KINDERGARTEN TUTORIAL LESSONS (Letter Bb): Fun Activities for the Kids
The Letter Bb:
The next letter that I am going to discuss is letter Bb.
B and D are often interchanged by the kids. You have to find a way for them to understand the letters and avoid confusion.
The best way to explain the shape of the letters is tell the kids that B has a stomach and D has buttocks. They will then understand that when they write B, they will put the bulge in front and if they write D they will put the bulge at the back.
Differentiate also the sound by saying that D is sounded with the tip of the tongue at the palate while B is sounded with both lips tightly pressed together.
This is my experience with letter B and D. Whether the kids are still writing the print type or the cursive type, there are kids who always interchange the two letters. I have several young kids who are still confused when writing B and D up to the first grade and a few kids who are still confused up to the third grade. There was this student of mine who is always at the top ten of her class when it comes to academic performance but she often writes b instead of d and I am wondering up to now why.
To start the lesson, let’s begin with the review lesson of the letters. We have covered already 5 vowels and 7 consonants so by this time; most of the kids are already well versed with the letters. It is time to test their abilities by giving them dictation of the letters.
Provide the kids with writing paper or a notebook with lines.
But before testing them, let’s look at the activities first for letter Bb that you can have with the kids.
The Problem with Bb:
The problem with letter Bb is that most kids confuse it with letter Dd. Even some in the grade levels up to third grade are still confused when they write Bb and Dd.
You can then explain the sound of Bb and Dd and the way they are written to avoid confusing the little kids.
The sound of Bb is buh buh buh with the lips tightly pressed together before forcing out the air to say buh.
You can also explain that Bb is written with the bulge in front like the stomach. While there are some kids who could hardly register these important facts about letter Bb, repetition could solve the problem.
Letting the kids pronounce the letter every day and letting them write the letter every day will help solve such problems.
Show and Tell:
Get all the things and objects that begin with Bb and show them to the kids.
Here are some things that begin with Bb:
- banana
- bag
- back
- basket
- bar
- bell
- belt
- bill
- biscuit
- bowl
- book
- buck
- bucket
- bud
- bun
- bus
- ball
- button
- balloon
- blouse
- blocks
- bat
Bb Objects Hunting:
When you have introduced letter Bb and taught them about the things that begin with Bb, you can introduce the kids a fun game that I’m sure they will enjoy.
I call this game, "Hunting for Bb Objects," since the kids will go hunting for objects that begin with Bb.
Get all the objects that begin with Bb. Scatter all these things around the room. The room must be big enough or spacious enough for the kids to move around. There should be no chairs or tables that can cause accidents. This should be done in a room that is used only for playing or better still outside the room in the playground if there is one.
This game is similar to Easter egg hunting but the kids must look for things that begin with letter Bb. You can guide them by telling them the things that they should look for.
Here’s how to do it:
- Group the kids into 4.
- Provide each group with a basket. Tell the kids that basket begins with Bb.
- Tell the kids to go and hunt for the things that begin with Bb. You can describe the things and let them look for it or you can name the things that they should be searching for.
- The group that can bring the most things in their basket will be declared the winner.
- Give each of the winners star for the achievement.
- Do not forget to give also something for the non-winners. Depending on what you use to rate the kids. Perhaps a star for the winners, and a flower for the non-winners. It depends on how you do it.
Further Reading:
- KINDERGARTEN TUTORIAL LESSONS: Fun Activities for L...
Teaching the letters of the alphabet has also some problems. Some kids are not only slow in recognizing the letters but there are some who have a hard time pronouncing the letters especially letter Ff. - KINDERGARTEN TUTORIAL LESSONS (Letter Dd): Fun Acti...
After a few weeks teaching the letters of the alphabet; you arrive to letter D. This letter could be fun and interesting since there are many things that begin with Dd. - KINDERGARTEN TUTORIAL LESSONS (Letter Tt): Fun Acti...
This is the 10th article that I wrote about teaching the letters of the alphabet. After 5 vowels and 4 consonants in a row, teaching the next letter is not anymore as hard as the first.
Dictation:
This is the first time that the kids will have dictation so you need to guide them as they go. First, explain to the kids that they will write the letter that you dictate and they should write the letter on the line provided for on their paper.
This is not a simple instruction to the young kids. Many would be confused and many would not be able to understand what they are doing. It is important to look at every child to see if they are able to follow you.
Don't worry, this is just the beginning and the kids will soon learn what to do.
Dictation:
The Syllables:
Be ready with the syllable flash cards that you will show the kids to read.
- ma me mi mo mu
- fa fe fi fo fu
- ga ge gi go gu
- sa se si so su
- ta the ti to tu
- da de di do du
- pa pe pi po pu
After the reading exercises, you can now introduce the b syllables and let the kids read them. Then the kids can copy the syllables too.
When dictating to young kids; the most important tip is to emphasize on the sound. This way the kids will be able to recognize the letter easier.
Of course, this activity is only for the older kids.
Sample Worksheet for B Syllables:
Always provide the kids with enough activities and exercises to do to enhance learning.
