LETTER G -- Giving and Gratitude
This week we are learning the letter G, and our theme is something close to our hearts as a community: Giving & Gratitude. Young children naturally notice kindness — a friend sharing a toy, a grown-up offering help, someone holding open a door. When we slow down to name these moments, children begin to understand what it means to give, to receive, and to appreciate the people around them. Gratitude grows through experience, and preschoolers learn best when they can see, hear, touch, and practice it in their everyday lives.
The letter G opens the door to wonderful conversations about goodness, generosity, and the gifts we give one another simply by showing up with care.
Letter Sounds and Our Zoo-Phonics Friend
Our Zoo-Phonics friend for G is Gordo Gorilla. Children curl their arms in front like a gorilla and make the hard /g/sound: “g-g-g.” This embodied motion helps children remember that G often sounds like goat, girl, gate, gift, and give. Later, children will also learn G’s soft sound (as in giraffe), but we begin with the foundational hard G.
If your child enjoys phonics songs, this simple and gentle video is a helpful way to reinforce the sound at home: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sg0FvfP0wS8
How We Form the Letter G
Using Learning Without Tears, we teach uppercase G as “big curve like a C, then a little line in.” Lowercase g begins with “magic c,” then goes up a bit and down into a tail that curls. Children often delight in forming that tail — one of the first loopy strokes they encounter in handwriting.
We practice writing G using crayons, markers, and sensory play. Tracing G in sand, salt, rice, or even finger paint gives children time to feel the shape before putting pencil to paper. Families who enjoy exploring handwriting at home can find ideas and printables here: https://www.lwtears.com/resources
Theme Connection: Giving & Gratitude
As we explore giving and gratitude, we talk with children about the everyday moments when kindness shows up: someone helping zip a coat, a friend sharing markers, or a teacher offering a comforting word. Listening for these moments helps children notice the goodness already surrounding them.
In the classroom, we might read stories such as The Thank You Book by Mo Willems or Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña, which remind us that gratitude is often about seeing beauty in ordinary things. Children may draw pictures of something they’re thankful for, create simple “kindness cards,” or take turns sharing ways they can help at school.
At home, families might enjoy starting a small gratitude ritual — asking, “What was one good thing from today?” or reading books together that celebrate generosity. The website Doing Good Together offers wonderful family resources for nurturing kindness: https://www.doinggoodtogether.org/bhf/blog
Kindergarten Readiness Skill: Prosocial Skills (WaKIDS/GOLD Objective 2)
This week’s readiness skill focuses on prosocial behavior — the ability to help, share, cooperate, and show empathy. Preschoolers are just beginning to understand that their actions can affect others, and themes like giving and gratitude give them real-life practice in noticing those connections.
When children help a classmate clean up, share crayons during art, or comfort a friend who feels sad, they’re strengthening social-emotional skills that support their transition into kindergarten. At home, you might invite your child to choose a simple way to help — placing napkins on the table, holding open a door, or drawing a picture for someone they appreciate.
If you enjoy exploring social-emotional learning resources, Zero to Three has an excellent collection for families:
https://www.zerotothree.org/early-development/social-emotional-development
Continuing the Learning at Home
The letter G is wonderfully easy to spot in your everyday routines. Try looking for Gs in grocery labels, signs, or book titles around the house. You might bake something together and talk about the word “give” as you share it with a neighbor or family member. Even noticing the small gifts of nature — sunlight on the floor, a bird outside the window — can spark conversations about gratitude.
Thank you for helping us nurture a spirit of giving within our preschool community. These early lessons about kindness and appreciation will continue to grow in your child long after the leaves have fallen and the alphabet song has been sung a hundred times.
