Many of you have seen these letter vests demonstrated at my workshops and have been excited about using them in your classroom. They're easy to make and can be used in a wide variety of ways to engage children in making letter/sound connections.
My BRILLIANT webmaster (Alex May) has created
the whole alphabet so all you have to do is download the letters and glue
them to the file folders. He's created a separate set with just the outline
so you can let your students color them in or decorate them with collage
materials. Kiss your brain, Alex!
Materials:
• colored file folders
• copies of alphabet letters
• string
• glue, scissors, and hole punch
Directions: Cut the file folders in half. Punch 2 holes in the top of each half
and thread a 30” piece of string through the holes as shown. Knot ends. Glue an uppercase letter
on one side and the matching lowercase letter on the other side. Have children
put the letter vests over their head and wear like a sandwich board as you do
the activities below.
Hints!
• Put a star, sticker, or smiley face on the side with the lowercase letters so children will know which one to wear in front. You could also use a picture symbol or glue the manual sign for the letter on the front. Click photo for larger image.
• You might want to make consonants on one color (blue) and the vowels on
another color (red).
• When you have completed activities with the vests, collect them in
alphabetical order and store in a large zip bag.
Activities: Use the vests to enhance alphabetic knowledge, phonics, and high
frequency words with the songs and games on the following web pages. Be sure to check
all of them.