Every parent is excited to teach their children how to read, but reading skills don’t just start with the alphabet. Developing pre-reading skills makes learning letters easier. A critical pre-reading skill is teaching children to pay attention to detail. This is important because many letters look alike. Distinguishing between (d, b, and p), (E and F), (I and T) and (j and i) requires looking closely and concentrating. These are skills preschoolers need help learning.
Here is a fun and free way to work on that skill.
All you need is an old calendar with small pictures on the back cover. Your child will learn to match the big pictures with the small pictures. By working with two different scales, this is more than just a matching game. His eyes must adjust for the difference in size which is an extra concentration challenge.
Preschool Calendar Match Instructions
1. Choose an old wall calendar which shows all of the months on the back. Cut out each small picture. Disassemble your calendar into individual pictures. You now have 2 sets of identical pictures: one is thumbnail sized and the other is large.
2. Start this matching game with four or six matches so you don’t overwhelm your child. Lay the large pictures on the ground. Give your child the small pictures and ask him to place them next to the matches.
3. If a mistake is made, say nothing and see if he self-corrects as he continues. If he doesn’t catch the mistake ask, “Does this one belong here?” Allowing him to be successful builds confidence and competence.
4. As skills increase, you can work all the way up to the full twelve months, adding 2 more whenever he improves. Eventually, he should be able to do this activity all by himself.
Lesson Notes
- To make this easier for young children, choose a calendar with obviously different pictures, like various farm animals.
- To make this more challenging, choose art calendars by the same artist. The more similar the pictures, the more keenly the eye has to work to make distinctions. This doubles as an art appreciation lesson, because you can discus the artwork as he matches.
Absolutely!!
I agree with you. We have to do whatever it takes to get them to read. Reading is the foundation for pretty much everything else that they will encounter in school
This is such a great idea! I’m definitely going to be stocking up on a bunch of calendars come February when they’re all super !
Oh, that’s great! I have trouble throwing out my calendars too. Maybe that’s how I came up with this idea….
Thank wold be great. It’s a fun twist on matching games (and free to make)!
Wonderful! Have fun.
Thanks. They really enjoy it.
Oh great! Glad to hear it.
This is really creative!
I love this!! I am always on the lookout for new ways to “play” but still have fun and this would be perfect such those moments.
Such an easy idea but fun for the little ones. Thanks for sharing.
What an awesome idea! Hope to be able to implement one day into my preschool class.
I really like this idea! I can’t wait to try it.
What a clever idea…never would have thought of this! Thanks for sharing!
This is great! I love the idea of re-using an old calendar (because that’s something that I always seem to keep at the end of the year) and working with my little one on paying attention to detail when she’s a little older 🙂 I pinned myself a reminder!