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- The Kissing Hand Page!!!

The Kissing Hand
Lessons, printables, ideas, and more to match this lovely story!


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This is a must read book for the first day of school. Great to read to grades k-2 and even grades 2-4 would enjoy this cute book about a racoon named Chester who is ready to start his first day of school. In the story the raccoon talks about his fear of going to school. Most of the fears will be very familiar to primary aged children who are just getting back to school. Chester's Mom helps him feel loved and secure by kissing the center of his hand. She reminds Chester that her love is always right there and if he should feel frightened or scared or lonely he should simply hold the hand to his face and he will feel her love. Read this story through a couple of times before reading it to your class. If you are a sap like me, then your heart will warm up and a tear will appear in your eye. I love this book!

Many teachers choose to read this book to their class on the first day. The children can relate to the little raccoon in this book. On the first day of school there are many mixed emotions everywhere. Some children are so excited about starting school and some don't every want to leave their parents or their home. I always choose to read this to my class on the first day of school. It is a great way to discuss how the Raccoon is feeling. It also allows children to see that they have a connection with Chester. Many children will state to their classmates that they too felt the way Chester felt on the first day of school. As a class we will often chart out our fears for the first day and some of the things we are excited about. Another activity that I like to do with my class after we finish the story is to give them each a piece of paper with a circle on it. I have them write their name on the circle and draw how they are feeling about the first day on the circle face. I come around and look at the circles and talk one-on-one with the students. I let them know that it is ok to draw a sad face in the circle and that it is ok to be a little bit scared of the first day of school.

Below you will find printables and activities I have used in my classrooms. You will also find ideas from great teachers and awesome websites to visit.

Updated - June 2013

Free To Print From Teaching Heart

Day and Night Activity!
This book is a perfect time to discuss the term nocturnal.
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DAY NIGHT SHEETS
Use the two sheets above as a group (or individually) to discuss the things that go on at night and the things that happen during the day. You may wish to cut up the ideas and invite a student up to place the an idea under the correct category

Racoon Graphics Copyright  - Digi Web Studio www.digiwebstudio.com – Sheet created by C. Galllagher @www.teachingheart.net 2012

Have each student trace their hand and then use a sponge heart to make a kissing hand. Under the hand write the sentence. __________ came to school and ______ felt ______________.
Here is a sheet to do this project on.
You could make it into a book or just send it home with the student.

Print Vocabulary Words From The Story!
You could use these in may different ways.
Put in ABC or on a pocket chart.
To introduce the story.
Parts of speech activity. Read the part of the book that contains the word and decide which part of speech the word is!

Here is a pocket chart activity that I made for number word matching.

Shana/MS/1st gr.

Above is the book with the Read Along CD!
It has such a great song on it about the Kissing Hand!

Ideas in our Kissing Hand Packet for Preschool and Kindergarten...

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Kissing Hand Literature Extensions for Preschool and Kindergarten. 
Great for Back to School Time or anytime of the year!  Math and reading activities, games, and centers! 
Below is what you will find in this set.  Please see preview for pictures of all items found in this set.

6—14.) A to Z Puzzles to use in small groups or as a literacy center.

15.—16) Cut Up and Sort Day and Night Sentences.  Use during group instruction.

17.) Count Up and Match—Count the kisses and match to the Raccoon with the correct number.

18.) Beginning Middle End—As a class read through the statements and circle beginning, middle, or end.

19.) Take Chester to the Kissing Hand Dice Board Game—Roll the dice and race to the kissing hand.  Use foam shaped hearts as markers.

20—21.) Roll and Put together a Chester—Dice game.  Cut out shapes to form Chester.  Roll the dice and put together Chester.

22.—24) Dice Cover-Up Games

25.—26.) Beginning Sound Cover Up

27.—28.) Count by 1’s and a Count by 5’s Puzzle—I suggest you print, laminate, and cut these.  Place in puzzle center for students to use. 

29.) Kissing Hand handprint poem and page—student places they handprint on the page and glues a heart in the center.  They can take this home to share the Kissing Hand. 

30.) Kissing Hand 10 frames— count, cut,  and glue

For Single Classroom Use—Copyright 2013 By: Colleen Gallagher Teaching Heart

$6.00
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Beginning Sound Puzzles - Great to add to a literacy center.
Includes puzzles A to Z !

 


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Get the Kissing Hand Puppet for Fun!


Poems to use with this story


The Kissing Hand

It's my first day of Kindergarten
And I'm thinking of you.
I made these precious handprints
So you will think of me, too.

It's my first day of school
And "The Kissing Hand" is what we read.
It's about a raccoon
Who did just as his parents said.

Like the raccoon's first day at school
I was scared and a little shy.
But because of what you said
I was brave and I got by.

All through the year
I'll make more things for you.
So as I change and as I learn
You can witness my growth, too!


