preschool

Umbrella Is For Easy Letter U Handprint Craft

August 14, 2025 | Leave a Comment
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We’re starting our week with a fun and easy letter U handprint craft along with loads of ideas for crafts, activities, and songs to reinforce what your child learns. Also, I have more alphabet letter fun on my page How to Homeschool Preschool.

U is the 21st letter of the alphabet and makes two common sounds. It makes the short U sound like in umbrella, under, and up, and the long U sound like in unicorn, uniform, and ukulele.

This week, we’ll explore the letter U through stories, crafts, songs, sensory play, snacks, and movement.

Umbrella Is For Easy Letter U Handprint Craft

Start with letter U sound and recognition.

Help your preschooler recognize the uppercase and lowercase letter U (Uu) and understand the two main sounds it makes.

This will set the stage for reading and writing success later on.

LETTER U THEMED BOOKS FOR KIDS

Next, look at these fun books.

4 Books for Learning About the Letter U

Reading together is a great way to reinforce sounds and vocabulary. Try some of these Letter U-themed books:

The Umbrella

A walk through the Costa Rican cloud forest provides a wonderfully lush setting for Jan Brett's beloved animal illustrations. When Carlos drops his umbrella to climb a tree for a better view of the animals, they all cram into the banana-leaf umbrella as it floats by--from the little tree frog to the baby tapir to the big jaguar and more. It gets so crowded in the umbrella that there isn't even enough room for a little hummingbird! So over the umbrella tumbles, everyone falls out, and poor Carlos comes back wondering why he didn't see any animals all day.In the spirit of Jan Brett's The Mitten and The Hat, this cheerful tale of escalation will have readers poring over every illustration for the world of details Jan packs in. With its classic story, exotic jungle setting, and brilliantly colorful menagerie, The Umbrella is sure to take its place among Jan's many family favorites.

Under the Sea (Beginners)

A colorful first information book about life under the sea for children just beginning to read alone. Illustrated with fabulous photographs and with easy to read text and links to carefully selected websites with video clips and activities.

Uni Joins the Team (Uni the Unicorn) (Step into Reading)

Uni loves playing sparkle ball and is very good at it! But Goldie and Silky want to play soccer. Uni has never played soccer before. It doesn't look fun, and there are unicorns Uni doesn't know. Uni tries but makes mistakes. Uni sees a new friend mess up, too, and encourages him to keep trying and to believe in himself. Trying something new is fun when you work together!Fans of the picture books, as well as new Uni fans, will be excited to join this bighearted unicorn and friends on a new adventure of learning about caring for another and believing in oneself.

Underwear!

Bare bear! Stop right there! Underwear!Under where?So begins the dialogue between a tired bear dad and a rambunctious bear cub who would rather play with his tighty whities than get into bed. Underwear makes great hair. It can even turn one into a superber, or a goggle-wearing swimming bear. But beware of a big scare! Rhymes, homonyms, and conjunctions abound in this book that could be used to teach reading, but its primary purpose is to make bedtime fun.

Next, look at this list of letter u words.

LIST OF SHORT U AND LONG U SOUND WORDS

Introduce and review short U and long U words. Make flashcards or use magnetic letters.

Short U Words:

Up
Under
Umbrella
Utensil
Ugly

Long U Words:

Universe
Unicorn
Uniform
Ukulele
Useful

In addition, here are some fun crafts and projects with the letter U.

LETTER U CRAFT PROJECTS & ACTIVITIES

Create this fun and cute Letter U Unicorn craft to reinforce what you are learning.
U is for U-Turn!: Draw a giant letter U on the driveway or with sidewalk chalk outside. Drive toy cars along the U shape like they’re making a “U-turn.”
Pour salt or colored sand in a tray and let your child use their finger or a paintbrush to write the uppercase and lowercase U like the one we made here in our R is for Rainbow letter unit.
Letter U Collage: Cut out pictures from magazines or print images of things that start with U (like unicorn, umbrella, ukulele, utensils) and glue them to a giant U you draw on poster board.
Up, Up, Up- Play an energy-boosting game where every time you say “Up!” your child jumps or stretches, and “Down!” they sit or squat.
Sing a song using motions like “Put your arms UP!” and “Go UNDER the table!” Add “U” words into the lyrics and actions.

