With all the excitement of receiving gifts this season, I wanted to create a literacy activity for my preschoolers that would take the focus form getting gifts to giving gifts. I did this by doing an “I Can Give…” predictable chart. It is just the Christmas literacy activity to teach the children not only about early reading concepts, but also about the spirit of giving.
I have to brag…I am a great gift giver. I’m one of those people who think all year about the perfect Christmas gifts for those whom I adore the most. I make them personal and sentimental. For example, one year before I had kids, I gave my husband a mountain biking themed Christmas. Everything in his stocking and everything under the tree was related to mountain biking, and each and every gift was the perfect combination of useful and enjoyable. From the mountain biking maintenance manual to the Giant brand mechanic’s shirt, the gifts were very well received, and my husband still remembers that Christmas very clearly.
Because, that was a time in our lives where my husband and I lived just minutes from some of the best mountain biking trails in the state, and we literally went every single day.
Teach Preschoolers the Spirit of Giving This Christmas
But here’s the thing. Physical and tangible gifts are awesome, but so are those gifts that are not material.
And that is what I wanted to teach my preschoolers this Christmas season.
You see, preschoolers are incredibly generous. My daughter, who is four, really wants to get me LASIK surgery for Christmas, because she hears me complain about having to wear contacts. My son wants to give me a string of pearls, because pearls are basically the only jewelry I wear, and he knows I love them so. But let’s be honest, no preschooler can afford such extravagant gifts, no matter how badly they want to give them.
So I wanted to teach my preschoolers the power of giving. I wanted them to understand that the spirit of giving doesn’t have to be tangible gifts that use up all their hard earned savings.
To do this, I created a Christmas predictable chart where we wrote down things we could give. And I wanted to stress to my preschoolers that some of the best and most thoughtful gifts didn’t require any money at all, but would still be treasured for years and years.
I Can Give Predictable Chart
To learn more about this Christmas literacy activity that also teaches the spirit of giving during the holiday season, jump on over to Preschool Spot where I walk you through the entire activity in detail.
FREE Vocabulary Cards
To complete the spirit of giving literacy activity, you may want these the Family Vocabulary Cards. I used them to teach my preschoolers names of family members they may want to give gifts to this Christmas, but they are also helpful in teaching an All About Me theme. I made sure that these vocabulary cards were diverse in the images, because I wanted my preschooler to have the freedom of choosing a picture the resembled their special family member.
Download your free cards by clicking the giant red button below!
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I am Sarah, an educator turned stay-at-home mama of five! I am 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 range of levels, including preschool and college, and a little bit of just about 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
Pennie says
December 9, 2015 at 6:41 pmWhat a great activity to help children develop their spirit of caring for others.
Sarah Punkoney says
December 9, 2015 at 7:04 pmThanks! It was a good lesson for my preschoolers to learn that it’s fun to give, but it doesn’t have to be something bought with money.