Have you wanted to do an alphabet countdown for kindergarten, only to find that you can’t justify it based on your standards? I completely understand. I love alphabet countdowns but wanted something that was standards-based and academic for my students. That way, no admin would complain about doing the “fun activities” or “fluff” at the end of the year. I made an alphabet countdown for kindergarten to the end of the year that is fun and includes reading, math, and science!
Alphabet Countdown for Kindergarten
I love a fun craft, of course, that is on a hat or traditional craft but I went well beyond that. This is 26 days of jam-packed fun. We are talking phonics and letter review, fun read alouds with responses, math-themed connections with skill review, and a science experiment!
Each part included:
This is where you can insert a video tutorial. If you are not doing a video tutorial and choose to do a text & image tutorial, here is how it should be formatted:
1. Lesson Plans
These include suggested mentor texts but ANY books with that theme will work. At the time of this packet. All suggested titles are on Youtube.com via a search with the title and word “read aloud.”
2. Morning Work
This pack includes 26 sheets that can be used as morning work, bell ringers, extra work, or fillers throughout the day. I like to color patterns on them each day for an extra challenge.
3. Phonics Sheet
This pack includes 26 sheets that will include images that may contain the beginning, middle, or ending sound of the letter of the day. Students will color the picture if they hear the sound anywhere in the word.
4. Crafts
I have included several options. You have a simple color and cut hat that you can glue to a sentence strip. A single page color and cut craft or the traditional style craft along with a writing portion to integrate writing about the topic.
5. Story Response
This pack includes 26 simple response sheets that can be used with any mentor text. These will cover story elements such as character, setting, and BME retelling.
6. Math Mats
I like doing one whole group to review the concept and/or use them as partner work to save paper. I print 12 and put in plastic sleeves (2 students share) for collaborative time.
7. Math Worksheets
These relate to the theme via pictures and spiral through math concepts taught throughout the year.
8. Science Experiment
There is a simple/generic response sheet for each experiment. Directions are in the lesson plans and correspond with a fun science experiment that goes with the letter.
9. Extra Review Skills
There is a list of optional phonics skills to review corresponding letter days such as sneaky–e on letter e day. Etc. Oh, and handwriting. I forgot that one! and writing prompts!
WHEW! Now that’s an Alphabet Countdown for Kindergarten.
I seriously think this is my favorite product of all time. It may just be because I love end of the year countdowns 😉 I also made a digital edition (Google Classroom) for those that are fully virtual because there is no reason your kids should miss out on a fun countdown being virtual.
Exclusive Free Sample
Since you made it to the end of the post, you can sign up for an exclusive 5-day free sample of this countdown (printable version). An entire week of lesson plans and fun countdown activities. Click here for this awesome freebie!
If you want to see all the read aloud suggestions then check out this post!