MORE LETTER U ACTIVITIES

If you’re keeping an alphabet book or binder, have your child decorate a “U” page with drawings or stickers of U words to add to it.
Make a magical unicorn headband. Use cardstock to cut a unicorn horn and ears. Let your child decorate with glitter and tape it to a headband.
Make an underwater ocean scene using blue paper, fish stickers, sandpaper, and seashells. Try this Underwater Papercraft, talk about how “under” begins with U.
U is for Utensils Snack Time. Let your child explore utensils and practice using a fork, spoon, or child-safe chopsticks. Prepare finger foods like fruit cubes, cheese chunks, yogurt, veggie and bites. Talk about how we use utensils to eat, and that the word “utensil” starts with U!
Under or Over Game-Use a toy, ball, or stuffed animal and place it under or over different furniture items. Ask “Is it under the table or over the chair?” Let your child move the object and call out the answers.
Underwater Bin-Create a sensory bin with water, blue gems, plastic sea animals, and cups or scoops. Let your child explore what’s under the water. Add a letter U foam cutout or laminated card to float in the bin. Here is an ocean sensory bin.

Additionally, look at more activities to learn about letters in preschool.

MORE LETTER ACTIVITIES FOR PRESCHOOL

Finally, look at this easy craft for the Letter U.

UMBRELLA EASY LETTER U CRAFT

You will need:

Construction paper/patterned cardstock
Pipe cleaner
Glue stick
scissors
A little hand

First, demonstrate for your child how to bend the pipe cleaner into an umbrella handle shape.

Trace both hands on construction paper using one or as many colors as you like, let your child cut out the traced handprints.

Arrange the paper handprints in an umbrella shape on the top half of the paper.

Let your child glue them into place.

Tuck the pipe cleaner handle under the umbrella and glue it into place as well.

Write an upper and lowercase U in pencil for your child to trace over in marker for practice.

Hang it up and enjoy their masterpiece.

How To Craft An Adorable Leaf Paper Plate Mask

August 7, 2025 | Leave a Comment
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Today, we’re making an adorable leaf paper plate mask. Also, look at my page Fall Season Unit Study {Pumpkins, Leaves, Corn, & More} for more fun ideas.

And this is a fun craft whether you’re learning about plants, seasons, or ecosystems.

Too, while collecting leaves, children can identify different tree species, observe textures, and note how leaves change with the seasons.

How To Craft An Adorable Leaf Paper Plate Mask

Cutting, gluing, and arranging are all essential fine motor skills.

Start with a walk to gather natural materials. It’s a great opportunity for some fresh air, movement, and sensory exploration.

Also, it’s a chance to introduce basic art concepts like symmetry, balance, and color theory.

FALL BOOKS FOR KIDS

First, look at these books about fall for kids.

15 Fall Books For Kids Who Love to Read and Be Read To

With a chill in the air and leaves falling, grab one or two of these fun books for your home library.

Autumn: An Alphabet Acrostic

A compilation of Native American speeches affirming the desire to live in spiritual and ecological harmony includes the words of Geronimo, Sitting Bull, and Cochise, covering such topics as fishing rights, peace treaties, and the devastation of their land.

Autumn Harvest

"Mr. Tresselt writes quiet, factual prose about katydids, reapers and threshing, falling leaves, apple-gathering, and the first frost."--New York Herald Tribune.

Autumn Leaves

A concise text and crisp, close-up, color photographs of thirteen different leaves from North American trees teach very young children how to look at and compare the leaves of autumn, and are accompanied by an explanation of why they turn color.

The Apple Pie That Papa Baked

These are the apples, juicy and red,that went in the pie,warm and sweet,that Papa baked...for guess who!

