It all started with a cookie sheet. I was observing a student in a kindergarten classroom during literacy center time and in one of the centers the teacher placed magnetic letters on a cookie sheet and the students made words with the letters. Clever– I’ve seen cookie sheets on Pinterest before and really hadn’t paid much attention. After leaving the classroom I wondered how many activities can I come up with using a simple cookie sheet. So my weekend started with a trip to our Habitat for Humanity Restore- hum, no cookie sheets. No luck at Goodwill and no luck at the Salvation Army. Couldn’t believe it. So I traveled over to Walmart and they had cookie sheets for only 88 cents! I purchased two and a can of Rust-Oleum navy blue high gloss paint for metal. You really don’t need to paint the cookie sheets, but I have a thing for color coordination.
First use of my newly painted cookie sheet: ABC Order. In this activity, the students are given magnetic letters and they simply put the letters in order. For students who will have difficulty putting all the letters in order, differentiate the activity by placing several letters in strategic positions on the cookie sheet first. I purchase my magnetic letters online from Banks School Supply as I like the shape of the letters. Magnetic letters purchased at the dollar store work great.
Click the link to download a template of upper and lowercase letter templates. Cookie Sheet Challenge ABCOrder Upper- and Lowercase Letters
Second use of my newly painted cookie sheet: A Rhyming Activity. I had old business card magnets (you know the kind where you peel off the sticker and stick on a business card for a refrigerator magnet). I was able to cut 15 small magnets from each card and stick them on the back of the pictures.
Click the link to download two rhyming templates with pictures. Cookie Sheet Challenge Rhyme Activities
Third use of my painted cookie sheet: A Word Building CVC Activity. Using those same plastic magnet letters, students build CVC words.
Click the link to download two word building activities with and without the printed words. Cookie Sheet Challenge Making Words Activities
Still a lot of paint left in my paint can! I am on a mission. We’ll see how many more activities I can develop until my paint runs out. Stay tuned!
If you find that you like the Cookie Sheet Challenge activities, click HERE . You can find the full 41 page version of volume 1 in my TpT store.
Here are other versions of the Cookie Sheet Activities:
Cookie Sheet Activities Volume 2: Number Order, Number Concepts
Cookie Sheet Activities Volume 3: Sight Words
Cookie Sheet Activities Volume 4: Beginning Sounds and Short Vowels
Cookie Sheet Activities Volume 5: Consonant Blends and Digraphs
Cookie Sheet Activities Volume 6: Word Families
Thank you very much for these activities. I will use with my kidos.
Elena Gruwell
Thank you for sharing your awesome job.
Thanks for sharing these activities! I am headed to your TPT store to buy the pack!!!
Thank you so much for sharing.
I am a new follower. Found you through Pinterest. I LOVE LOVE LOVE your cookie sheet ideas! Cookie sheets are the best! Check out my blog if you get a chance 🙂
Lori @ Cachey Mama’s Classroom
Hi Lori- went over to your blog and now following- love your ideas and your blog name. Last time I went geocaching I stood in a patch of poison ivy! Fun anyway
I’m so GLAD I found your blog! 🙂 Stopping by through the Blog Hop at Math Coach’s Corner. I love these trays – you’ve been pinned!
~Bekah @SonshineTotSchool.blogspot.com
Thanks, Rebekah, I loved making them too!
what a great idea! Definitely adding this to our collection, thanks!
This is great! Where did you get your letter magnets from? Thanks.
I purchased them online through Banks School Supply. If you google Banks School Supply and then search for magnetic letters, you can find them. Sorry, I should have left the link on the post.
Thanks!
Could you please tell me the order number for the letters and numbers you use to order the magnetic letters from banks school supply. There are so many to choose from and I am trying to do my school budget. I would appreciate your help. Thanks
Hi Barbara- I sent you a direct link via email. Here is the link for the uppercase letters. The lowercase letters look just like this.
http://banksschoolsupplycatalog.com/31_upper_case_magnetic_letters_assorted_colors-p-10059446.html
Great ideas! Thanks for the share!
Shannon
Kindergarten Hoppenings
Love this idea…. upgrading my centers.. love finding centers that can be self checked and need no extra papers for me to collect. Engaging and interactive…love it.
What size letters did you purchase?
