Rachel, from Nottingham, sent in this simple, but great idea on how to incorporate post-it notes into your little one’s learning. Let’s take a look at it…
What did you do?
Post it notes are so versatile and so fun!! You can never have enough!
This week we’ve revisited name recognition with Z using post it notes.
What you need:
*Paper
*pens
*post it notes
What I did:
This is super simple to set up but you can add details/draw more to make it even more exciting – but don’t spend too long drawing stuff!
I drew around the post it notes to make a space for each post it on the paper (I like doing this on A3 or find smaller post it notes). Make sure you leave enough room for the name/word/numbers you are practising. I added a triangle and flames to make a rocket and wheels and train details to the other. Squares work just fine on their own!
Next write the letters into the spaces on your paper and onto separate post it notes.
Hide the post it notes around the room.
The best way to start playing is to let your little one come to you. Let them notice you finding a post it note and trying to match it to the paper. See if they come to help you. If they don’t leave it. They will find one later and you can show them how then.
Encourage your little one to find the matching letter and stick it on top. It’s amazing how fast they get this.
Other ways to use post it notes:
*You can move on from simply matching the post it’s to marks on the page to letting the children put them down in the right order on their own.
*They are fab for learning tricky words, CVC words, any words really.
*Number order or patterns of numbers are super fun with post it’s.
*Finding and placing the answers to sums using post it’s is so much more exciting than just writing it down!
*Have races with post it’s – fastest one to find all their letters/numbers and form their word or pattern wins – different coloured post it’s needed here!
write secret messages for each other – these can be symbols, letters, words or whole sentences. There’s so much joy in finding a little note or hiding one knowing someone is going to read it.
I tend to talk about what they’ve done initially rather than lots of questions. ‘Oh you’ve found Z. Brilliant. Let’s see if we can find where it goes.’ rather than ‘What letter is that? where does it go?’. Questions have a habit of shutting down conversation and putting children off the activity. There will come a time when you don’t need to say what letter it is as they will tell you first.
Do you have any other projects planned?
What’s next….? Birthday themed play and learning this week as it’s Z’s 2nd birthday.
Tell the Housebound With Kids community a bit about yourself…
I’m Rachel. I’m a Primary School Teacher from Nottingham and have been working in F2 for 10 years. I have Z who is almost 2! A wonderful hubby who is totally getting into play during lockdown and a big white German Shepherd dog.
How are you finding being housebound so far?
It’s been hard work keeping Z busy and out of trouble whilst attempting to keep up with work demands and not letting the house become a right state. Hubby just started a new job in April so we’ve had to try to find balance. I went through a missed miscarriage at the beginning of March and I’ve been constantly going to hospital ever since as it’s had complications. Lock down has been such a rollercoaster!
Do you have any tips for other parents?
Follow your little one’s lead and make whatever you are setting up easy for you. Don’t spend ages setting up a beautiful set up on a theme you like that your small person will turn their nose up at. I made a beautiful space tuff spot the other week that all he wanted to do was make stamps in the cloud dough. The next day I popped the dough in a shallow tub with some shapes to stamp in it – half the set up and twice the engagement!
Has being part of our community helped you?
Housebound with kids has been a fab outlet for me during this time. As a moderator, I feel like I’m helping and that sense of being useful is much needed right now.
It has inspired me to look in new places for ideas and it has given me an outlet to share all the wonderful activities we’ve enjoyed. I think it’s probably helping me tune into what parents want and need from teachers to support them in helping their children at home. The big problem is that everyone has such different needs so it’s made me want to listen even harder and it’s certainly going to impact how I work.
