Kookaburra sits in the ol gum tree! A classic song great for Australia month! And a fun animal to learn about for the letter “K”. This letter recognition activity for preschoolers is another addition to our letter book series, but can also be made as a standalone activity. If you are looking for other Australia activities check them out here.
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What you need for this letter recognition activity:
- Large paper
- Construction paper
- Paint
- Waterproof marker
- Scissors
- Glue
How to make the kookaburra Letter Recognition Activity:
First, Draw the kookaburra.
First, draw a large oval for the body.
Next, draw a circle on top of the oval for the head.
Add a beak onto the side of the head shape.
Add a triangle to the bottom of the oval body for the tail.
Draw another oval on the body oval for the wing.
Draw an eye on the circle head.
Add any final details, like a line in the beak and feet.
Paint the Kookaburra.
Using tempera or watercolor paint, paint the Kookaburra. Show your preschooler a picture of a kookabura and talk about what colors they see. Encourage them to use these colors to paint their bird.
It’s okay if they don’t stay in the lines, don’t expect this. We will be cutting out the bird anyway.
Add Texture to the bird.
Remind your preschoolers that kookaburras are birds so they have feathers. Using the back of a paintbrush, show them how they can make patterns in the still wet paint of their bird that can look like feathers.
Paint the “K”.
While you wait for your kookaburra to dry, paint the “K”. Your preschooler can add texture to it the same way as they did the bird.
As they paint the “K”, talk about the letter and the sound that it makes. Have them trace over the shape of the letter with their paintbrush to get more familiar with what it looks like.
Cut and Glue.
Cut out both the bird and the letter and glue them to the large piece of paper.
Talk about where Kookaburras live in Australia and how they live in trees. While you discuss this and look at pictures, tear out or cut green paper for the leaves of the trees. Then allow your kiddo to glue the “leaves” around the Kookaburra so they have somewhere to live! Let them use their creativity and enjoy the process!
Check out our other Letter Recognition Activities!
