Early Literacy Activity of the Month (October 2006)

Making a Menu is an activity that you can do with one child or a group of children to help them become familiar with one of the many functions of print.

This activity is a beginning activity, for children who are just developing the skills needed to learn to read and write.

This is a print knowledge activity. Print knowledge refers to a child's understanding of books, printed letters and words. Some print knowledge skills are: recognizing printed letters of the alphabet, knowing that print carries a message and being aware of how books work.

My child is having trouble with this activity. How can I help?
If children are having difficulty with this activity, do the activity along with them. Discuss what a menu is, and why someone would need to use a menu. Talk about what kind of information would be useful to have on a menu. Then, look at the pictures of food along with the children, and help them to pick some out that they can put on their menus.

How can I make this activity more challenging?
After children have picked out the food items that they would like to include on their menus, children who are ready for more of a challenge can begin to write the names of the items on their menus. Encourage all attempts at writing, and remember that children may only be able to figure out a few of the sounds in each word.

New Resource! Download pictures of food to use with this activity here.

Making a Menu for one adult with one child, in English
Making a Menu for one adult with a group of children, in English
Making a Menu for one adult with one child, in Spanish
Making a Menu for one adult with a group of children, in Spanish