Literacy Skills Activity Ideas

When reading a book to your child, have him/her

-point to the title

-after reading a few pages to them, stop to ask questions

about characters, plot, setting, any problems that are happening,

how the problems might be solved, if the pictures are matching the words

-at the end of the story, check their predictions against what happened

-ask for an event from the beginning, middle and end of the story

-point out the spaces between words and lack of spaces within a word

-have them look for words that they know

-pick a picture and identify all the known items

-discuss any emotions that happened in the story

-ask if they liked or disliked the story and why they have that opinion

-have them read to you

In a Magazine or Newspaper

-circle words that are known

-find words that all begin with the same sound

-write labels for things in the pictures using their letter sound knowledge

On a Piece of Paper

-draw a picture that has a specific goal (something you like to do, a favorite toy, a kind of weather, something with wheels, etc.)

-label pictures that are drawn

-write words about the picture (remind them of letter sounds, spacing)

-practice letter printing with correct formation

When Outside Your Home

-look for familiar signs to read and talk about their meaning

-find things that have something in common and talk about it

-sing songs, make rhymes, name words that all have the same beginning sound

-name all the sounds that could be heard in a word

-name as many things that you can while standing in one spot

-play "I SPY": looking for the things that have a specific thing in common (such as; I am thinking of something that has blue and red). It needs to be in plain sight.

Have fun with reading and words!