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 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.
Make a Story in a Bag
Ask a first grader to tell a story, and often the result will be hilarious because it's all mixed up. As fun as it is to listen to the tomato that went to sleep, ate dinner, and then put on his pajamas and went for a swim, teaching kids that stories have an order is important. Want to give your ...
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.
String Story Necklaces
Tell your kid you're going to spend the afternoon working on comprehension and you're sure to get a yawn. This activity delivers the goods with a fun art project that will also teach kids to look for a story's beginning, middle, and end.
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 ...
Make a Nonsense Book!
Helping your child learn to read doesn’t only have to mean using books from the library or from the store. You can make a book of your own—a nonsense book!
Take the Boredom Out of the Back Seat!
Thinking about taking a road trip? Here are some simple ways to pass the time that you and your child can do together.
Make an "I Feel" Meter
Help your first grader communicate his feelings with this "feeling meter" poster to hang on his bedroom door. Kids can practice reading and expressing what they feel, and hopefully further the harmony in your household!
Writer's Blocks: Play Sight Word Jenga
Help your first-grader improve his reading skills with this new twist on a classic game--let your first-grader create his own wooden word blocks and play sight word Jenga!
Questions, Anyone? Ask Your Way to Reading Comprehension
If your child has a favorite book, you probably know he'll want you to read it to him again and again and again. To help your first grader build memory, listening, and reading comprehension skills, use this fun activity that uses his favorite book as a starting point!

