1st Grade Activities
First grade is a year of firsts: your child's first full day of school, the first time she'll write a small story herself, and the first time she'll read a complete book cover to cover. We've got dozens of wacky reading and math activities, cool science experiments, and indoor and outdoor games to keep the learning fun.
All you need is chalk and some pavement to set up this silly, fun, and practical game that reinforces those all-important first grade sight words.
New readers need to develop a "bank" of words that they can read by sight. If flashcards start to seem a little tedious, consider this fresh way to practice sight words to perfection...Bingo!
More activities for first grade:
Make a Tissue Paper Bouquet
Whether you're a kid or a grownup, spring flowers are just about irresistible. Here's a classic first grade activity to make flowers, anytime, with just a few sheets of tissue paper and some pipe cleaners.
Make Paper Snowflakes
Snowflakes offer endless delight for curious little kids. If you live in Maine or Wyoming, your first grader can step outside in December to collect the real thing; but if you live in warmer climes, no worries! You can make your own.
Make a Clock!
You thought this day would never come, but guess what, it's time! Time for your child to learn to TELL time, that is. Mastering this skill can seem hard at first, but hands-on practice helps. Here's a fun at-home activity that lets kids make a clock of their own.
Play Traveling ABC's!: A Spelling Game
When it comes to spelling, using a hands-on activity can help children remember each word better than just reading the word on a page. Want to give your kid some spelling practice, without making her groan? Take her spelling list on the road!
Leprechaun Treasure Hunt!
This hunt for leprechaun gold is so much fun, kids won't even realize they're working their reading muscles at the same time.
Play with Characters...and Writing!
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.
Slap It!: An Odds and Evens Card Game
This activity is based on the popular card game, Slapjack. It's rip-roaring fun, and it reinforces the concepts of odd and even, which in turn will help your child succeed in addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
Create a Fish Art Print!
The fish most first grade kids see is usually filleted or canned, and it's hard to see how it came from a lake or sea. Here's a delightful way to bridge the gap, with an activity that blends art with life science discovery.
Play Contraction Concentration!
A contraction is an abbreviated form of two words. It contains an apostrophe which indicates that there are missing letters. Help your child figure out contractions and their original two words by playing this simple game.
Write a Mixed Up Story!
Want to help your child recognize the recipe for a successful sentence? Here's a fun activity to get your child thinking about how sentences work. Plus, he'll create a truly crazy story!
