Older preschoolers enjoy writing activities such as copying Bible verses and words. Teachers can introduce spelling to boys and girls with letter tiles or magnetic letters. Shopping at the grocery store provided an interesting product to use with preschoolers to spell Bible words—Scrabble crackers. (See illustraton.) Alphabet cereal is another product that can be used for spelling activities.
Supplies for Spelling Activity:
- Cheez-It Scrabble Crackers®
- paper plates
- white index cards and felt-tip marker
- allergy chart
Instructions for Spelling Activity:
1. Pour small amounts of crackers on paper plates.
2. Print words such as Bible, God, or Jesus on index cards. Prepare one card for print your name to suggest that a child can find letters to spell his name.
3. Post an allergy chart on the door about the crackers. Children will enjoy eating the crackers left on their plates.
4. Remind boys and girls to wash their hands before starting this activity.
Teaching Tips:
- Talk about the words printed on the cards. Encourage a child to choose a word to spell. If a child cannot find all of the letters, guide him to turn over a cracker to create a blank letter in the word.
- Say: “You are learning to read words. You will be able to read the Bible and learn that the Bible is true (John 17:17). The Bible helps us know about God and His Son, Jesus.’
Note: My favorite memory of this activity is when a boy chose thank you to spell with the crackers. After he spelled the words, he wanted to do it again. He had a puzzled look on his face as he searched for one of the letters. He knew he had just spelled the words, but he couldn’t find the letter he needed. I watched him, and then I heard him say, “I ate my K.” He continued and left a blank space for the missing K.
