Who are the people young readers meet in their books? How do authors help us know what these characters are like? This reading and writing activity will help your first grader build important comprehension skills that she'll need in second and third grade, too.
In the best picture books, the illustrations bring as much meaning to the story as the words themselves. But what if your child couldn't see the pictures? In this activity, she'll listen to a story without looking at it, and create her own images.
More activities for reading:
Make a Memory Game
Does your child love to play guessing games? Does she need help reading common words? Kill two birds with one stone, by making a family board game that's so fun, she won't even realize she's learning!
Build Sentence Puzzles
Does your kindergartener know what a sentence is? Does she keep reading, long after she reaches the period, like she's in a run-on marathon? Help her practice reading, and learn the key pieces to the sentence puzzle, by creating sentence puzzles at home!
Fish Me a Word
Want to help your child learn how to read? Put down the books and pick up the fishing rod! This silly game is a fun way to introduce and reinforce sight words--by fishing for them!
Go on a Direction Scavenger Hunt
This scavenger hunt is like a revamped version of the childhood game, "Hot and Cold". Instead of telling the seeker if he's getting "warmer" or "colder" as he narrows in on a hidden object, you'll use words like up, down, over, and under.
Toss and Blend: A Carnival Game
Have you ever played the carnival game where you try to toss chips into a cup, to win a fabulous prize? This version may not snag your kid a human-sized stuffed giraffe, but it will give them a boost with writing and spelling. So get out those paper cups!
Play the Jumping Bean Game
Most little kids hate to sit still. You can use this knowledge to your advantage, with this cute game that lets your child practice making words, while acting like a Mexican jumping bean!
What's Eating Hamlet? Reading Shakespeare
Here's a quick look at the Hamlet, the classic Shakespearean tragedy, as well as useful SAT vocabulary to give your teen a leg up in English class and beyond.
Write a Science Fiction Fantasy
Want to get your bookworm interested in science? Try science fiction! Here's how to get started on reading and writing about the ways that science affects society.
Root Out the Meaning of Words
When you can put together the meaning of a root with the meaning of a prefix or suffix, unlocking the definitions of words is a snap! Here's a fun activity to show your child how to use prefixes and root words to "root out" the meaning of a word!
A Field Guide to Grammar
Appositives? Clauses? Huh? Here's a review of some common (and commonly confused) grammar terms, as well as a quick activity to apply them to real life reading and writing.
