Zz is for a zany zebra

Explore lines and build fine motor skills with this fun letter recognition activity!

The end of our school year is approaching much too quickly and we have come to the end of our year-long study of each letter of the alphabet. Today’s letter is brought to you by letter Zz for zany zebra…

Practicing Letter Recognition

Our year-long alphabet study doesn’t guide all we do in our classroom on any given day or week but it does give us the chance to take our time exploring the sound and formation of each letter a little more closely…

After introducing the letter Zz during circle time, the children explored the process of creating zebra stripes and cutting out their own “zebra” or any other shape they ended up with…

Beginning the Process

To begin, the children used black tape (or blue) to create zebra stripes on a sheet of white paper…

Building Fine Motor Skills

The stripes could go any way they wished across their paper. The children had to focus on the skill of cutting the tape, keeping it from getting all bunched up, and then placing it in lines on their paper…

Once the children were satisfied with all the zebra stripes they had on their paper, they were ready to cut out their zebra striped shape…

Adding Details

Some of the children also took the time to add other features like eyes with markers…

The completed zany zebra pictures came in all shapes and sizes…

Embracing Creativity

The thing to keep in mind was that this was all about exploring the process of making lines and cutting shapes. The children were not hung up on making a zebra although I have titled this “zany zebra” as my own way of referencing the idea. I encouraged the children to cut out a shape that they thought would be interesting or fun after they finished their lines. The children were quite fascinated with how they could make the lines first and then cut the shapes around or over the lines…

By the way, the tape we used for this process was very easy to tear plastic tape purchased at Office Depot!

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Deborah J Stewart

Deborah J Stewart

Every time I think I know everything I need to know about teaching young children, God says, "Hold on a minute!" and gives me a new challenge.

Let me tell ya...

With each new challenge that you overcome, you will find yourself better equipped and more passionate about teaching young children.

God didn't call wimps to lead, teach, or care for His children. Nope, he has high expectations, so get ready. You will have to give your very best but after teaching for over 30 years, I can tell you that it is a wonderful and rewarding journey.

Whenever your calling feels hard, just remember, 'He who began a good work in you (and in the children you serve) will be faithful to complete it.'

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