KINDERGARTEN TUTORIAL LESSONS: Fun Activities for letter Zz

Always let the children recite the letters and the sound so that they will memorize the letters of the alphabet. This will be very helpful when it is time for the children to read words.

The best way to teach basic reading is to teach the sounds then guide the children to combine them and form the word.

So far, we have been using this method of teaching basic reading to young kids for several years and we observe that it is still the best method to use. When the children know the letters and sounds well it is more likely that they will be able to effectively read words.

This is of course true to kids who are learning English as second Language.

We are now in Letter Zz and two weeks from now, we will go to the next level of basic reading. That is why it is important that the children should know the letters, especially the sound of each letter.

Now, you can introduce the new letter which is letter Zz.

To start with; show Zz to the children, tell what letter you are showing and say the sound. The sound of Zz is like the bee buzzing; zzzzzzzzz-zzzzzzzz. Let the kids play with the sound before proceeding to show the objects that begin with Zz. You can only show a few objects that begin with Zz so you can use names and other words.

Here are some words that begin with Zz:

• zinnia
• zipper
• zip
• zeal
• zebra
• zebu
• zeppelin
• zero
• zest
• zigzag
• zoo
• zoom

The only problem in Z is how the kids write it. The children are often mistaken in the writing direction; that is instead of starting from left to right, they often start from right to left and end up writing letter S. Concentrate more on this problem because the sound is easier to understand. If you tell the kids that the sound of Z is like the bee buzzing; they will easily remember that.

The first thing that you should demonstrate to the children after introducing letter Z is how to write the letter Z with proper stroke or direction. Guide them to do it and teach them to follow the right stroke or direction. Emphasize on starting at the left so that they will get used to it.

The Zoo:

Zoo is always a fascinating and wonderful place for kids. With all the different kinds of wild animals, it a place loved by every kid.

You can think of an idea to fascinate the children when you teach letter Zz; that is using zoo as the model. Using just a shallow box and some rubberized or plastic animals; you can create a mini-zoo for the kids to amuse themselves.

Here’s what you can do:

Get a shallow box that is about a meter wide in size. Ask the help of the children. It is always better to ask the participation of the children when you are doing something. Get the kids to help you build the zoo. They will love this activity.

Put a green mat on the base that will serve as the ground. Get some brown and green straw and mix them together. You can also use yarn or hay as you wish. The purpose here is to make the zoo real for the young kids. Let the kids scatter the straw in the corners.

You can add some big real stones or some paper made stones (crumpled paper colored with brown or black that look like rocks or brown paper that are crumpled). Add other objects like artificial flowers and some small plants. You can even add plastic trees to make the zoo look real.

Now, you can let the kids put their wild animals in the zoo. Allow the kids to put the animals where they want. I’m sure the children will have a wonderful time building the zoo.

To further enhance learning, mention that zoo and zebra both begin with Zz.

That’s it, you have led the kids to explore and learn about letter Zz.