Sophie's Squash

Kids will love this playful story of of a unique fall friendship between a girl . . . and her squash!On a trip to the farmers' market with her parents, Sophie chooses a squash, but instead of letting her mom cook it, she names it Bernice. From then on, Sophie brings Bernice everywhere, despite her parents' gentle warnings that Bernice will begin to rot. As winter nears, Sophie does start to notice changes.... What's a girl to do when the squash she loves is in trouble?

Autumn Story: Introduce children to the seasons in the gorgeously illustrated classics of Brambly Hedge!

Celebrate the 40th anniversary of the miniature world of the mice of Brambly Hedge!

Bad weather is on the way and the autumn stores are still not gathered in!

Quickly, all the mice of Brambly Hedge set to work to finish the harvesting before the rain begins. Primrose, Lord Woodmouse's daughter, meant to help, but somehow she daydreamed her way over the cornfield and into the Chestnut Woods, and before she knew it, she was lost. The sun went down, the wind rose and it began to rain. Primrose was all alone in the dark and she was frightened.

Poor Primrose, would she find her way home again?

Mr. Hermit Miser and the Neighborly Pumpkin: the green edition |

Mr. Hermit Miser doesn’t like his neighbors, and they don’t like him. But when a pumpkin vine sprouts in Mr. Hermit Miser’s yard and makes its way into the neighbors’ yards, but he wants all those pumpkins for pies … well, what is he to do?

With adventures in pumpkin-snatching, failed attempts at baking pies, and pumpkin goo everywhere, this tale about being neighborly in a not-so-perfect way will be an endearing autumn story for all the readers in your circle.

This reprint of a 1949 classic adds some recipes, a poem, and a bit of pie-history as well.

Dance Like a Leaf

As her grandmother's health declines, a young girl begins to lovingly take the lead in their cozy shared autumn traditions. Poetic prose paired with evocative illustrations by Mexican illustrator Claudia Navarro make for a beautiful celebration of life and a gentle introduction to the death of a loved one.

The Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night

"[Spier's] finely detailed, action-packed New England autumn vistas are almost startlingly beautiful."—The New York Times Over fifty years after he won a Caldecott Honor for The Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night, legendary illustrator Peter Spier went back to this time-honored favorite in 2014 to paint the half of the book that was originally printed in black and white. In this glowing, restored vision of Spier’s beloved classic, follow the wily fox as he roams a sleepy New England town in search of a meal, with tones and textures so vivid you can almost hear the crackle of crisp fall leaves and the ripples of the river in the moonlight.

Down Buttermilk Lane

An Amish family, traveling by buggy, spends a day doing errands in the village, visiting, and returning home in time for supper

Fall Leaves

Autumn is in the air: days grow shorter and nights are long. Birds leave, flowers, too. Apples and temperatures fall—then snow!Part poem, part silent stage, this luminous picture book puts autumn on display and captures the spirit of change that stays with us long after fall leaves. Unlock the secrets of this busy and beautiful time of year as the natural world makes way for winter.

Hooray for Fall!

Mama has a surprise for her three little squirrels: three bright red sweaters to keep them warm throughout the fall. Imagine the siblings’ surprise when they find that everything in the autumn woods—the leaves, the berries, even the setting sun—is red too, just like their sweaters.This celebration of a perfect fall day will have young and old alike looking for signs of autumn in their own neighborhoods. Kazuo Iwamura’s books celebrating the seasons (Hooray for Spring!, Hooray for Summer!, Hooray for Fall!, and Hooray for Snow!) are perennial favorites—introducing children to the beauty and joy of each season. Iwamura masterfully captures the small wonders of nature in his illustrations and his stories with their gentle humor warm the heart.

Hopefully the Scarecrow

The perfect Fall book for kids! A poignant picture book about a scarecrow who befriends the young girl who reads to him day after day until one day he's left wondering where she is.A scarecrow stood in the garden. Tall, proud, and smiling. Every day a girl brought her favorite books to the garden and she read to him. He heard tales of courage and of hope. And when she said, "The End," the scarecrow always felt a little bit taller and braver. Year after year, she came and she read to him.Until one spring, two different hands picked him up from the garden shed and placed him in the garden. He waited, but she didn't come to read to him.With poignant words from award-winning author Michelle Houts and lush illustrations by Pura Belpré Honor winner Sara Palacios, Hopefully the Scarecrow is a tender distillation of the enduring power of friendship and a heartwarming look at the ways stories connect us.

