“Chicka chicka boom boom! Will there be enough room? Look who’s coming! L M N O P!”
– Chicka Chicka Boom Boom byย Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom became an instant favorite in our house, when we read it to our daughter a couple of years ago. In fact, it’s been a top-selling children’s book for more than 20 years! I have yet to meet a toddler who is not completely obsessed with this rhythmic and playful alphabet tale. Our little nugget loves watching all the letters scramble up the coconut tree…but will there be enough room? When the tree topples over and all of the letters fall out, will they let their bruised bodies and egos get the best of them? Will they give up? Nope! They persist with a little bit of help from their mamas and papas, and uncles and aunts. This clever and colorful story is not only perfect for teaching the alphabet and letter recognition, but it also touches on the importance of perseverance.
To celebrate one of our favorite stories, we wanted to share theseย Chicka Chicka Boom Boom book-inspired activities for preschoolers!
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom – ABC Coconut Tree
Our little nugget loves completing letter-match activities. In fact, there’s always an ABC tube in her weeklyย Quiet Time Boxes. So, when I stumbled upon this fantastic Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Letter Tree idea, over on Kristen’s Teacher Gone Mom Instagram account, I knew we had to make one of our own.
To make your own ABC Coconut Tree, you will need the following supplies:
- Empty Paper Towel Tube
- Brown Construction Paper
- Green Construction Paper
- Scissors
- Scotch Tape
- Marker
- Dot Stickers
Start by wrapping the empty paper towel tube in brown construction paper. Secure with tape, and trim any excess from the ends. Next cut 3-4 palm fronds out of the green construction paper. Cut a small slit into the bottom of each frond (so that you can slide each one down onto the top of the tree). Feel free to secure each frond, by taping the interior pieces to the inside of the paper towel tube. Using a marker, randomly write all 26 letters of the alphabet on the tree trunk. Write another set of 26 letters on the dot stickers. Hand the tree and stickers to your little one, and let the letter-matching begin!
Our daughter requested that I read Chicka Chicka Boom Boom aloud as she completed her coconut tree, so that she could place the letters on the tree in the same order. ๐
Chicka Chicka Boom Boomย DIY Board Game
As our daughter has grown, she’s become more interested in playing board games with her family…which I love, because I have many fond memories of playing games with my family as a child (and even as an adult). Family game nights are always my favorite. So, when I came across this brilliant Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Alphabet Game idea, over on The Many Little Joys, I knew it would be an instant hit…for the entire family!
I veered a bit from Megan’s tutorial, by crafting our coconut tree from a large piece of white craft paper. I also chose to utilize some leftover letter charms, from when we made our ABC’s Sensory Bottle, instead of using alphabet magnets.
To make your very ownย Chicka Chicka Boom Boomย DIY Board Game, you will need the following supplies:
- Large White Craft Paper
- Black Marker
- Green Crayon or Colored Pencil
- Brown Crayon or Colored Pencil
- Small Alphabet Letter Charms
- Game Die
Start by drawing your palm/coconut tree on the white craft paper. I outlined mine in pencil first, and then went back over it with black marker. Add a “start” space at the bottom of the tree trunk, and a “finish” space at the top. Add 26 square spaces moving up the tree trunk. I highly recommend outlining them in pencil first, before finalizing them with marker. Write one letter of the alphabet in each space, starting with “A” at the very bottom, and working your way up to “Z” at the top. Next, it’s time to add some color. Our little nugget was more than happy to help me color in the tree (and sandy beach below). Once the coloring is complete, break out your alphabet letter charms and game die, and get ready to play!
Each player chooses 3 of their favorite letters. You move by rolling the die and moving a letter of your choosing (one of your three) up the tree trunk, the number of spaces that you rolled. Only one letter can move per turn. If any of your letters end up on their corresponding (matching) letter space, they automatically get to hop on up to the finish! The first person to get all three of their letters to the top of the tree wins! And then…Chicka Chicka Boom Boom…the letters all come crashing down again. ๐
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Magnet Wall
This Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Magnet Wall activity just might be our little nugget’s favorite, because she gets to act out the story as we read! I utilized our chalkboard garage door for this simple activity, but you could also tape a paper coconut tree to the side of a refrigerator, as well.
I simply drew a coconut/palm tree onto our chalkboard garage door, using some green and brown sidewalk chalk. I then placed our set of wooden letter magnetsย at the bottom of the tree. We sat down with a copy of Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, and started to read.
As I announced each letter’s journey up the tree, our daughter would find the corresponding letter and move it to the top of our coconut tree. On we went, until all of the letters arrived at the top. And then…BOOM! They all came crashing down. At this point, our little nugget grabbed all of the letters and slid them down, until they all fell off the door and onto the floor. She turned around and gave me a sad face. And then it was time to dust the letters off and help them back up the coconut tree!
Our daughter loved this engaging alphabet activity, and I loved the reinforcing letter recognition practice that it provided. I love finding ways to make learning more fun for our little one! ๐
If you have yet to read Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault, I highly recommend picking up a copy…you won’t regret it!
