Letter of the Week: J

October 14 - 18
Letter of the Week: J
Theme: Jack-o-lanterns

‘J’ is a consonant.  From a speech perspective, ‘j’ (as in “jump”) is a fat-pushed air sound.  The lips get “fat” and round.  The tongue flattens, trapping the air between itself Image from the LiPS Program by Lindamood-Belland the roof of the mouth.  The air is then released in an explosive wide puff.  ‘J’ is a noisy sound (voice on – vocal cords vibrate – to make this sound).  Hold your hand to your throat as you say “j”; you should feel vibration from the vocal cords.  Now say ‘hhhhhhh’ (a quiet sound); feel the difference?

If your child needs a little help, put your thumb on one check and a finger on the other and gently push in and pull forward to get the fat, round lips.  

In therapy:  We will be reading 'j'/jack-o-lantern themed books, doing ‘j’/jack-o-lantern themed activities, and exploring the letter name, letter sound and letter symbol for 'j'.

Suggestions for home:  Sprinkle ‘j’ throughout the week.  Pick out a variety of activities that appeal to your child (and you!).  Kids learn best through active experiences.  Multi-modal learning helps make stronger and more diverse connections in the brain, which helps with retention and recall.  Most important, have fun!

BOOKS

• My “j” Book (Sound Box Books) by Jane Belk Moncure
• It’s Pumpkin Day, Mouse! By Laura Numeroff
• Pumpkin Jack by Will Hubbell
• Patty’s Pumpkin Patch by Teri Sloat
• The Jelly Bean Fun Book by Karen Capucilli
• The Giant Jelly Bean Jar by Marcie Aboff
• Norma Jean, Jumping Bean by Joanna Cole

FOOD
Eating the Alphabet - J:  Consider adding some “j” foods to your menu this week.  Here are a few ideas:
     jelly beans     jello     juice     jerky     Junior Mints     jambalaya     jackfruit

ACTIVITIES
Scavenger Hunt:  how many ‘j’ things can you find around the house, while shopping at the market, in a magazine or store ad flyers?

Field Trip:  Zoo/Aquarium:  can you find any animals with ‘j’ in their name?

Be a letter detective:  hunt for the letter ‘j’ in a variety of texts (books, magazines, newspaper, road signs, license plates).

Community helpers:  learn about what janitors do

Sensory Play:

• Carve jack-o-lanterns
• Jump!  
• Tape the 10 (!) letters we have covered so far (o, b, x, s, a, i, f, l, p, j) on the floor and have your child jump to the letter you call out.  
• For some special jumping fun, check out the FunZone Indoor Inflatable Playground at Arena Sports (Magnuson)

APPS

• Carve-a-Pumpkin  
• ClickySticky Halloween Sticker Book  
• My Halloween Pumpkin Free 

What ‘j’/jack-o-lantern fun would you add to this list?  I’d love to hear!

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