Maple & Willow Apart

Funny, relatable sibling dynamics make this story a wonderful way to address navigating big changes. Lori Nichols’s expressive artwork beautifully portrays Maple and Willow’s strong bond, and children will love the creative, kid-powered solution. Maple and Willow have always been inseparable. So what happens when Maple starts big-girl school and Willow stays behind? Well, of course, both girls have marvelous adventures of their own, but the truth is, they miss each other. And when they see that the missing is mutual, they find a unique way to feel connected even when they have to be apart.

Now It's Fall (Lois Lenski Books)

School bells and apples and big ripe pumpkins-all the pleasures of fall come alive in this newly reissued classic by award winner Lois Lenski. First published in 1948, Now It's Fall is a timeless celebration of autumn that will enchant a whole new generation of young readers with its gently recolored illustrations.

Next, look at more fall activities.

MORE FALL ACTIVITIES

And look at more paper plate craft.

PAPER PLATE CRAFTS

HOW TO CRAFT AN ADORABLE LEAF PAPER PLATE MASK

First, look at this easy list of supplies.

Paper plate
Scissors
Real or fake leaves
Glue or glue stick
Wooden dowel or craft stick
Tape or hot glue (for attaching dowel)

Cut the plate. Cut a paper plate in half. You’ll only need one half for a mask.

Create the face openings. At the bottom center of the cut edge, cut a small U-shape to make room for the nose.

Use a pencil to lightly mark where the eyes should go. Carefully cut out two eye holes.

Decorate with leaves. Glue leaves all over the front of the paper plate half, covering it completely.

Overlap the leaves for a layered, natural look. Let the glue dry.

Attach the handle. Flip the mask over.

On one side, glue or tape a wooden dowel or craft stick to the back so kids can hold the mask up to their face like a masquerade mask.

How To Design A Mushroom Preschool Sensory Tray

August 6, 2025 | Leave a Comment
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I’m showing you how to put together a fun mushroom preschool sensory tray. It’s a great way to include the littles when you’re doing a study of mushrooms together. Also, look at my pages How to Homeschool Preschool and Fun Hands-on Free Mushroom Unit Study and Kids Learning Activities for more ideas.

If you’re looking to combine sensory exploration, nature-based learning, and imaginative play, a mushroom sensory tray is the perfect hands-on activity.

A sensory tray is a container filled with materials that stimulate the senses—touch, sight, sound, and even smell.

How To Design A Mushroom Preschool Sensory Tray

Mushrooms are fun to preschoolers. They’re colorful, oddly shaped, and part of so many fairy tales.

It’s a great opportunity to talk about nature, fungi, forest animals, and even safe vs. unsafe plants with not just preschoolers but with all your children.

And although mushrooms are not plants, but fungi even little children understand that fungi help recycle dead trees and plants.

MUSHROOM BOOKS FOR KIDS

Next, look at some of these fun mushroom books for all ages.

9 Mushroom Unit Study Books

Grab some of these fun books to learn about mushrooms, the part of a mushroom and the life cycle.

Mushrooms: How to Identify and Gather Wild Mushrooms and Other Fungi

This mushroom foraging book is packed with vital information that will help you identify the exact types of mushrooms you are looking for when you’re out foraging. You’ll learn how to identify the caps, stems and gills, which all have different physical characteristics like shape and texture, and color.From the Neobulgaria pura and the Mitrula paludosa, discover newly-found fungi species and complex ones which can only be viewed microscopically. The detailed illustrations and identification charts will help you name the mushrooms you find or hope to search for.

