E is for Ears! Letter E: Preschool Activities and Lesson Plan

Hello! Today we are exploring the letter E! There is a lot of fun happening here with reading books, singing songs, playing games, and more! We’re going to learn about the sense of hearing because all of these activities are part of the free preschool lesson plan Letter E is for Ears!

This is part of our alphabet lesson plan series, and the second in our set covering the five senses. Last time we learned about D is for Delicious! I hope these plans are helpful for you as you plan full preschool lessons at home or if you are just looking for some fun, educational, and budget-friendly activities for kids. Come along as we talk, sing, read, write, and play our way through the alphabet!

This post contains affiliate links. By shopping through these links you support Lovin’ Life with Littles at no additional cost to you. Thank you for that support! Here’s the full disclosure.

Visit the Preschool Lesson Plan Index to see what free plans are published or in the works!

Update: You can now get ALL of the Alphabet Lesson Plans, Checklists, and Printables, (plus Bonus Ideas and 75+ exclusive preschool printables!) all in one budget-friendly digital product…A to Z and Beyond! Preschool Curriculum.

INTRODUCTION to Preschool Lesson Plan Letter E is for Ears!

Sing the Welcome Song. As we sing “Hello to All the Children in the World” each week, we are learning greetings in different languages. Today we started talking about those languages with the first in the song, “Bonjour!”

We found France on a world map, comparing it to where we live. I shared a few facts that I knew Little #3 would find interesting, including personal ones such as who he knows that has lived in France and what Dad and I saw when we visited. We also practiced saying some other French phrases.

Click image for purchasing information.

WRITE: Letter E in Squishy Bag

I introduced E as our new letter for the day. We looked at the capital and lowercase E’s and talked about making them with straight shapes and curvy shapes. While tracing the three lines on the capital E, I said, “One, two, three, rhymes with E.” This helps distinguish E from F.

We used a squishy bag to practice tracing the big and small E’s. To make a squishy bag together, mix about 1 cup of flour with 6 tablespoons of water. Adjust the amounts to reach your desired consistency. Add food coloring if you want to. Next, write the letters you want to trace on the outside of a Ziploc bag, and then pour the mixture into the bag. Release any extra air, and zip it shut tightly. Now it’s ready!

You can trace with your finger or very gently with a writing utensil. After tracing the E’s, we flipped the bag over and practiced writing E without help. Then we wrote a few other letters. Little #3 loved the feel of the bag.

One note on the squishy bags is that they won’t last forever. They will eventually get stinky. So don’t put it together too far in advance of when you want to use it, and keep track of it after.

READ: Erin and Her New Pet

I introduced the sound of E (long and short) by reading and reviewing the book Erin and Her New Pet: The Sound of Short E (Sounds of Phonics) by Joanne Meier.

Click image for purchasing information.

Erin and her pet Penny go for a walk where they hear and meet “e” creatures. This book is a great introduction to the sound of short e.

PLAY: Beginning Sounds Letter Sort

I gathered several objects that begin with the first five letters of the alphabet into a bag. I taped each letter A-E on a wall (you could also put them on the floor). Little #3 pulled objects from the bag and sorted them to the correct letter according to their beginning sounds.

This is a difficult activity, and Little #3 definitely needed help. A simpler version is sorting by whether or not the objects begin with E.

TALK: E is for Ears! Sense of Hearing

Are there any body parts that begin with E? How about elbow, eyes, or ears? Last week we learned about the sense of taste. Today we are learning about ears and the sense of hearing.

We talked about what kinds of sounds we can hear. What can we learn from different sounds? What would it be like if we could only hear and not see? We closed our eyes and talked about some of the sounds we could hear like an ambulance, the clothes dryer, and our own breathing. Do you know how your ears work?

READ: Ears Are for Hearing

We read Ears Are for Hearing (Let’s Read and Find Out Science Book) by Paul Showers.

Click image for purchasing information.

This was a great introduction to how ears work with basic pictures accompanying understandable and correct explanations.

SING: Do Your Ears Hang Low?

