first explored the differences in the outsides of the squash...

...and then scooped out the seeds.

The squash guts were so much fun to squish!

We used child friendly choppers to help remove the peel of the butternut squash...

 ...and also to chop it into little pieces.

 

We also chopped some apple to add to give it a sweet flavour.

When the spaghetti squash was cooked the children each had a chance to help scoop it out.

We were so proud of the children! Many tried the different kinds and some even asked for a second helping!

We love having parents and other family members in our classroom! If you have a special talent that you are willing to share with us, please consider spending time volunteering in our room!