Back to the Roots Organic Mini Mushroom Grow Kit

GROW YOUR PLANT ALL YEAR-ROUND: This organic mushroom indoor kit allows you to grow your own crop all-year round; Just place the box near a window with indirect light, mist twice a day, and you'll see delicious, beautiful mushrooms growing within a week; Included in this kit is an organic plant-based soil infused with mushroom spawn and a booklet with instructions

Nature Anatomy: The Curious Parts and Pieces of the Natural World

See the world in a whole new way! Acclaimed illustrator Julia Rothman combines art and science in this exciting and educational guide to the structure, function, and personality of the natural world. Explore the anatomy of a jellyfish, the inside of a volcano, monarch butterfly migration, how sunsets work, and much more. Rothman’s whimsical illustrations are paired with interactive activities that encourage curiosity and inspire you to look more closely at the world all around you.

National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms (National Audubon Society Field Guides)

Featuring a durable vinyl binding and over 700 full-color identification photographs organized visually by color and shape, the National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms is the perfect companion for any mushroom hunting expedition. Each species is accompanied by a detailed physical description, information on edibility, season, habitat, range, look-alikes, alternative names, and facts on edible and poisonous species, uses, and folklore. A supplementary section on cooking and eating wild mushrooms, and illustrations identifying the parts of a mushroom, round out this essential guide.

The Mushroom Fan Club

Elise Gravel is back with a whimsical look at one of her family’s most beloved pastimes: mushroom hunting! Combining her love of exploring nature with her talent for anthropomorphizing everything, she takes us on a magical tour of the forest floor and examines a handful of her favorite alien specimens up close. While the beautiful coral mushroom looks like it belongs under the sea, the peculiar Lactarius indigo may be better suited for outer space. From the fun-to-stomp puffballs to the prince of the stinkers―the stinkhorn mushroom―and the musically inclined chanterelles, Gravel shares her knowledge of this fascinating kingdom by bringing each species to life in full felt-tip-marker glory.

Botanicum: Welcome to the Museum

The 2017 offering from Big Picture Press's Welcome to the Museum series, Botanicum, is a brilliantly curated guide to plant life. With artwork from Katie Scott of Animalium fame, Botanicum gives readers the experience of a fascinating exhibition from the pages of a beautiful book. From perennials to bulbs to tropical exotica, Botanicum is a wonderful feast of botanical knowledge complete with superb cross sections of how plants work.

Ridley's Funky Fungi

FUN FAMILY GAME: See if you have what it takes to be the mushroom master in Funky Fungi from Ridley's Games! In this card-collecting game that will definitely grow on you, forage for the best fungi to be the first player to reach ten points and win the game.

Let's learn about mushrooms

Introduces the characteristics and uses of a variety of mushrooms and discusses some of the beliefs and customs connected with this plant family.

Katya's Book of Mushrooms

Mushrooms are exciting to find, beautiful to look at, fascinating to identify, and delicious to eat. When you know what to look for, a mushroom hunt is as safe and enjoyable as a treasure hunt. Katya Arnold ranges through the world to find hundreds of varieties of mushrooms, as well as fascinating anecdotes and fun facts that make these wonders of nature exciting and immediate. A walk in the woods will never be the same!

Also, look at more resources about mushrooms.

MORE MUSHROOM ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS

And also look at more preschool activities.

PRESCHOOL ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS

Finally, look at how to design this mushroom preschool sensory tray.

HOW TO MAKE A MUSHROOM SENSORY TRAY

First, look at this easy list of supplies.

Craft foam sheets
Pre-cut mushroom tops (semi-circles or domes)
Pre-cut mushroom stems
Small craft foam circles (to use as mushroom spots)
Pom poms in various colors
Tray or bin
Optional: glue dots or double-sided tape for sticking pieces together

And you could even change this out and add in bark or moss pieces, wooden mushrooms and forest animals.

Set up the tray. Arrange the foam mushroom tops, stems, and spots in a divided tray or scattered in a bin. Add a handful of pom poms for extra decoration options.

Build a mushroom. Let kids pick a top and a stem, then match them together to form a mushroom.

