The write start - Jennifer Hallissy 2010

A-B-Centerpiece
Guidelines for the Activities

GROWING UP, during large family meals at Grandma’s house, we kids were not put at a kiddie table (though the idea was mentioned quite a bit). Instead we sat with the grownups, until long after we finished eating and had lost interest in the adult conversation.

What kept us all at the table? And relatively quiet? A magnetic letter board scrounged from Grandma’s half-empty toy box. Although many of the letters were missing, we spelled out silly messages to each other, often improvising by substituting one letter for another (a Z on its side can stand in for an N in a pinch, for example) or inventing creative spellings.

Believe it or not, this tradition continued into our young adulthood—our messages becoming cleverer using our college-level vocabulary. We even brought dinner dates to the table and inaugurated them into our silly word play.

Inspired by those gatherings at Grandma’s house, I made sure to incorporate a hands-on alphabet into my own family’s mealtime routine early on. You never know what will be spelled out at our table: names, food requests, dinner reviews (although I plead ignorance if anyone asks me how to spell “yuk”). There’s even the occasional silly sentiment, to remind me of the good old days at Grandma’s.

MATERIALS

∗ a full set of three-dimensional alphabet manipulatives (such as alphabet puzzle pieces, magnetic alphabet letters, alphabet blocks, Scrabble tiles, dry alphabet pasta, or alphabet beads)

HOW-TO

1. Set out the alphabet letters in an appropriate container in the middle of your table for your kids to discover.

2. Model using the letters by spelling out messages to your kids (such as, “Good morning kiddo!” or “Eat your veggies”), and then read and reinforce any messages they write back.

Variations

For Scribblers: For the littlest letter-learners, put a bowl of alphabet puzzle pieces (one of each letter) in the middle of the table. Encourage them to pick up the letters one at a time and “try out” the sound, or match them up to objects (“B is for banana”). Help your child to start identifying the different letters.

For Spellers: Children who are more familiar with letters and are starting to combine them to make words need more letters to work with. A basket of alphabet blocks helps children start to “build” their ideas.

For Storytellers: For children who are stringing their thoughts together into sentences, try setting out a dish of magnetic alphabet letters and a cookie sheet.

For Scholars: Interesting alphabet letters can motivate older children to practice their spelling words at the table. Try setting out a candy dish full of small, dry alphabet pasta; a trifle dish full of Scrabble tiles; or a plate full of alphabet beads and laces.

And here’s a little ABC 411, FYI. Did you know that the most frequently used alphabet letters are: E, T, A, I, N, O, and S? Make sure you have some extras of these letters on hand!