We got silly as we sang the classic “Do Your Ears Hang Low?“

TALK: Good Listening Skills

Good listening skills are important for being polite, learning in school, and understanding others. We discussed how good listening skills include eye contact, being quiet and still, and paying attention.

PLAY: Simon Says

We practiced being good listeners and following directions by playing Simon Says. We took turns being Simon.

READ: Mole Music

One of the most beautiful things we can hear with our ears is music. We read Mole Music by David McPhail.

Click image for purchasing information.

I love this book. The message teaches of persistence, while the illustrations are captivating and tell their own story of the good music can do when it touches hearts, and how our actions have far-reaching effects even if we don’t know it. Besides, who doesn’t love moles?

PLAY: Ribbon Dance

Mole learned how to play the violin, and it helped other people feel joy. We can also feel joy when we hear beautiful music. We danced to violin music like mole’s with a simple version of ribbon wands…leftover birthday streamers! I love to introduce my kids to classical music. Doing some kind of fun movement like this at the same time is a good way to do that.

As we started the next activity, Little #3 suddenly got REALLY grumpy! When I asked him what was wrong, he emphatically stated, “I’m starving!” I agree that it is hard to concentrate when one is starving. 😉 (I do not think the word “hungry” is in children’s vocabulary; it is always “starving.”) Anyway, we went ahead and ate our snack here.

Eat: Foods that Start with Letter E

Some suggestions for snacks that start with the letter E are edamame, eggs hard boiled, pretzel sticks that can make capital E’s, or if it is last minute, anything you Eat. 😉

PLAY and WRITE: Instrument Guessing Game

I made an Instrument Guessing Game Free Printable (included in FREE LESSON PLAN CHECKLIST) to go with this instrument video I found on YouTube. I like this video because of the variety of instruments like bagpipes and harmonica.

Little practiced writing numbers as he listened and guessed the order of the instruments. Afterward, you could circle the instrument you most want to learn how to play.

Guess that Instrument is included in the FREE LESSON PLAN CHECKLIST. Click link to have the checklist sent to your inbox.

PLAY: Create Musical Instruments

We gathered miscellaneous materials from the recycle box, kitchen, and craft supplies.

Little #3 used his imagination to create instruments of his own. I loved watching him engineer. He thought of using water and experimented with it in a couple of his instruments.

We ended up with many instruments making all different sounds. You could also use items such as spoons, boxes of noodles, pots, etc. to make a “house band.”

Read: Elmer’s Special Day

One animal with big ears is an elephant! We like the story of Elmerby David McKee.

Click image for purchasing information.

This book is about a patchwork elephant who learns to be happy being himself. Another great elephant story with much the same moral is Disney’s Dumbo. But bonus! Elmer’s name starts with an E! We had read Elmer more recently though, so we read a sequel, Elmer’s Special Day.

Click image for purchasing information.

In this book, the animals are all getting ready for the elephant parade. Elmer solves a problem along the way and the animals learn it’s better to include everyone.

Write: Elmer Color by Letter

After reading the story, Little #3 made an E to match Elmer using this Color by Letter Patchwork E Free Printable (also included in the FREE LESSON PLAN CHECKLIST). He also traced the capital E’s.

Elmer’s Patchwork E Printable is included in the FREE LESSON PLAN CHECKLIST. Click the link to have the Checklist sent to your inbox.

Sing: Goodbye Song

We finished our preschool fun for the day by quickly reviewing what Letter E looks and sounds like. Lastly, we sang our goodbye song, and see you next time!

Hopefully we’ll see YOU next time as we continue learning about the senses with smell and F is for Fragrance!

Leave a comment to let me know what activities your Littles are enjoying, what types of posts you’d like to see, or any other questions or thoughts you have.  I love hearing from you. Share pictures on social media using #lovinlifewithlittles. Thanks for visiting and Happy Preschooling!

Pin this for Later!

This post may be shared at some or all of these link parties that I love.

Do you like what you’re reading?

Subscribe to receive more great tips, free downloads, and inspiration to simplify your parenting life. Following by email is the best way for us to help each other. And don’t worry…I hate spam too!