Decorate. Use the foam circles to add spots to the mushroom tops. Kids can also stick pom poms on top or around the mushrooms.

Make a mushroom patch: Encourage children to build several mushrooms and lay them out to create a magical mushroom patch.

Watermelon Play: How to Make a Fun Matching Letters Activity

July 17, 2025 | Leave a Comment
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Enjoy some watermelon play with your preschooler through fun hands-on activities. Also, look at my post 4 Week Free Watermelon Unit Study & Best Hands-on Ideas. Too, see my page How to Homeschool Preschool for more ideas.

Grab my busy book summer preschool printable and a simple idea for paper plates to practice letter recognition.

Letter recognition and phonics instruction should be child’s play and using a few paper plates and some craft paint will make it be just that.

Watermelon Play: How to Make a Fun Matching Letters Activity

Watermelon isn’t just a delicious treat — it’s a wonderful way to learn about growing, cooking, and health.

Whether you’re counting seeds, matching letters, making a craft, or tasting a sweet slice, watermelon is a wonderful fruit for children to learn about.

It combines fun, education, and health — all in a single, delicious package.

WATERMELON BOOKS FOR KIDS

Next, look at these fun books for kids.

5 Watermelon Books & Resources

Add these fun books about seeds, gardening and watermelons. You can use them for a unit study or add to your home library.

Watermelon, Watermelon

"Watermelon, Watermelon" is a delightful sing-along book by award-winning songwriter and music therapist Stephanie Leavell. Perfect for ages 1-7, this rhythmic and catchy story is based on Stephanie's beloved children's song. The book features bright, captivating illustrations by Sarah Pilar Echeverria, making it an engaging read that young children will request again and again.

Food Anatomy: The Curious Parts & Pieces of Our Edible World

Julia Rothman starts with an illustrated history of food and ends with a global tour of street eats. Along the way, Rothman serves up a hilarious primer on short-order egg lingo and a mouthwatering menu of how people around the planet serve fried potatoes–and what we dip them in.Award-winning food journalist Rachel Wharton lends her expertise to this light-hearted exploration of everything food that bursts with little-known facts and delightful drawings

The Watermelon Seed

Crocodile loves watermelon, but what will happen when his greatest fear of swallowing a watermelon seed comes to pass? Will vines sprout out his ears? Will his skin turn pink? Only one thing is certain: his wild imagination will have kids laughing out loud and begging for another read.

Where the Watermelons Grow

When twelve-year-old Della Kelly finds her mother furiously digging black seeds from a watermelon in the middle of the night and talking to people who aren't there, Della worries that it’s happening again—that the sickness that put her mama in the hospital four years ago is back. That her mama is going to be hospitalized for months like she was last time.

With her daddy struggling to save the farm and her mama in denial about what’s happening, it’s up to Della to heal her mama for good. And she knows just how she’ll do it: with a jar of the Bee Lady’s magic honey, which has mended the wounds and woes of Maryville, North Carolina, for generations.

Bananagrams Word-a-Melon: Family-Fun Word Search Game for Kids Age 6+

WORDY-FUN: Word-a-Melon is the family-fun word search game by Bananagrams
FLIP THOSE TILES: Take turns rolling the die, flipping the cardboard letter chips and creating words with the overturned letters
USE YOUR MELON: Unused letters are flipped back over so players must be sure to remember where they are!

COOL WATERMELON FACTS

Before you get started share some share cool watermelon facts with your child:

A watermelon is a kind of fruit that grows on a vine that trails along the ground.
Watermelon starts from a tiny seed, then a vine grows from it, flowers bloom, and a small watermelon starts to form. The small watermelon grows and grows until it’s big enough to eat.
The outside, called the rind, is thick and green with light green or yellowish patterns.
Inside, the flesh is usually a rich red or pink color.
It’s sweet and filled with water, in fact, watermelons are about 92% water! That’s how it got its name: water + melon.

Here are some great ideas to get you going with your watermelon play.

