Welcome to the Letter W. We’ll be having fun with Watermelon this week! Hope you enjoy it!
(Scroll down for the puzzle download!)
Letter W Memory Verse:
“We love Him because He first loved us.” 1 John 4:19
For our verses and accompanying games/stories we use the following books:
ABC Memory Verses & My ABC Bible Verses
Read Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and put up the letter W on our Alphabet Tree! You can download my small alphabet letters here.
Song time:
Hide ‘Em in Your Heart Vol 1
Hide ‘Em In Your Heart Songs – Vol 2
Ww Tracing Card: I laminate this and cut out the watermelon then use Expo Dry Erase Markers with it. You could also use it to glue beans onto or as finger tracing practice. Click the image below to download:
Letter W Do-A-Dot page: We use Do-a-Dot Art Markers with this!
Watermelon Number Practice: I laminate this and use with a Expo Dry Erase Markers for numbers writing practice.
Letter Poking Page:I found this fun idea on Activity Mom. Instead of tracing, we are going to use a toothpick, or we have these cute Oversized Push Pins, to poke holes through the paper in the shape of the letter. Print on regular paper for easier poking, and do this one on carpet 🙂 Another idea would be to hole punch along the lines of the letter as well. Both work on motor skills!
Watermelon Coloring Page: We color this, paint it, or use markers. I found some that fit my 3 year old well, they’re called Pip-Squeaks Washable Markers. They’re shorter and easier for her to use. These pictured are chubby markers, they also make a skinny version. I got mine at Wal-mart.
**Note: To get all of the games in my Letter of the Week curriculum, please check out the full curriculum in my store!**
Watermelon Counting Puzzle: This is a new one, couldn’t resist the fractions this time around, but easy enough, put the watermelon wedges together in order by number of seeds to make a whole circle. You can also discuss half and quarters here if you dare! (You could also use the wedges to put the correct amount of beans on or mini-clothes pins, though I did provide counting slices below…)
Watermelon Shape Matching Puzzles: I cut these guys down the center for a fun shape matching game. We also say the shape name on each slice when we’re done.
Watermelon Size Sort: Put these in order small to big or big to small then discuss which is largest, smallest and medium.
W Scavenger Hunt: Fill the box with things that start with W! Some ideas: watermelon, wings, wool yarn, waffle, water, walrus. She came back with a Killer Whale and did a little show-n-tell for us.
Watermelon Puzzle: Cut along the guides for a fun 6 piece beginner’s puzzle!
Watermelon Pattern Activity: Just use the pieces to practice pre-math pattern skills.
W Pre-Writing Skills: I laminate this and use with a Expo Dry Erase Markers for pre-writing practice skills. You can also print this in gray-scale and use for more scissor skills practice!
Watermelon Magnet Page: I use it with a cookie sheet and these pom-pom magnets I made from pom-poms and self-sticky magnets from the craft isle in Wal-mart. I also use these magnets from Amazon: Power Magnets, 0.75 inch Diameter, Assorted Colors
You could also use Do-a-Dot Art Markers with the magnet page, just don’t laminate it!
Watermelon Letter Matching: This is a fun letter matching activity, that practices both upper and lowercase letters recognition! If you’re looking for more challenge, use the uppercase card with the lowercase letter disks or visa versa! (The download includes upper and lowercase letter disks and activity cards) Click here to see the process of making the letters.
(Please note, the original idea for this game came from Tot School and Carisa’s blog.)
Watermelon Lacing Card: I make sure to laminate this one for durability, then punch with a hole punch every inch or so for lacing practice. Teach them patterns to do with this as well, like up from the bottom each time, or in-out-in-out sewing. Whatever pattern you can think of.
Capital/Lowercase Ww sorting: Simple, just sort the uppercase and lowercase letters.
Watermelon Graphing: I laminate this and then have them either color in the dots with Expo Dry Erase Markers, or put bingo markers on it. You could also use the little stars I provided in the Jesus Number Cards game below.
Watermelon Cutting Practice:Simple print and let your child try cutting along the lines!
