Instill an understanding of the sounds that are associated with letters with phonics art activities. Print letters on construction paper and provide the students with magazines and store circulars. Encourage the children to cut out images from the magazines and circulars that begin with the given letter and have them glue the images onto the paper, creating phonics collages. Alternatively, you could provide students with specific items that begin with the given letter and have them glue them to the paper; for example, green glitter for the letter "G."
Provide the students with colorful writing practice activities. Print letters or words on pieces of paper and offer the children different colors of finger paint. Encourage the kids to dip their fingers into the finger paint and trace over the letters written on the paper. You can also have the children spread finger paint on top of paper and then write different letters or words in the paint-covered paper. Have the children trace over letters or words with several different colors of markers, crayons or colored pencils, creating rainbow writing.
Teach children the difference between figures of speech and literal statements with drawings. Provide students with a figure of speech, such as "It's raining cats and dogs," and instruct them to draw both a literal and a figurative interpretation of the statement. In the given example, a child may draw a picture of heavy rain for a figurative interpretation and an image of cats and dogs falling out of the sky for a literal analysis. Display the works of art around the classroom or assemble them in a class book.
Explain alliteration to your students through art. Provide each child with a letter of the alphabet and instruct the children to think of an alliteration using the given letter. For instance, a child that has the letter "C" may come up with the statement "cats claw cucumbers." After thinking of an alliteration, encourage the children to write it on a piece of construction paper and then draw a picture that illustrates the statement. In the given example, the child could draw a picture of a cat clawing a cucumber. Collect the works of art and assemble them in an alliteration alphabet book.