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This post has been co-written with Ben Wolfson, a full-time educator and assistant principal in the USA.
It’s always a good time to work with your kindergarteners on their alphabet knowledge. As with most kindergarten skills, the key to success is repeated practice and these cute alphabet wordsearch worksheets combine alphabet pictures with hunting for words in a grid and wraps up with traceable letters. Your students will quickly learn the format for each page, and they can work through the entire packet over the course of your letter introduction lessons.
Teaching The Alphabet With Multiple Modalities
The key to having students master each letter in the alphabet is to find different ways for them to explore the shape it makes. These alphabet wordsearch worksheets provide for three such modalities: firstly, students need to read the words at the bottom of the worksheet, using the alphabet pictures as a clue for each word. Next they need to find them in the grid which helps them practice letter by letter segmentations, and finally they need to engage in lowercase alphabet tracing to help them develop the muscle memory for writing each letter. They will enjoy being able to get to work on each letter page independently.
Preparing Alphabet Wordsearch Worksheets
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The best thing about these alphabet tracing worksheets is that they are ready to use in a matter of minutes. Simply download the packet, find the letter you’re working on and print a class set of pages. You should keep it at one worksheet per page so that the students will be successful with the traceable letters and you could laminate them if you’re planning on re-using the worksheets in future independent centers.
Extending Alphabet Tracing Worksheets
As with any independent tasks in your classroom, there will be students who master these alphabet tracing worksheets quickly. While their peers are still developing their skills, you can push these quick finishers with some of these extension activities:
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Write the words – the overall goal of any lowercase alphabet tracing task is to have students learn how to write the words independently. Have students work on a whiteboard to practice writing out the words from their worksheet, aiming for correct spelling and consistent letter sizing.
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Make up stories – you don’t have to use the worksheets just for alphabet work. Each page gives you six useful vocabulary words for students to put into their own practice. A simple task would be for students to come up with six sentences that use each word appropriately. A fun extension of this task is to have them create a story, either verbally or on paper that somehow incorporates all six words from their worksheet.
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Create their own worksheet – finally, you can help students build their vocabulary by having them construct their own version of the worksheet. The formulaic nature of each page means that they can learn the process quickly: find six words that start with the target letter and draw a picture for each one. They then will put the words into a grid and fill in the blanks with other words, then have a partner complete their worksheet!
