I have started notebooks with the little ones in my house. It has been a great hit with all of them because they feel like they are doing schoolwork like the big kids. I purchased each of them their own notebook that was wide ruled. We started by writing our names on the inside of their notebooks and then decorating the front cover with stickers. Of course, what child doesn't like stickers.
We started with the alphabet in our book. I decided on a picture to correspond with each letter of the alphabet and would do and create an art project around that letter. You can have the younger kids work on the art project while the older kids can form the letter on their page. We then work on the letter sound for that letter and the kids look around the room to see who can find anything that starts with that letter. We had the letter that we were working on be our letter of the day. All of the kids knew the letter sound and to identify each letter by the end of the day.
Below you will see some of the pictures on the pages we have completed. The kids really enjoy that they have their own notebook. In the end they have their own handmade alphabet book that they can keep.
The list is endless on what you could do with your child and their notebook:
Numbers
Shapes
Colors
Sets for beginning adding
a collage (kids cut out pictures from a magazine and glue in their notebook)
practice lines and circles
You are not only limited to doing with preschool kids. I have also done notebooks with older kids and had journal starters where I would put an idea on what they were to write about and they would write their journal entry and then color a picture about a part of their journal entry.
Ideas for older kids:
- Math Facts
- Book Reviews
- Give them a specific word such as "September" and see how many other words they can make with the letters in the word.
- Practice their penmanship
- A list of activities they would like to do over the summer
- Their daily adventures
- Drawing
