Learn Letters with Leaf Man

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I’m thrilled to be part of the Virtual Book Club for Kids this year. If you are a parent or a teacher of children between 2-6 years old, join the fun in our Facebook group. Your blogging co-hosts (including me!) will be sharing book-based learning activities on a weekly basis, and I just love all of the inspiration that can be found in the group.

This week (Sept. 26), the chosen book for the Virtual Book Club for KIds is Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert. Ehlert has written and illustrated a number of kids books—including Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and the new title Rain Fish, which I wrote about over on Art Bar. Many of Ehlert’s books are about nature, and Leaf Man is her book all about autumn.

My family enjoys this book for so many reasons. Its big size is perfect for sharing, it has bright fall colors, and the pages are all different shapes. They work together to create layers of fall leaf-scapes that are delightful to unfold.

The book follows “Leaf Man,” who blows into many different configurations, and it is fun to see how Ehlert has made birds, bunnies, fish, turtles, and many other forms with fallen leaves.

Be sure to check out my other Virtual Book Club and fun October reading posts before you go.

In response to Leaf Man, try this simple activity to help children learn about the letters in their names. This is a fun, easy, and hands-on approach to learning the letters. It is also great for working on fine motor and visual processing skills.

Materials:

“Letter Man” printable (scroll to the bottom of the post to download and print).
Letter stickers—I used foam stickers like these.

Before getting started with the activity, spend few moments exploring the letters. Sort them, trace them with your fingers, talk about the differences between capital and lowercase letters, and discuss how the letters look “right side up,” “sideways” and “upside down.” You might also show the children a completed “Letter Man” as a model for creating their own.

Kids will have a lot of fun decorating their "Letter Man" with the letters of their names. As the kids work, talk about each letter, whether it was made from lines or curves or both, its correct orientation, its place in their names, and its sound. Little fingers will be working hard, and kids can talk about their logic for placing each sticker in its chosen spot.