Photograph the student of the week and the number of the week together on a digital camera. It is best to take the photographs a week in advance and use large, colorful letters in the photos. Use different colors for each letter. Monday, when the student of the week and the number of the week are announced, the student can affix the photograph onto a bulletin board in the classroom. Sing a song presenting the number of the week. Ask the student of the week to hold her number in the air during the song. At the end of the week, affix the photo to a photograph number line that you created with the photos along the wall. Students can enjoy them all year long. At the end of the year, parents will enjoy the photo as a memento from preschool.
Decorate the classroom's windows with window markers. Rotate the window number routine and display weekly so that the focus remains on the weekly number and the impact is more effective. You can allow students to draw the weekly number on the windows and a corresponding visual manipulative. For example, John may draw the number three and three balls. Wash the windows at the end of each week with window cleaner and paper towels.
Cookies create an effective number of the week position word activity. Cookies such as gingerbread men, where students can affix gumdrops, chocolate pieces or icing drops for buttons, are especially effective. The candy or icing additions should correspond to the number of the week. For example, if the number of the week is three, students can add three gumdrops to each cookie. Integrate the weekly number into a word activity. If the number is three, each student can drop three small teddy bear cookies into a cup of water, within a teacher-led demonstration of an action word, such as "plop," "splash" or "dissolve." Cookies such as gingerbread children are especially effective when used in number position word activities. If the weekly number is three, you can use a story board to demonstrate three bears beside a tree, under a bridge or behind a fox.
Preschool number activities learned at school can be enhanced when parents integrate the number of the week into daily activities at home. While they drive to and from school, ask parents to tell their children to count three buttons on his shirt or three cars. Parents can use the number of the week to put a new spin on food and to help their child eat healthier. For example, instead of asking a child to eat his carrots, try asking him to eat "three bunny bites."