WONDERFUL WATERMELON PLAY IDEAS

Here you can learn How to Conduct an Exploding Watermelon Theme Experiment.
Older kids will enjoy making these DIY Watermelon Coasters.
Find out How to Make a Watermelon Sensory Bin for Play and Learning for an inspiring sensory experience.
Make 3 ingredient Watermelon Lemonade to enjoy on a hot summer day.
Your little learner will love to learn How to Make Fun Watermelon Seed Slime For Summer Learning.
Watermelon Seed Count-Using black beans or black pom-poms as “seeds”, children can practice counting by placing the correct number of “seeds” on a paper plate watermelon wedge labeled with a number.
Spend a whole month studying this tasty fruit with my 4 Week Free Watermelon Unit Study & Best Hands-on Ideas.
Seed Spitting Distance- For a messy but fun outdoor game, let kids spit actual watermelon seeds and measure who can launch theirs furthest.
Grab my busy book summer preschool printable that is full of watermelon and other fun summer themes to keep little hands busy all season long. It’s at the bottom of this post.

There are matching pattern activities, counting, sorting, letter recognition, life cycles, find it pages, and so much more.

To use the busy book summer preschool pages throughout the season you can laminate the pages and cut out the ones that say cut at the top.

Use velcro dots if you like to attach the matching pictures as they work on them.

Use small plastic bags to hold the pieces and tuck everything inside a folder, alternatively, you can place your sheets inside 3 hole page protectors and keep them in a 3 ring binder.

HOW TO MAKE A FUN MATCHING LETTERS ACTIVITY

You will need:

10 paper plates
Red craft glue
Green craft glue
Black marker
Scissors

Start by painting or having your child paint the center of the paper plates red, you will need to do this on all 10 plates, you want to go pretty close to the ruffled edge of the plates.

Set aside and allow to dry.

Paint the outer edge of half of the plates green.

Allow this paint to dry and then stack the plates with only the red center painted on top of the fully painted plates.

Cut into 6-8 wedges, by stacking you are assuring they stay uniform.

Cut the white edge off of the plates that have just been painted red in the center.

Use a black marker to write the capital letter on the green rind of one piece and the lowercase counterpart on the red only slice.

To make it a bit more fun and playful keep the matching wedges a little more obvious by cutting “bite” marks or other shapes into the edges of them while they are stacked.

Store the pieces in a plastic bag and take them on the go too.

This activity is a wonderful way to practice letter recognition, matching, and phonics.

Here are a few more ideas to make it even more fun and helpful…

Say the letter aloud when you match it.
Say the letter’s name and its short or long phonics sounds.
For example:
“This is the letter B. B says /b/ — b, b, b — like in baby, ball, blue.”
“This is the letter S. S says /s/ — s, s, s — like in sun, sand, sweet.”

Spend extra time practicing letters that look similar or often stump children like b and d.

HOW TO GET THE SUMMER BUSY BOOK

This is a 57 page pdf download for a simple summer busy book.

Here is what it contains.

Build the word
Summer months
Count the bees
What comes next
Which is different
Summer dress up
Let’s go for a picnic
Sandcastle puzzle
Count and mark
Create your own summer necklace
Summer sport matching
Summer season sorting
10 frames and numbers
Trace the alphabet
Match the summer scene
Summer I Spy
Match the ice cream shadows
Match the color
Sort by size
Find the summer objects
Sort by size and color
Match the emotions
Trace by size
Watermelon life cycle
Ice cream scoop stacking
Count and match
Fruit matching
Match the patterns
Match the shapes

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Downloads are INSTANT. When you pay, you will receive an email with a download link INSTANTLY. Depending on your internet connection, the email could be just 30 seconds or so, or a bit longer. The point is it will be soon, not a week later,etc.

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Dynamic Simple Summer Busy Book For Kids Who Love Learning
$3.75 Add to cart

Fine Motor Writing Activities | How to Make a Hot Air Balloon Craft

June 23, 2025 | Leave a Comment
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Teaching preschoolers and kindergarteners fine motor writing activities should be fun. Also, look at my page How to Homeschool Preschool for more learning and playing ideas.

