“Play is the work of the child,” as Maria Montessori once said, and it couldn’t be more true! Children are meant to play. But, that doesn’t mean they can’t learn through their play. Children are constantly learning! Kindergarten teachers can allow children to play while also fostering learning opportunities. Many everyday games and toys can be given an educational twist -you just have to get creative! Here are a few ideas to get you started:
●Label blocks or building bricks with letters for students to practice building “word towers.” This can be used for sight words, or they can practice spelling their names. You can also challenge them to build a simple word (like “cat”) and then see what other sight words, they might be able to make by switching out only one letter (like “hat,” “cut,” or “cap”).
●Matching games are so versatile and can be used to help students practice many different literacy concepts. Students can match uppercase letters to lowercase letters, sight words to a matching picture, beginning sounds with a picture and word that starts with that sound, etc.
●Practice letter sounds by playing “I Spy” in the classroom. The teacher or a student can identify an item in the classroom that starts with a certain letter and then name the letter the item starts with (i.e. “I spy something starting with the letter ‘a'”). Students will then search the room for items that start with the letter “a” and say them out loud until the correct item is found. This gives students good practice with identifying the beginning sound without seeing the actual letter.
●Bingo is another game that is incredibly versatile, and kids love it! You can create simple bingo boards using sight words. The teacher will simply call out a word and the students must identify it on their board! (Bonus: students can practice writing their sight words, too, by creating their own bingo board! Give them a blank grid and have them randomly right one sight word in each box. Then play!)