Kids learn best when they are having fun. I have found that my toddler is most excited to learn Gujarati when I associate the letters with fun activities or stories. That’s why each week we feature a Gujarati letter of the week, where we share activities and stories that are based on that letter. This week’s letter is ક.
Creating Corner:
First up is ક for Kamal (lotus).
Use contact paper to draw a kamal. If you don’t have contact paper, you can use construction paper, scrap paper, or even a newspaper!
Cut out the kamal and stick it onto a canvas. If you drew the kamal on something other than contact paper, you will have to stick it onto canvas using double sided tape so that the kamal is easily removable.
Have your toddler paint over the kamal. Make sure that they cover the entire canvas.
Peel off the contact paper or kamal and you will be left with an outline of a lotus on the canvas.
** If you don’t have a canvas, then you can use a thicker paper, like construction paper.
Next up is ક for Kaachbo (turtle).
Collect 4 oval medium-sized rocks, 1 round medium-sized rock, 1 oval large rock, and 1 round small rock from the park or your backyard.
Use a hot glue gun to glue the 4 oval medium-sized rocks to the longer sides of your oval large rock. These will be the four legs of the turtle.
Use a hot glue gun to glue the round medium-sized rock to one of the shorter sides of your oval large rock. This will be the head of the turtle.
Use a hot glue gun to glue the round small-sized rock to the remaining side of the oval large rock. This will be the tail of the turtle.
Draw a smiley face on the round medium-sized rock OR use a hot glue gun to glue googly eyes onto the rock.
Character and Quality Corner:
While learning letters is super important, learning character is even more important. So why not do both simultaneously? Associating letters with characters and qualities helps pique my kid’s interest in great historical figures while also allowing her to practice saying the letter out loud. Here are a few of my favorite characters and qualities that start with ક.
Characters:
ક for Krishna
ક for Kartikeya
ક for Kalidaas
Qualities:
ક for Krutagnata (gratefulness)
** One way I have found to help my kid learn gratefulness is by sharing 3 things that we are grateful for each night before we go to bed. (One of my kid’s favorite things to be grateful for is her pillow…don’t ask).
Storytime:
My kid LOVES stories. I have found that relating Gujarati letters to specific stories helps her associate the letter with more words and helps her practice saying the letter out loud. Luckily, there are lots of fun stories with the letter ક. Here are a few of my favorites:
Lord Shiva and the kaachbo (turtle)
The kaachbo and the bhagla (heron)
Check out these stories (and more) under the “Gujarati stories” tab on our website.
Word Salad:
The best way to learn another language is to hear as many words as possible. Here are just a few extra words to practice during the week that start with ક.
1. ક for Karchlo (Crab, કરચલો)
2. ક for Koni ( Elbows, કોણી)
3. ક for Kapaal ( Forehead, કપાળ)
4. ક for Kaatar ( Scissors, કાતર)