Besides preschool is a magical time full of exploration, creativity, and foundational learning.

And preschool means pre- or before formal learning. It is NOT the time to hold the pencil, but to teach a child to get ready to hold it and to get ready to write.

Fine Motor Writing Activities | How to Make a Hot Air Balloon Craft

Activities should be age appropriate and fun. Gradually, a child’s muscles should be strengthened.

Additionally, I have a fun hot air balloon craft using buttons. Sticking and glueing down buttons may seem like just fun but again it’s an activity to coordinate a preschooler’s fine motor grasp.

Too, there are many ways to help a child to strengthen them. For example, q tips, painting, “writing” in salt trays, and dabbing paint are a few ways to do this.

HOW TO MAKE A HOT AIR BUTTON BALLOON CRAFT

First, look at this fun hot air balloon craft.

Cardstock or construction paper
Cardboard scrap
Marker or pen
Scissors
Glue
Assorted colorful buttons

Create the basket.
Cut a small square from cardboard to be the hot air balloon basket.

Use a marker to draw diagonal or criss-cross lines to decorate it.

Attach the basket.

Glue the cardboard basket near the bottom of your cardstock.

Draw the balloon.

Above the basket, draw a large balloon shape (a circle or oval works well).

Draw two lines connecting the basket to the balloon to represent the ropes.

Glue the buttons.

Fill the balloon shape with colorful buttons! Mix sizes and colors for a playful, eye-catching look.

Glue them inside the outline to form the shape.

And then here are a few more preschool activities to add these activities.

PRESCHOOL ACTIVITIES

Finally, look at these fine motor writing activities.

7 Fine Motor Writing Activities

Preschoolers have short attention spans, so aim for 5–10 minutes at a time.

11 Fun Handwriting Activities For Preschoolers | Easy Cranberry Sauce Writing Tray

There are so many fun handwriting activities for preschoolers before they ever need to pick up a pencil. Also, look at my page How to Homeschool Preschool.

These activities will build not only their letter recognition but also fine motor, gross motor, coordination, posture, and letter formation.

Photo Credit: tinasdynamichomeschoolplus.com

Quick And Inexpensive Letter C Handprint Craft – Crafty Crab Fun

If you need an adorable letter c handprint craft to teach your child in a fun and creative way, I have some crafty crab fun for you made with their own two little precious hands.

How to Make a Strawberry Lemonade Summer Sensory Bin

Adding fresh, juicy strawberries just makes it even more cheerful. This strawberry lemonade sensory bin captures all the fun and flavor of summer in a water sensory play activity that is hands-on, and perfect for warm-weather fun.

How To Create An Engaging Cranberry Sensory Bin

Fall and winter are the best times of the year to make a cranberry sensory bin that is fun and engaging.

We aren’t stopping there.

Also, I will load you down with facts, more hands-on activities, and resources to highlight the cranberry.

Letter L Handprint Craft | How to Make a Lobster Handprint

Our letter L handprint craft today focuses on the lobster and is made from adorable little hands as well as footprints. Also, look at my page How to Homeschool Preschool for more learning and playing ideas.
Too, look at my free Oceans Unit Study and Lapbook for more ideas to include your older learners in an ocean themed study.

How To Make A Letter Y Handprint Craft Featuring A Yak

Today, we’re making a letter Y handprint craft. Also, look at my page How to Homeschool Preschool for more handprint crafts and preschool ideas.

And we’re featuring a yak, a fun new animal to introduce to your preschooler or kindergartener.

There is just something so precious about those first little handprint crafts with tiny fingers that won’t staythat wa y for long.

Easy Preschool Jellyfish Button Practice Activity Your Kids Will Love

I have a fun preschool jellyfish button activity your kids will love. Also, look at my page How to Homeschool Preschool for more learning and playing ideas. And look at my page Oceans Unit Study and Lapbook for more ocean activities. I have a creative and engaging way to help your preschooler build fine motor skills.