The Very Busy Spider Activity Ideas

We would not expect your child to complete all these activities. Please choose any that may interest your child.

Maths

I can sort a group of objects by size, colour and type.

Activities

• Collect your child’s collection of cars/ animals/ dolls etc. Talk about how you can sort them. Start by sorting them and ask them to carry on sorting. Talk about how they are sorted. After modelling different ways to sort ask them to decide how to sort the group of objects.
• Sort small objects such as grapes and blueberries. You can use sorting tubes made from empty kitchen towel tubes to sort them by type.
• Sort the animals sheet by the number of legs. If you don’t have a printer, you could draw the animals. See if your child can think of other ways to sort the animals rather than by the number of legs. E.g. animals that go in water. There are several sorting activity ideas on twinkl that may interest your child more.
• Use any construction toys (Lego, Duplo, Mega Bloks...) you might have at home and sort them into different groups. You could sort them by colour and size. Can you think of any other ways you could sort them? 
• Fitting in with our topic this week, try the minibeast sorting activity below. If you don't have a printer, you could draw your own or talk through it with your child on the computer screen.  

Literacy

To recognise and write the letter ‘t.’

To read simple words.

To say the letter sounds

• Watch the YouTube clip to say them correctly.

t – is a bouncy sound.

Rhymes to help your child remember how to write the letters correctly

• Use the letter sound mat below

t – down the tower, across the tower.

Activities to help recognise the letters

• Hide the letters in the garden and go on a letter sound hunt. Your child could move in different ways e.g. hop to the letter ‘t.’
• Hunt for miniature letters hidden in the garden/ around the lounge. They could use a magnifying glass if you have one.
• Spot letters in the story books you share together.
• Spot letters around the house on food packets, tv programmes, word art.
• Spot letters when you are out walking.
• Watch the alphablocks ‘t.’
• Make the alphablocks ‘t’ character using the printable sheet to colour and stick onto a tube.

Activities to support sound skills

• Give the children a collection of items and sort them into objects that begin with ‘t’ and other letters your child has previously learnt but may need more practise.
• Collect items from around the house that start with the letter sound ‘t.’
• Play games such as ‘I spy’ to practise hearing the initial sounds in words.

Activities to support reading simple words

If your child can hear initial, middle and final sounds in words then they are ready to start reading simple words. (They will also need to know the first 5 letter sounds – m, a, s, d, t.)

The video below about sound blending will help you to understand how we teach reading simple words.

• Use alphablocks you have made using tubes. Arrange the letters m, a, t next to each other. Say the sounds. Repeat and say the sounds quicker then say the word ‘mat.’ Repeat this with other words you can make using the sounds m a s d t. e.g. sat, mad etc
• Write simple words such as m, a, t in chalk on the patio. Jump on each sound, say the sound and then at the end say the word.

Activities to help write the letters

• Practise mark making the letters using cars dipped in paint. Move the cars to write the letter, forming it correctly.
• Mark make in sand/ porridge oats/ flour/ salt/ sugar etc writing the letters using their finger.
• Mark make with magic water – water and glitter.
• Write the letters with chalk or with a paintbrush and water.
• Write the letters in playdough using a pencil.
• Write the letters using finger paints.
• Make dens using any large boxes you have and practise writing the letters in the boxes.
• Write on different surfaces e.g. in the mud, on foil, roll of old wallpaper, whiteboard, play dough etc.
• Sellotape pens to cars and move the cars to form the letters.

Reading

You can use the free e-books available on oxford owl for your child to read to you. Remember to encourage your child to use the pictures so they can tell you the story.