One of the first words that your child will learn to read is their own name. So to kick start this year of Virtual Book Club for Kids we are starting with the theme of names featuring a fun picture book by Kevin Henkes Chrysanthemum as our first read aloud suggestion for you and your child.
Virtual Book Club for Kids Featured Book Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes
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With the this week's theme being Names we had no problems choosing a fun children's book to go with the theme from one of our favourite authors we have featured previously in the Virtual Book Club for Kids. Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes is about a little mouse called Chrysanthemum who loves her name... until she starts school then she doesn't as much. By the end of the story, however, she has bloomed into her name.
This is a great book to read aloud together and talk about names and if your children are anything like ours they will want to know what it means, how you decided on their name. What your names are? Are they family names etc...
Weekly Virtual Book Club Plans
Get ideas for activities, crafts and recipes based on popular themes and featured books straight to your inbox each week to inspire you to connect and create with your children
Name and Chrysanthemum Themed Activities for Preschoolers
We have picked 5 easy activities based on this theme. Pick the one that appeals to you the most, try a few or if you are looking for more structure for your days then check out our weekly suggested schedule and plan to try all 5.
Name Sensory Activity for the book Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes
Simple to put together this Name Sensory Bin is ideal. Set it up for the week and revisit it as often as your child wants.
Get together a storage bin and then some sensory fillers - in this example pasta was used but there are plenty of different sensory fillers you could add to the bin check out the different ideas on this list of sensory bin and tub fillers that you can easily find around the house. Some are messier than others so choose those which are you comfortable with.
Alphabet Letter Activity for the book Chrysanthemum
As some of the first letters in the alphabet your child will recognise, are those in their name.
Practising writing and tracing their name is a great way to teach them the letter forms and how to write them. Making your own sensory name that they can trace with their fingers helps them learn their name as well as how to write those letters correctly.
This example uses a hot glue gun - but if you don't have a hot glue gun make it with yarn and school glue instead this will produce the raised letters needed to trace as well.
Math Activity for the Theme Names
For this week's math activity we are going to build name rockets. This combination craft and learning idea is a fun way to make something that provides opportunities to learn with as well.
It's an opportunity to talk about different shapes - triangles and squares, count the letters that make up the name and even make a Mom one and compare which is bigger and which is smaller.
Name Themed Cooking Activity
If you like baking this is a fun activity to make your own set of alphabet cookies.
You can either use some alphabet cookie cutters or roll the dough to make the different letters. Once cooked you can make your child's name and use them for learning and building on their alphabet knowledge.
Art Activity for the Name Theme and Chrysanthemum
We have chosen a very simple Art Activity for this week's theme - creating a Tape Resist Name Art Work.
Although the instructions call for a canvas if this isn't something you have around the house construction paper works too.
More Name Books for Preschoolers
If you wish to add a few more books to your reading this week with your child then check out our 3 other book suggestions around the Name Theme this week.
A my Name is Alice by Jane E. Bayer
Andy That's my Name by Tomie De Paola
A Porcupine Named Fluffy by Helen Lester
Other Activity Plans You May Like
Connected to the theme of Names is our All About Me Activity Plan featuring the bright and colorful rhyming picture book I Like Myself by Karen Beaumont.
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