In July 2018, I took a 1-day Pre-K Readiness Writing, Literacy and Math workshop sponsored by Learning without Tears. This experience enabled me to practice my skills related to implementing hands-on, multisensory play-based lessons to build students’ readiness, pre-writing, social-emotional, sensory motor, numbers, math, science, social studies, language, and literacy skills. I explored child-friendly manipulatives, music and movement. As monthly self-portraits are a part of the District 2 Pre-K’s curriculum, after attending this workshop, I decided to implement Mat Man into our lessons. 

Through the construction of Mat Man students learn body awareness, drawing, pre-writing, counting, building and socialization skills. As a whole class, students deconstruct and construct Mat Man while singing the Mat Man Song. The Velcro pieces are laminated and easy for students to manipulate. Students enjoy singing the song and constructing Mat Man. 

During remote learning (March 2020-June 2020) and school year 2020-2021, students continued to enjoy Mat Man. Templates were sent home so students could construct their own Mat Man which they brought to our remote lessons, making them interactive and engaging.