September 9-13
Letter of the Week: A
Theme: Apple
Can you smell it? Fall is in the air. Kiddos are back in school. Time to dig back in after our first review week. Up next is the letter 'a' and fun with apples.
‘A’ is a vowel, and it has more than one sound. From a speech perspective, short ‘a’ (as in apple) is a “smile” sound, though one of the more open ones. The corners of your lips slightly retract toward your ears while your jaw lowers (you should be able to easily fit one finger between your teeth) and your tongue tenses up. It is also a noisy sound (we turn on our voice – vocal cords vibrate – to make this sound). Hold your hand on your neck and say “hhhhhhh” then “aaaa”. Feel the difference?
Long ‘a’ (says its name, as in ape) is also a “smile” sound. Its production is very similar to short ‘a’, except that your jaw does not lower quite as far. The difference feels subtle, just a baby step away from each other.
In therapy: We will be reading 'a'/apple themed books, doing ‘a’/apple themed art and activities, and exploring the letter name, letter sound and letter symbol for 'a'.
Suggestions for home: Pick out the ones that appeal most to your child (and you!). Kids learn best through active experiences. And multi-modal learning helps make stronger and more diverse connections in the brain, which helps with retention and recall. Sprinkle ‘a’ throughout the week. Most important, have fun!
BOOKS
FOOD
Eating the Alphabet - A: Consider adding some “a” foods to your menu this week. Here are a few ideas:
Apples applesauce apple juice/cider apple pie/tart/crisp
“ants on a log” apricots Asian pears asparagus
Angel food cake animal crackers
Feeling adventurous? Make apple treats together; find inspiration here.
ACTIVITIES
Scavenger Hunt: how many ‘a’ things can you find around the house, while shopping at the market, in a magazine or store ad flyers?
Field Trip:
Letter Detective: look for the letter ‘a’ in a variety of texts (books, magazines, newspaper, road signs, license plates).
Sensory Play:
APPS
What ‘A’/apple activities would you add to this list? I’d love to hear!
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