Hi Gena- I purchased the letters online at Banks School Supply and I think they only had one size. They are about 2″ in height. They are the same size as the ones you find in a dollar store or in an asile in a grocery store (those work, too). I just like the shape of these letters.
I went to Banks to order the magnetic letters, but the are several kinds. Do you have an order number that might make it easier to find? I have purchased 2 of your Cookie Sheet Act. I love them. They make great centers or interventions. Thank you for your help!
This is such a clever activity, I really LOVE it!! Thanks for sharing. Im going to make a numbers one as well – endless possibilities!
Hi Kathy- thanks for leaving a comment. Cookie Sheet Challenge Volume 2 is Early Number Concepts. It’s on my TpT store and I have a blog link to it too.
Love these!!! I’m sharing one of your pictures along with your link with my readers. These will be great for my kiddos! The dollar store magnets are the perfect size.
Blessings,
Alyson
I love these activities! I can’t wait to get them ready for the fall!
Thanks for sharing! I know the kids will love them! 🙂
Chris
Thank you!
Love this! thank you so much 🙂
What fabulous ideas! Thank you for sharing them!! 🙂 I’m a new follower!
http://littlemissglamourgoestokindergarten.blogspot.com
Love your ideas thanks foe sharing!! Do you actually glue each activity on the cookie sheet or do the kids pick an activity and lay onto sheet! 😉
Do you laminate the worksheets before using? Just wondering if the magnets would work through the thickness.
I haven’t laminated them, but I’m pretty sure the magnets would work. For sure if you use button magnets instead of cutting the business cards-they are pretty strong. Julie
Thank you. You sure make it sound so easy to make these worksheets. Love them and will likely paint my cookie sheets, as well.
Love the cookie sheet activities. Thanks for sharing!
You certainly make my life easier! I appreciate that AND YOU!
I can’t wait to use these in my kindergarten classroom! Question: Did you print these on legal paper? Thanks!
Hi Dawn- the templates are printed on regular sized office paper. The pics, however, are printed on cardstock.
Thanks so much for the ideas! Can’t wait to try them in my classroom! I am bound and determined to have my kids kindergarten ready.
Thank you so much for the rhyming and letter cookie sheet activities!!
The cookie sheets you bought from Wal-Mart, what kind of metal are they?
Thanks!
Kourtney
I’m not exactly sure what kind of metal. Just normal cookie sheets– the brand is MainStay.
Thanks for sharing these amazing teaching tools. My kids are going to have so much fun working with them.
These are AMAZING!!! So excited to use them during my K centers. Thank you so much for making these accessible to all. 🙂
Thanks so much for the sweet comment. Glad you like them.
Thank you so much for your templates and ideas! I do home visits and so these are great to do one on one with little minds! 🙂
Thank you so so much for sharing!!!!!
Thanks for these magnet activities. My pre-k students will love these at center time.
Thanks so much for the free activity sheets! I’ve already been using cookie sheets with my son with various activities that I make up from what we have. He loves anything that is magnetic! Again, thank you.
Thank you so much for the rhyming cards and pictures for the cookie sheets. We will be working on rhyming in depth this trimester and it’s nice to have an activity that is not worksheet based.
So glad they’ll work for you. Enjoy 🙂
Hello! I love this idea, thank you so much! Would it be ok to lamiate the sheets?
Absolutely you can laminate the sheets. They’ll work just fine.
Thanks so much for the cookie sheet freebies. My students are just now realizing that they can make words. This will help them and make them feel so smart.
My 3 year old would LOVE this idea! It is going on my list for learning boxes for my self-learning a-b-c lover.
I blog at Teachers of Good Things and this is the kind of ideas my readers would love! Please come and linkup on the Tender Moments with Toddlers & Preschoolers with this idea. Here is the link for the current one: http://teachersofgoodthings.com/bowling-pins-for-toddlers-and-preschoolers/
It is EVERY Thursday and your posts would be very welcomed in our link ups.
I’m heading to share this pin in our Toddlers & Preschoolers board.
Thanks Dollie, I will certainly check it out and link up on Thursdays.
Love this!!! Did you glue the printouts on the cookie sheets? If so, did you laminate first and what glue?
THANK YOU I really appreciate your time and effort that have now saved me time and effort. I promise…I paid it forward in the first 20 years of my teaching career. 😉