1st Grade Writing 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.
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.
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.
More writing activities for first grade:
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!
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 Nursery Rhyme Madlibs!
By the end of kindergarten, most kids can recite classic nursery rhymes like Jack and Jill, or London Bridge. They're fun, easy, and comfortably familiar. Here's a silly game to draw on that knowledge while introducing a concept that will be a big part of first grade reading and writing: ...
Take a Shape Safari!
Forget a jeep in Africa. You can head out for a safari right in your own neighborhood. Instead of hunting lions and tigers, you'll troll for circles and triangles. Why? Because shapes are at the heart of the first grade math and writing curriculum. Plus, a hunt through the backyard is just plain ...
Write a How-To Book ... Just for Dad
Forget the trip to the mall, or the ride to the hardware store. This Father's Day, give dad something he'll really appreciate, a book about him, written by his favorite author ... his son or daughter!
Play Post-It Bingo!
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!
Crack the Code!: A Spelling Challenge
It's a rare kid that doesn't love a good spy game. Here's a way to have fun with mysterious codes while mastering an ordinary, necessary skill: first grade spelling.
Make an ALL ABOUT ME! Book
Kids love talking about themselves - their likes, their dislikes, and details about everything in between. Spark their interest in writing with a mini-book about their favorite subject - them!
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!
