1st Grade Reading 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.
Play Rainbow Bingo!
First graders need to be able to read color words quickly and accurately, without taking the time to sound them out. Here's a fun bingo game designed to give your first grader fun, colorful practice learning to recognize words like "red" and "purple."
Put Together a Sight Word Puzzler
First graders benefit greatly from learning to read words quickly and automatically, but practice doesn't need to be a chore. In this "out-of-the-box" approach to practicing sight words, practice looks a lot like play!
Make a Paper Plate Phonics Wheel
First graders develop their reading skills rapidly, applying a range of learned strategies to decode unknown words. Help your child practice reading, and blending them into words, with this fun activity!
Play: Syllable I Spy!
At some point in your life, you've probably played the game "I Spy." It's perfect for boring waits at the grocery store, or long car rides. But with a little tweaking, the game can also help kids practice a key first grade concept...syllables. Here's how to play:
Dictionary Treasure Hunt
In first grade, vocabulary moves to center stage. But when a kid gets stumped--and we all feel that way sometimes, even as adults--it's time to turn to a lifetime resource: the dictionary. Want a fun way to help your child start making friends with this reference tool? Try this treasure hunt!
Play Story Ball: A Reading Comprehension Game
Take a regular old beach ball, a sharpie marker, and a first grader. What do you get? An outdoor activity that works on reading comprehension, in the midst of a game of catch!
The Build-a-Word Card Game: Better than Go Fish!
Compound words may look hard at first, but things get easier if kids can spot two smaller words that they already know. Want to add a little "holy moly!" to something that can feel ho hum? This card game will help you practice making compound words-- and have some fun while you're at it!
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.
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.
Play Letter-Sound Hopscotch!
Hopscotch is classic fun for little kids. You probably remember playing it with numbers from one to ten, and that's great; but as your child prepares for first grade, try getting creative with letters, too. Here are two variations of letter-sound hopscotch that can build your child's phonics ...