Watermelon Counting Cards: I use these with either mini-clothes pins, colored paper clips, or put a hole in them and have her attach chain links to them. This time I made little seeds to put on the cards. Whatever you use, just have them put on the correct amount for the number on the card. These are also good for putting in numerical order.
Watermelon Color Puzzles: I cut these little guys out then cut them in half in as many interesting ways as I could think of to make tiny color matching puzzles.
Whale Tangram puzzle: These are fun, I found colorful cards and blocks at Lakeshore Learning they also have the blocks by Learning Resources.
11 x 11 Pin Geoboard: We use these to make letters, numbers, shapes etc!
Foam Letter Builders: I cut the shapes from foam and let her use them to make the letters. You could also use my Magnetic Letter Builders as well!
Finger Tracing Paint Bag: This is simple and fun, I filled a bag with tempura paint, you could also use cheap shaving cream. Then I’ll tape it to her desk for her to practice writing her letter on using her finger. You could also skip the bag and put shaving cream on your counter if you’re feeling brave ;o) After we do the letters we do numbers, shapes, and whatever else we can think of!
Letter Collage Worksheets: The download includes letters A-Z as well as a collage idea sheet. We use the collage items as objects to decorate our letters for an alphabet book. We also color, paint, and stamp them. Since we use both upper and lowercase, I have provided both for you! Click here to download the Letter Collages:
Color Cubes: I found a new use for our Large Alphabet Lacing Cards! First we traced the letters with her finger, then we used our 1″ building blocks to make the letter shape. She also picked 2 colors of blocks and did a pattern as she made her letters! We also use them for lacing practice, but this was a new variation since I’ve been making the shaped lacing cards too! Click here for more fun with Creative Color Cube Activity Cards
Letter Bead Lacing: I’ll put an index card in this box with the word ‘watermelon‘ so she knows the order of the letters. I got my lacing beads from Lakeshore Learning but these look more fun to me: Bead Bazaar Lacing Kits – Alphabet Lacing Kit
Letter Hunt: I created some Letter Hunt worksheets that you can download.
Kumon ABCs Uppercase Write & Wipe Flash Cards, they also have lowercase cards and Numbers.
Magnetic Letter Builders: We use these on a magnetic whiteboard to practice making our letters. You can click here to learn how I made the letters.
Family Fun Night: Have some watermelon of course!
Note: To get all of the games in my Letter of the Week curriculum, please check out the full curriculum in my store!
See my Money Saving Tips for help with printing, laminating and FAQs.
Thanks 🙂 Have you ever tried making watermelon ice lollies? Just mash (with a masher/or put in a bag/or bowl if they enjoy the feel and let the kids squeeze it) or blend it and put into molds and freeze. So yummy. I think the dot a dot page would be great printed on red paper and used with black stickers (we use these pages with stickers instead of dot pens).
Hi Erica, I just discovered your wonderful blog. 🙂 You're SO generous, and your work is simply amazing. Thank you for sharing and blessing me and my kids!God bless you!
Rainbowmummy: No, I haven't tried the watermelon lollies, but that sounds great!I like the sticker idea for the do-a-dot page too, you always have great suggestions, thanks!
Morning!I just wanted to know where you got your alphabet tree or did you make it? If you made it, do you have a pattern available? Also, thank you so much for putting your program available, I am off to purchase it now. Thanks again!
Jacquelin: I got the tree at a teacher supply store, it was a bulletin board set. I just used it for our alphabet.I think you could make a fairly easy palm tree looking one out of construction paper though!
It all looks great! I love the counting puzzle.
Wow, what a great resource you have provided. Thanks so much.
We did a variation on your Watermelon Counting Cards and blogged about it here: http://toddlerapproved.blogspot.com/2011/05/edible-watermelon-seeds.html Thanks for the inspiration!
Hello-
I am loving your blog! Next week, my pre-K class is studying the letter W. I would love to use some of the activities you have posted. Is there anyway you could send them to me? When I click on them to download, they are an incomplete file or they go to a spam website. I am going to let the children play with a watermelon in the sensory table and then count the seeds! Love your ideas!
This is my favorite pack so far – the watermelon fractions and shapes are so clever! Thanks for sharing these.