X Is For X-Ray: Activity and Books {31 Days of ABCs}

I am so thrilled to be hosting 31 Days of ABCs this month along with 30 amazing bloggers.  Each day during October, a different blogger is showcasing an activity to teach children a letter of the alphabet.  Today it is our turn, with letter “X”!  You can read the full schedule to learn along with us, and be sure to link up your ABC posts, too!  You can also follow along on our Pinterest board!

I was so excited this past spring when our preschool co-op reached the letter “X.”  Monkey has been fascinated by x-rays, part of why he has been so interested in skeletons this Halloween.  Besides the bones, of course, I also think he just likes to make the “x” sound!

So I came up with a simple, fun activity to teach the letter “X” – our very own x-ray machine!

First I took one of the (many) diaper boxes in our house and covered the front with black construction paper.  We also had to have “on” and “off” buttons, of course.

Then I found some x-ray images online.  It is a bit difficult to find ones that aren’t too gruesome to show preschoolers!  I also tried to make them kid-size before printing.  I made sure to find some that matched toys that we had around the house, including a T-Rex, a fish, and a car.

During class I had each kid take a turn putting a body part in the machine (neck, chest, hand, knee, or foot).  Another kid would press the green “on” button, and we would all shout out the “x” sound: “Eckkkkkkkzzzzzzzz….”  The more drawn out the better!

As soon as the button was pushed I would quickly hold up the appropriate x-ray in front of the machine.  They were delighted!  Everyone wanted to take several turns in the machine, in addition to putting the toys in.

Here are some books about x-rays that Monkey and I enjoyed reading:

Books About X-Rays

This is such a fun book! In My Mom Has X-ray Vision by Angela McAllister, a boy suspects his mother is really a superhero.  Is she?  You’ll have to draw your own conclusions!

I cannot stress enough how helpful Jessica’s X-Ray was when Monkey had to get x-rays at the dentist! It even includes actual x-rays! Of course, it was also thanks to this book that he decided to construct a CAT scan machine for Baby out of blocks 😉

Okay, so this isn’t about x-rays in the traditional sense, but The X-Ray Picture Book of Fantastic Transport Machines by Chris Oxlade is a really fun book for kids interested in vehicles. The text is more for older kids, but the “x-ray” drawings of vehicles are engaging for kids of any age.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.  This means that if you click through and make a purchase on Amazon, I receive a small commission.

This post is part of the collaborative series 31 Days of ABCs.  Be sure to link up your own ABC posts!  You can see the full schedule and visit the participating blogs:

This Reading Mama, Nothing if Not Intentional, Sugar Aunts, For the Love of Spanish, Craftulate, Diapers-n-Heels, The Good Long Road, Here come the girls, Toddler Approved, Discovering the World Through My Son’s Eyes, Princess And The Rock, Kids Yoga Stories, Frogs & Snails & Puppy Dog Tails, Little Bins for Little Hands, The Measured Mom, P is for Preschooler, 3 Dinosaurs, Preschool Powol Packets, Crayon Box Chronicles, Juggling With Kids, Toddling in the Fast Lane, Teaching Mama, Still Playing School, Mamas Like Me, All Done Monkey, Little Hiccups, LalyMom, What to do with the children, Teachers of Good Things, Stir the Wonder, Scribble Doodle and Draw

Link up your “X” posts below!