• Home
  • About
  • Conference
    • California Kindergarten Conference
    • 2024 California Kindergarten Conference Exhibits
    • 35th Annual Young Children’s Art Exhibit
  • UPK Series
  • Workshops
    • Teachers Helping Teachers
  • Members Only
  • Educational Partner
  • Amazon
  • Join
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram

California Kindergarten Association.

Rockin' Kindergarten for over 30 years!

10 Easy, Hands-On Dollar Store English Language Arts Activities

Budget taken a beating?  Don’t have time for endless prep work?  Looking for low-cost hands-on ideas that will get your kids engaged and learning for less?  Look no further!  Here are ten easy hands-on English language arts activities – all using items you can find at your local dollar store!

 

1) Pipe cleaner letters.  Have your children bend pipe cleaners to make the target letters.  The best part?  They can be used again and again!

 

2) Upper case/lower case letter matching using plastic Easter eggs.  Have some Easter eggs left over?  Write the upper case letters on one half and the lower case letters on the other.  Children can work in a group to put the eggs back together.  Matching letters too easy?  Write sight words or rhyming words instead!

 

3) ABC scavenger hunt.  Hide a set of ABC flash cards around your classroom and turn your kids loose.  No ABC flashcards at your dollar store?  Use themed post-its (or regular ones with themed stickers).  When they’re all collected, stick them in order on a piece of chart paper to form a giant ABC chart.

 

4) Play dough letters/sight words.  Have your students mold the play dough to make the target letters/words.  You can guide them by first writing out the letters/words on construction paper and then laminating it (or sliding it into a plastic page protector).

5) Match the clothespin to the ABC bulletin board strip.   Turn an ABC bulletin board strip into hands-on learning fun!  Simply make matching clothes pins by writing a letter on the end of each one.  You could have the kids match upper case to upper case or lower case to lower case (say, at the beginning of the year), or make it more challenging by giving them lower case to match to an upper case strip or upper case to match to a lower case strip.

 

6) Match the magnet to the ABC wall strip. Alphabet wall strips are great for decorating your walls, but even better for making lots of quick, easy and inexpensive language arts activities.  You may want to laminate first for greater longevity.  Simply spread out the strip and hand a group of children a tub full of magnetic letters.  Makes a great floor activity!  (For more great ways to use magnetic letters, check out our Top Ten Ways to Use Magnetic Letters – Hands-On Kindergarten Reading and Writing Activities).

 

7) Sight word name plate match-ups.  Write the same sight word on each side of the name plate.  Cut in half in different patterns to create self-correcting sight word puzzles.  You could also make ones with the names of the children in your class.

8) Foamy stories.  Spice up story writing!  Give each child a foamy and let their imagination and crayons fill in the rest of the picture.  New theme?  Different foamy!

9) Sticker stories. Another great way to encourage your students’ love of writing!  Choose stickers that complement a theme, or provide a selection for students to choose one that interests them.  Either way, be prepared for a whole new level of excitement at the writing center!

10) Match the clothespin to the sight word written on bulletin board strips.  Not just for finishing off your bulletin boards anymore!  Choose strips that complement your theme.  Write a sight word on each item and a matching one on each clothes pin.  Makes a great floor activity.

Filed Under: Kindergarten Reading and Writing, Teaching Tips Leave a Comment

« Kaplan’s 2012 Transitional Kindergarten Catalogs
Learning to Move and Moving to Learn, Robin D. Reese »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest on Instagram

We hope you have a meaningful Yom Kippur! #ckalove We hope you have a meaningful Yom Kippur! #ckalovesteachers
Do you LOVE your team? Give your team a shoutout t Do you LOVE your team? Give your team a shoutout today! #ckalovesteachers
Just 110 days until #ckc2024! Check out our lineup Just 110 days until #ckc2024! Check out our lineup of Featured Speakers! Register today- link in bio 💙
Tomorrow is the first day of FALL! What do you lik Tomorrow is the first day of FALL! What do you like best about Fall? #ckalovesteachers
#ckalovesteachers #ckalovesteachers
Just 110 days until #ckc2024! Check out our lineup Just 110 days until #ckc2024! Check out our lineup of Featured Speakers! Register today....link in bio!

Latest on Facebook

California Kindergarten Association

23 hours ago

California Kindergarten Association
We hope you have a meaningful Yom Kippur! #ckalovesteachers ... See MoreSee Less

Photo

View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

California Kindergarten Association

2 days ago

California Kindergarten Association
Do you LOVE your team? Give your team a shoutout today! #ckalovesteachers ... See MoreSee Less

Photo

View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

California Kindergarten Association

3 days ago

California Kindergarten Association
Just 110 days until #ckc2024! Check out our lineup of Featured Speakers! Register today at: californiakindergartenassociation.org/californiakindergartenconference/#iteacktk #iteachfirst #earlychildhoodeducator #iteachk #ckalovesteachers ... See MoreSee Less

Video

View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

California Kindergarten Association

4 days ago

California Kindergarten Association
Tomorrow is the first day of FALL! What do you like best about Fall? #ckalovesteachers ... See MoreSee Less

Photo

View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

California Kindergarten Association

5 days ago

California Kindergarten Association
#ckalovesteachers ... See MoreSee Less

Photo

View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

Contact

Phone 916.780.5331
Fax 916.780.5330

Privacy Statement

Copyright © 2023 · Website Design By Jumping Jax Designs