Stickers=good strategy

So I finally remembered to bring stickers for my 6 and 8 yr old students as a reward for practicing during the week, but found a new reason to bring them. They help identify keys and by playing a game I even managed to keep the attention span of a 6 yr old for at least 20 mins until she wanted me to put "my friends" away. I gave each key a sticker with an animal on it and named each animal with the letter corresponding to the key. Then I described each animal's home, their key, and how some liked the view of black trees while others preferred a garden while others preferred being in the black woods. Yeah creativity and improv at that :) I then tried it with the older student, 8 yr old, and it worked with her as well. When I took away the stickers they were able to find each key, and if not, I asked them what the houses looked like. Oh the joys of teaching young children.