Raccoon,Raccoon

Raccoon,raccoon(make a mask around your eyes with your fingers)
Up in a tree(both arms raised)
Raccoon, raccoon,
You can't see me.(cover eyes)
Raccoon, raccoon,
I can see you.(one hand on your eyes, one pointing to imaginary raccoon)
Eating fish and corn(eating motions)
And bird's eggs too.
Raccoon, raccoon,
Hunting at night(hands shade eyes as if squinting in the dark)
Raccoon, raccoon,
Sleeps in daylight.(sleeping motion

Poem:  Raccoon, Raccoon
by Pam Miller

Raccoon, raccoon, (each time you kind of make a mask around your eyes withyour fingers)
Up in a tree, (both arms raised)
Raccoon, Raccoon, You can't see me. (cover eyes)
Raccoon, raccoon, I can see you (one hand on your eyes, one pointing out to
imaginary raccoon)
Eating fish and corn and birds' eggs too. (imitate eating motions)
Raccoon, raccoon, Hunting at night, (hands shade eyes as if squinting in the
dark)
Raccoon, raccoon, Sleeps in daylight. (the usual sleeping motion we all do)


Great Ideas

Make your class a special treat. Buy a hand heart cookie cutter and some Sugar Cookie dough. Make each student in your class a cookie to eat after reading the story. If you cannot find a cookie cutter with the heart in the hand, buy a hand cutter and place a candy heart or hershey kiss in the center. I found my hand cookie cutter at a Gourmet Chef Store.

At Amazon you can purchase a racoon puppet. It can be used as a treat for students that keep a neat desk. The racoon puppet will pick a favorite desk to stay in for the day.
Learn More About the Puppet

Before school starts, send each parent a large piece of construction paper.  Ask them to trace each family member's hand on the banner and write theirname next to their hand. They can decorate their banner with crayons, markers, ribbon, colored glue, paint, stickers, photos, etc.  Ask them to send their banner in with their child on the first day of school.  The children willhave a great time looking at the banners.   This also provides them with a sense of familiarity. Adapt this activity for the first homework.

Purchase enough heart shaped stickers for each student in your class. When you meet the parents of your students before school starts, read them the book and give them each a sticker to use with their child on the first day of school.

Racoon Books/ Resources

Math Game - Pocket Chart

Place the Racoon with the number in the pocket chart. The student must put the correct number of kisses (lips) next to the Racoon.

Teaching Heart Mailringers Share Their Ideas!!!

Read The Kissing Hand to the kids on the first day. After you finish, say something like, "I wonder how many kisses would fit on your hand????" They'll immediately start kissing their hands, some will say "infinity", etc. Have them try to think of another kind of "kiss" that they can actually count. They may (or may not--mine didn't) come up with Hershey's Kisses. Give each child a worksheet to take back to their tables, where there's just a handful of kisses (enough for each child to have one). On their paper, they should trace their own hand (some will need help). Also on their paper (you've already set this up before xeroxing it), there's a sentence that says, "I think _____kisses will fit on my hand." After putting one kiss on their traced hand, as a reference, they should write their estimate. Then, discuss with them how they'll figure out how many actually fit on their hand. Someone will probably say, "trace them". Then YOU need to model how to trace the kisses so they touch each other. You will need to put out a few more kisses at each table, because their warm little hands start melting the kisses! When they're done, have the kids discuss how they'll count the kisses without skipping any or recounting them. Hopefully, someone will say, "put a mark in each one as you count it." Some of mine alos wrote the actual number in each circle. Then, each child should write a sentence at the bottom of their paper telling how many kisses actually fit on their hand.

For homework, have a worksheet ready for each child to take home, which will be tracing their mother's (or grandmother's, or father's,whomever--think ahead on this one, if you know the families!), and estimating how many kisses will fit on that person's hand. I didn't explain myself well enough, so I actually had a few parents go out and buy candy kisses that night and complete the homework with actual numbers of kisses, but that was what I wanted the kids to do during math the 2nd day of school. ONLY the estimating is done at home--you can send a kiss home in a ziploc bag for them to use as a reference only.

This was a fun way to start the year, even with kids I knew well.

Good luck!

Melissa/VA/K-1 looping

In the midst of telling the story of the Kissing Hand to my Kindergarten, my daughter Jodi popped in for a visit.  She was leaving for college.  I opened her hand and kissed her palm, with a little explanation as to why I was doing this very unusual gesture.  The Kindergarten was delighted to see this in action.  Jodi said that it did warm her heart.......she added that Kindergarten teachers have a way of doing strange things....ha Just wanted to share. Barb

I made these up this summer for my Kissing Hand unit and just converted them to pdf to share with others. Hope the files aren't too big. An alternate idea I use with my students is to give students a dab of my special smelling lotion to rub on their hands. I tell them that whenever they are feeling lonely or sad they can smell their hands and it will remind them of how much they are loved. I use this with my personal children on days that they have tests or special projects in school as well (which is where the class activity stemmed from). My students will often ask for a dab of my lotion on days that something bad has happened to them or they are just feeling yucky. It is really neat to see them perk up after getting a wiff. :-) -- Shana/MS/1st gr.

Here is a pocket chart activity that I made.

Shana/MS/1st gr.

Hi, I teach Head Start and every year I read the Kissing Hand to my children, I had some children that didn't want to leave their mom so I took a picture of mom and child, traced the child's hand, and cut the picture to fit on the palm of the hand and then laminated it, and made a necklace for the child, so when the child go tlonely for mom all she/he had to do was lok at the picture and this really helped   marilyn White

Compare this story to the Kissing Hand.

Amazon Products!

Heart in Hand Metal Cookie Cutter

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or use Hershey Kiss and this Cookie Cutter

Links to Good Ideas

Other Sites With Free Printables

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