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 થ.
Creating Corner:
First up is થ for થડ (thada, trunk).
Let's bring થડ to life by making our very own tree!
Grab a toilet paper roll. This will be the trunk of your tree.
Cut 1 inch slits on one end of the paper roll. Bend these strips outward and glue them onto a piece of cardboard. These will be the roots of your tree.
Cut out an orange/brown circular piece of paper and glue it to the other end of your paper roll.
Go outside and collect some leaves and sticks. Glue these to the top of the paper roll (or stick the end of the leaves through the circular piece of paper).
Next up is થ for થાળી (thaali, plate).
A thaali can be used for so many different things. You can use it to serve up dinner or do aarti. But today, we are going to use them to learn!
Grab a thaali. If you don't have a traditional steel one at your house, that's okay. You can use a glass plate instead. Just make sure the plate has raised edges.
Place kumkum or turmeric on the plate. Make sure you use enough to cover the bottom of the plate.
Use a q tip or your finger to practice writing the letter થ and other letters.
Once you are done practicing letters, you can draw the letter ૐ on the thaali and do aarti!
Last up is થ for થેલી (theli, bag)!
Grab a brown paper bag.
Cut two small holes at the top of the bag (the open end).
Tie a string through the two holes. This will be the strap for your bag.
Decorate the bag! You can use stickers, markers, glitter or whatever you have lying around. Be creative with it. Or if you are really in the learning mood, then you can decorate the bag with the letter "થ" or other letters like we did!
Activity time:
Let's play થોબો (thobo, stop/pause)! Let's exercise our bodies along with our minds with this fun game. This is very similar to the American game "freeze dance". Essentially, shout out an exercise for your kid to do. Then shout out થોબો and have them freeze! If they forget to freeze or move, then they are out!
Here are a few examples of exercises you can have your kid do:
Run ( દોડો, dodo)
Jump (કુદો, kudo)
Go in circles (ગોર ફરો, gor pharo)
Stand up, sit (ઉભા થાઓ, બેસો, ubha thao, beso)
Hop on one foot (લંગડી કરો, langadi karo)
Now it's time to stack some plates. Let's play થાળી ની થપ્પી (thali ni thappi, stack of plates).
This is a really simple game that just requires ten plates. Shout out a number and have your kid stack that number of plates. This will help your kid learn numbers and practice counting!
Last up, it's time to learn about some body parts!
Lots of body parts have the letter થ in the them. Shout out different body parts and have your kid point to that body part. Then, have your kid decide if that body part has the letter થ in it!
List of body parts:
માથું (mathu, head)
નાક (naak, nose)
હાથ (haath, hands)
ખભા (khabhaa, shoulder)
છાતી (chaati, chest)
હાથેળી (hatheli, palm)
સાથળ (saathala, thigh)
ઘૂંટણ (gutana, knee)
થાપા (thaapaa, hip)
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. For the letter થ, share the story of થોમસ એડિસન (Thomas Edison) and the factory .
You can read this stories (and more) under the “Gujarati stories” tab on our website.
Character Corner:
While learning letters is super important, learning character is even more important. So why not do both simultaneously? Associating letters with characters helps pique my kid’s interest in great historical figures while also allowing her to practice saying the letter out loud.
Take this week to teach your kid about થોમસ એડિસન (Thomas Edison), an inventor.
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 થ!
થ for થોડું (thodu, a little)
થ for થેલી/થેલો (theli/thelo, bag)
થ for થાળી (thali, plate)
થ for થાળ (thala, salver)
થ for થીજી જવું (thijee javu, freezing)
થ for થરથર કાપવું (tharthar kaapavum, trembling)
થ for થર (thar, layer/coating)
થ for થાઈલૅંડ (Thailand)
થ for થેમ્સ નદી (Thames Nadi, River Thames)
થ for થર્મોસ (thermos)
થ for થાક (thaak, fatigue)
થ for થડ (thada, trunk)
થ for થેપલા (thepla, Indian flat tortilla)
થ for થામ્બ્લા (thaambla, support beam)
થ for થૂંકવું (thukvu, to spit)
થ for થર્મોમીટર (thermometer)
થ for for થોર (thora, cactus)
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