Letter of the Week: Y

March 31- April 4
Letter of the Week: Y
Theme: Y

Last (for letters of the alphabet), but not least – ‘Y’!   ‘Y’ is a consonant.  From a speech perspective, ‘y’ is a borrower.  As with the other borrowers, ‘y’ is a symbol without a unique sound of its own.  At the beginning of words, ‘Y’ borrows its sound from the long ‘e’ vowel sound (as in “eel”).  Say the word “yoga” slowly, holding out the first sound.  You should hear (and feel) “eeeee” before gliding to the “o” sound.  Just as with long ‘e’, the corners of your lips retract toward your ears while your jaw lowers just slightly; your tongue tenses up and pulls back.  It is 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 “e”.   Feel the difference?

In therapy:  We will be reading 'y' themed books, doing ‘y’ themed activities, and exploring the letter name, letter sound and letter symbol for 'y'.

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 ‘y’ throughout the week.  Most important, have fun!

BOOKS

• My “xyz” Sound Box (Sound Box Books) by Jane Belk Moncure  [Kindle Edition]
• Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett
• Yawn by Sally Symes
• The Big Yawn by Keith Faulkner
• AlphaTales: Y: The Yak Who Yelled Yuck by Carol Pugliano-Martin  [Kindle Edition]
• Yo! Yes? by Chris Raschka
• Yes Day! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal  [Kindle Edition]
• I Dare You Not to Yawn by Helene Boudreau
• Yoko by Rosemary Wells
• Little Blue and Little Yellow by Leo Lionni
• You Are a Twisting Tornado by Angela Malavolti
• The ABCs of Yoga for Kids by Teresa Power

While not filled with "y" words, Namaste: A Little Yoga Folks' Tale by Tammie Cicura is a nice book introduction to yoga and using yoga poses and breathing to deal with emotions.

FOOD
Eating the Alphabet - Y:  This is a tough one, but here are a couple of ideas…

     yogurt     yams     yellow squash    yakitori     yucca

Feeling adventurous?  Make a yellow cake with your child.

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

Field Trip:  Zoo/Aquarium:  how many animals can you find with ‘y’ in their name?

Letter Detective:  look for the letter ‘y’ in a variety of texts (books, magazines, newspaper, road signs, license plates).

Sensory Play:

• yoga - games like Memo Yoga and Yoga Spinner or apps (see below) can help structure and guide doing yoga with little yogis
• yum vs. yuck activities
• yarn art
• yo-yo
• yardstick hop - place a yardstick on the floor and take turns seeing how far you can hop
• have a yodeling contest

APPS

• Pre-K Tot Yoga     iPhone     iPad
• My Little Yoga: Baby and Kid Yoga - 10 Poses with Music and Stories     iPhone/iPad
• Chloe the Yogi Goes to the Amusement Park     iPad
• Storyland Yoga: Condor Trek     iPhone/iPad
• C-Fit Yoga - Classroom Fitness     iPhone/iPad
• I Am Love - Kids' Yoga Journey     iPhone/iPad
• Kids Yoga Journey - I am Sun, I am Moon     iPhone/iPad

Can you think of other ‘y’ activities?  Please share!

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