Kindergarten Activities on the Letter W

Alphabet Recognition for Toddlers, Preschoolers, and Kindergarteners

Oct 13, 2009

Parents and educators looking for ideas to supplement their letter W lesson plans can find letter W activities, games, and crafts here.

Teaching young children about the alphabet letter W can be more effective and enjoyable by including out-of-the-box crafts, experiments, and physical activities.

Spider Web Games for the Letter W

Web begins with W, so why not direct a fun hands-on spider web activity? With children sitting in a large circle, have one child hold the end and throw a ball of yarn back and forth. Everyone must get the yarn at least once and hold it as they throw it to the next person, creating a web.

Listen to the contemporary arrangement of "Itsy Bitsy Spider" by the Old Town School of Folk Music [Songs for Wiggleworms, Old Town School of Folk Music, 2000.] This arrangement includes new verses to an old classic that are lots of fun! For extra letter recognition, have children color a W in the center of a spider web printable coloring page at the end of the activity.

Physical Activity: Wheelbarrow Letter W Kindergarten Activities

In the gym or large muscle area, how kids how to do the wheelbarrow by holding a volunteer by their ankles as they "walk" their hands across the floor. Once kids get the hang of it, referee wheelbarrow races between pairs of children. As a calm-down activity, sit down to read Bumpety Bump by Pat Hutchins [Greenwillow Books, 2006,] a fun rhyming and rhythm book about a child and grandfather on the farm using their wheelbarrow.

Kindergarten Motion and Movement: Pretend to Be Weeping Willows

One of the most engaging letter W activities for toddler and pre-k children is trying to move like weeping willows. After showing pictures or going to see a nearby weeping willow tree, explain that the wind blows the long leaves (see above activity.) Begin by crouching down and balling up like seeds, gradually grow into a big tall tree, then droop and wave like weeping willows.

Learning about Wind with a Hands-On Science Experiment

Give students hints: what starts with the letter W and holds a kite up in the air? Wind! Wind is a powerful force that powers big sailboats, makes the leaves on trees dance, makes sand formations in the desert, or turns into a tornado or hurricane. Demonstrate the power of wind by giving every child a pinwheel or a ping pong ball in a container of water and see if they can move it using only the "wind" from their lungs.

Pre K Letter W Craft: Decorate a Winter Scene

Winter is a W word that is fun to illustrate with art. Kids can draw a wintery scene including bare trees and decorate the ground with cotton balls to represent snow. As an alternate winter activity for older, more coordinated children, try making snowflakes by folding a square piece of paper into eighths and cutting shapes in all the sides. Review the W sound or list words beginning with W while hanging them around the room.

Teaching the letter W to young students is not as easy as it sounds. Kids get worn out easily and need plenty of creativity and variety to keep them interested. These kindergarten and preschool letter W activities make teaching the letter W easier and more effective.

The copyright of the article Kindergarten Activities on the Letter W in Primary School Lesson Plans is owned by Jenny Evans. Permission to republish Kindergarten Activities on the Letter W in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.