Letter J Activities for Preschool and Free Preschool Lesson Plan: J is for Job
While jobs might not sound that exciting to some, this preschool lesson plan is actually a ton of fun. We were lucky to have extra kids home during this lesson, and even my older kids enjoyed these “activities for preschoolers.” 🙂 These Letter J activities are part of our alphabet lesson plan series and are intended to help make your experience teaching preschool in your home easier, educational, and more fun.
The best part of doing preschool at home is the chance to teach my kids (and whatever buddies are with us) the things that really matter, laugh together, and shower them with love at this young and important age. My hope is that these lesson plans and activities help you in your efforts to do the same.
If you haven’t seen my quick tips for getting started with successful home preschool, check them out.
Use and share these plans to talk, sing, read, write, and play your way through the alphabet; these kinds of activities are the foundation of building strong readers. You can use our full lesson plans, or, of course, pick individual activities to do with the Littles in your life. I am also a budget-friendly Mama, so no worries there: our activities are always easy on the pocketbook. Now, let’s get to it!
This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience. By shopping through those links you support Lovin’ Life with Littles at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support! Read my Full Disclosure Here.
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
Gather on the floor for circle time and start with a welcome song. We have been singing, “Hello to All the Children of the World”. Each week we briefly spotlight one of the countries in the song. This week we learned a little bit about Italy, starting with finding Italy on the World Map.
Click image for purchasing information.
Here are a few fun facts about Italy for kids. I shared a couple that my Littles relate to or would find interesting, and then we practiced saying a few words and phrases in Italian, including colors. I really like this brief international focus each week as it keeps my kiddos aware of variety in traditions and languages.
Write: The Letter J with Yarn
I gave each child four pieces of yarn of different sizes. Their first task was to practice comparing sizes by lining them up from longest to shortest.
Second, I showed what a capital J and lowercase j look like, and we talked about how they are made with curvy shapes, a straight shape, and a dot.
Third, it was their turn to make an uppercase letter J and lowercase letter j using their yarn pieces. They did a great job of it!
Sing: The J Song
Sing and dance along to The J Song to introduce the sound of the letter J.
Afterward, we each tried to think of words that start with the letter J.
Write: Seek and Find Words that Start with the Letter J
In order to practice recognizing the letter J and words that start with J, we used this Letter J Seek and Find Free Printable.
Play: Jazzy J Cube
Our next activity was playing around with some other fun words that start with the letter J, beginning with Jazz Music!
We turned on some classic Charles Mingus Jazz Music and then took turns rolling our Jazzy J Cube to see how we should all move to the music. The kids loved jiving and jiggling around the room!
How to Make the Jazzy J Cube
I made a cube freehand (not bad, but a little lopsided!), but for you, I created a neat printable that makes the cube super simple to make.
- Print out the Jazzy J Cube Printable.
- Cut along the dotted lines.
- Fold along the solid lines.
- Tuck the tabs in and glue or tape them in place.
Read: McToad Mows Tiny Island by Tom Angleberger
J is for Jazz! It’s also for Job!
I put out a few of our magnetic letters, and we figured out the beginning, middle, and end sounds so we could spell the word job.
Then I showed the kids several of the books I got from the library, all about different jobs.
We read McToad Mows Tiny Island
Click image for purchasing information.
McToad has a funny job, but there are all kinds of jobs in the world.
Sing: Jobs Song for Kids
This simple Jobs Song for Kids goes through several occupations. Make-up little movements to act out the jobs as you sing and move along to the music.
Talk: J is for Job!
We discussed what a job is and some of the reasons people have jobs, such as to earn money and make a difference in the world. I asked each of the kids what they want to be when they grow up, and we talked a little bit about each of those professions.
This is a great chance to affirm the talents and interests of your Littles.
Play: Pretend Jobs
Everyone chose a job they wanted to pretend to have. After choosing, we gathered a few props and toys for our pretend game. Then everyone “went to sleep” before work.
When the alarm rang, everyone got up and went to work. We had a doctor, store manager, baker, and more, and we took turns working and visiting the different professionals for their services.
At the end of the “day,” I paid everyone some coins for their hard work.
Read: Little Critter: Just Saving My Money by Mercer Mayer
With coins in hand, we read Little Critter: Just Saving My Money
Click image for purchasing information.
Talk: Saving Money
We had a discussion about why it’s important to save money. To begin, I asked, “Is there something you want to save money for?” We talked about how it’s really smart to put some money into savings every time you earn money.
This segued really well into why it’s important to learn to wait for things in general. Patience is so important!
Related: 7 Steps to a More Patient Child
After talk, it was time to put it into practice.
We had a little shop set up with small things like snacks and erasers, where the kids could spend some of their coins and save the rest. This was also a fun way to sneak in some simple math.
Snack: Foods that Start with the Letter J
For our snack, we had Jam (and peanut butter) sandwiches shaped like a J. You won’t lose much sandwich if you put the rounded crust on the bottom and the flat bottom on the top.
Shaped sandwiches are always a big hit.
Other foods that start with the letter J include jelly beans, juice, jello, jerky, and jicama. Additionally, you can always pull out any food and have kids make it look like a J.
Sing: Goodbye Song
To finish, we reviewed our letter of the day and a few other ideas. Lastly, we sang our goodbye song and see you next week!
Our next preschool lesson will be Letter K is for Kite. I’m looking forward to it!
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!
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!
