I get lots of questions about my Alphabet Hat… are they easy, how much time to they take, can the kids do them, etc. So I thought I would show you a sample hat and let you try for free! (And you can also purchase at a discount for the next 7 days!)
My students always love hats! Let’s be honest.. it’s because I love making hats with them! Alphabet Hat are a great way for you to make something they will remember when thinking about the letter.
I always start by having the students write the letter on the sentence strip with a dark crayon. This is usually in place of a handwriting worksheet I would give them so it is 100% academic and no different then them just writing on a piece of paper! (Some I will preload with dotted lines if they need.)
Next step after they show me their letters on their papers is to color and cut out the pieces. They usually can do this on their own. I will have them either sit on the pieces that are theirs OR put them on their name tags. (They like to sit on them though because they feel they are doing something really bad by sitting on their work.)
After we color and cut, we glue them onto the sentence strip. Super easy right?
Each hat usually has some sort of cool factor. With this hat is the antennae’s. So I teach them to glue them to the top and then show them how to roll them with a crayon. Keep in mind… not all can do this on their own but I ask them to ask a friend at their table and usually someone can help the others out.
Last is stapling. You will want to do a double staple on the sentence strip to get them to stay good. Find a system that works for you. I typically ask them to stay in their seats and raise their hands when they are ready. They usually finish at such a staggered pace it’s ok.. but sometimes it can be overwhelming so you will have to have a good structure in place for what they can do when they are done and waiting (mine read books at this point in the year.)
And there you have it… a cute little alphabet hat they can take home, wear around school and adore to pieces!
This resource goes well with:
All in all… I take about 40-45 minutes to make my hats. I do this as part of my instruction because it has handwriting and initial sounds incorporated into it. It also is part of my center time (I just cut that short) and so it’s really never been an issue… but I understand some are like “WOW that’s a lot for a craft!!!” It’s not just a craft… it’s a meaningful activity that will help them remember the letters! DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE peoples!
And guess what… here is the letter C hat for you to give it a try for free!! I know you will love.
Sometimes I will copy the items onto construction paper and we will just write, cut, and glue. They tend to pop a bit more this way but with budge issues it’s not always the wisest choice. (Well.. and sometimes I want them to color and cut because it’s DAP and it gets me some time small group or one-on-one which is super important!)
Another thing this time of year that works well with your kinders is Alphabet Sorts. They should have good cutting and gluing skills and so this will also buy you some time to work with other students! My Alphabet Sorts comes with two simply to follow styles.
Style One is a single letter. So simple.. just color, cut, and glue the ones that start with the letter a and the letter A. When they are done they can draw more items (I encourage mine to use a picture dictionary to find other words!)
Prefer to shop individual resources?
Choose what you need from the Simply Kinder shop. These resources are also included with Simply Kinder+ Unlimited.
-
Letter Hats$4.00 -
Name Pattern Hats (Editable Name Craft)$4.00
-
Alphabet This or That Writing Prompts$4.00
-
Product on saleAlphabet Hats, Alphabet Crown CraftsOriginal price was: $10.00.$7.00Current price is: $7.00.
Second style is multi letter sorts. Same concept here but the students have to differentiate between the three letters. Color, cut, and sort onto your organizer!
Happy Alphabet-ing Everyone!
