Summer is officially here, but that doesn’t mean that the learning stops in preschool! Help your kindergarten-bound little one be prepared for this fall with these summer themed beginning sound activities!
Be sure to check out all my other alphabet activities for preschoolers, especially those that focus on phonological awareness!
Free Beginning Sound Clip Cards for Summer Preschool Theme
I’m always gathering up fresh ideas for preschool summer learning activities.
From summer sensory bins and outdoor learning activities to letter sounds worksheets and daily summer camp ideas, I’m always on the look-out for something new and different.
At our preschool, the summer session takes on a different schedule as most of our learning switches to fully play-based education ideas that are primarily outdoor activities. I think of all our normal preschool learning activities, like how to reinforce and teach beginning sounds in preschool, and think up creative way we can move that activity out into the sunshine.
These clip cards offer a few different summer themed beginning sound activities.
FAQ About Teaching Beginning Sounds
Initial sounds are the first sound in a word. They are also referred to as beginning sounds. When students understand that words are made up of sounds, they’re able to transfer this knowledge into their reading and writing and even learning sight words.
Sounds are not all learned at once, and it is easiest to teach beginning sounds because those come in the very first session. They are particularly important because they are the first step in teaching children how to listen for sounds in a word.
Teaching beginning sounds to preschoolers requires offering a lot of practice and hands-on activities. Activities for teaching beginning sounds should be highly visual. Be consistent when teaching the sounds, so students can take learned skills and quickly move from one sound to another.
Letters of the alphabet have varying degrees to difficulty in both listening and speaking. When introducing my preschoolers to beginning sounds, the Daily Lessons In Phonics Curriculum start with the letters and sounds that occur most frequently in the English language. These are easiest for children to learn due to their frequency, but also allow children to behind basic decoding drills if ready.
Related Reading
The above products are designed to be engaging activities for beginning sounds for kindergarteners and preschoolers, both! Same with these clip cards.
Summer Theme Beginning Sound Activities for Preschoolers
These clip cards teach initial sounds marked by clothes pins, but they can also be used in sensory bins, on scavenger hunts, and or course in your summer literacy centers. The preschooler matches the letter at the bottom of the card to the beginning sound of the picture above it.
Materials
- free clip cards
- clothes pins
The Set Up
Simply print out the summer themed clip cards on heavy card stock. Cut them apart. There are four to a page. And then set them on a tray with a bowl of clothes pins.
Beginning Sound Activities for Preschoolers
The idea behind these clip cards is simple.
- Select a card from the pile.
- Identify the picture on the card and its initial sound.
- Find the matching letter at the bottom of the card and use a clothing pin to clip it.
Using the clothes pin also help preschoolers develop their fine motor skills.
Here are some other fine motor activities for preschoolers.
Preschoolers may need help hearing all the sounds in words, but for this activity they really need to hear the beginning sound. This is a skill that requires practice for most children. Sometimes, small groups are necessary to review center activities and allow supervision for practice.
Each card has the name of the picture in the upper left hand corner. It’s written in small, light gray print, so most children won’t even notice it. The words are there to help guide the teacher. For example, on the letter x card, there is a picture of a box, since the /ks/ sound is only found at the end of a word.
The box is cleverly drawn on, which is a very summer-y thing to do, though. My kids are always keeping out boxes during summer vacation to make spaceships and tanks out of them. Right now, my son has a pool noodle duct taped to a box he has painted.
Get Your Free Beginning Sound Clip Cards Here
Think you need to add these cards to your favorite summer activities for kids? No need to conduct a science experiment! Your little one will love them!
Just fill out the form below and they will be sent to your inbox. Then keep reading for more summer activities for preschoolers.
More Summer Activities for Preschoolers
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Summer Math Bundle$35.00
I’m Sarah, an educator turned stay-at-home-mama of five! I’m the owner and creator of Stay At Home Educator, a website about intentional teaching and purposeful learning in the early childhood years. I’ve taught a range of levels, from preschool to college and a little bit of everything in between. Right now my focus is teaching my children and running a preschool from my home. Credentials include: Bachelors in Art, Masters in Curriculum and Instruction.
