literacy homework ideas

13 Fun Reading Activities for Any Book

Whether you walk into a classroom in Asia, North America or Europe, you will almost certainly see teachers and students building their understanding of the world through a dedicated daily reading session full of great reading activities.

Books allow students an opportunity to be informed, entertained or escape as they comprehend fiction and non-fiction texts against their understanding of the world, their personal insights, and opinions and finally compare those texts to others.

Whilst you may have a wealth of books in your school library, developing fresh and engaging ways to study literature can often be challenging.  So today, we will explore 25 proven activities that can be applied to any book and at any age level.

These reading activities to improve reading comprehension are easy to follow and suitable for most age groups within an elementary/junior high school level.

125 Text Response ACTIVITIES, Games, Projects for ANY BOOK

This massive collection of ☀️ READING ACTIVITIES☀️ covers all essential reading skills for elementary/primary students. NO PREP REQUIRED! Works with all text and media types.

Thousands of teachers have adopted this as a GO-TO RESOURCE for independent and group tasks.

A COLLECTION OF FUN READING ACTIVITIES

A lifetime tale in pictures reading task.

Draw the main character from a book you have recently read.  Show them as a baby, middle-aged and an older person.

Underneath each picture, write what you think they might be doing at that point in their life, and explain why they may be doing so.

For example, if you drew Harry Potter as a baby, he might cast spells on his mum to feed him lots of yummy food.

Post-reading activities like this are accessible for all age groups to adapt their skill level and text style.

If you want to learn more about characters, read our complete guide here.

TEXT TO SELF-READING TASK

Based upon a book you have just read, share a  story about yourself related to an event or character in the book.

It is probably best done in the form of a written recount. Link your experience to no more than four situations that occurred within the text.

Text to self is an excellent opportunity for students to become introspective about the content they read and compare it to their own life experiences. 

This activity is appealing to teenagers more so than juniors .

IT’S IN THE INSTRUCTIONS READING TASK

From a book you have just read, select either a critical object or creature and create a user manual or a guide explaining how to care for it.

Ensure you use any vital information learnt from the book and any other information you consider essential.

If you are writing a user manual for an object, remember to focus on using it correctly and taking care of it.

If you are writing a user guide for an animal or creature, focus on keeping it alive and healthy as well as information that explains how to keep it happy and under control if necessary.

Dear Diary, READING TASK

Place yourself in the shoes of one of the characters you have just read about and write a diary entry of a critical moment from the story.

Try to choose a moment in the story where the character has plenty of interaction and emotion to share in a diary entry.

Your diary entry should be around a page long and contain information you learned from the book when the character was in that specific place and time.

Remember, when writing a diary entry, you are writing it from a first-person perspective. It is usually but not always written in the present tense.

Diary writing has been a very popular activity throughout time, but social media tools such as Facebook and blogging have in some ways changed this.

Mapping it all out, READING TASK

How do you make reading lessons fun? This reading activity answers that question confidently.

Have a go at drawing a map of one of the places from the text you have just read. See how much detail you can include, and be sure to discuss your map with another reader so you can compare and add more if necessary.

Take some time and effort to ensure your map appeals to the same audience the book aims at.

All good maps should contain the following BOLTS elements.

B – Bolts

O – Orientation

L – Legend

S – Scale

Express Yourself READING TASK

Using an iPad or a digital camera, make faces of the emotions the main characters would have gone through in your book and take photos of them. 

Put them together in a document on your computer or device and explain the emotion below the image and when the character would have felt this way.

This is an excellent opportunity to use some creative direction for this task.

Be sure to play around with the images, filters and graphical styling available.

Travel Agent READING TASK

Think of yourselves as a group of travel assistants whose job is to promote a  city of your choice from the text you have been reading.

As a group, you need to develop a concept map of all the exciting things that happen in your city and then present it to the class.

Don’t forget all of the exciting things such as theatres, restaurants, sports, adventure activities, entertainment and much more…

If you are a little short on details of the location of your story, do some research if it was an actual location or just get creative and make up some locations and tourist attractions based on what you read.

You’re Hired READING TASK

Select a character from a book and consider what might be an excellent job for them. You can choose something entirely suitable such as a security guard job for Superman or a more oddball approach, such as a pastry chef.

Either way, you will have to write a letter from this character’s perspective and apply for a position.

Be sure to explain why your character would be a great employee and what special skills they would possess to make them ideal for the role. Sell your character by explaining all the great attributes they possess.

What’s the Status? READING TASK

Create a Facebook page for your character with some status updates about what they have been up to.

Include some pictures and ensure your status updates are relevant to the character and the story.

Around 3 – 4 status updates with mages should give an overall picture of the character.

Use your status updates to explore what your character does for a job, leisure time, places they might go on vacation, etc.

Bubbles and Clouds READING TASK

Using speech bubbles and pictures of the characters, draw a conversation between two characters from the story you have read.

Remember, thought is drawn as a cloud, and a spoken statement is drawn as a  bubble.

Be sure to look at some comics or graphic novels for inspiration and insights.

This activity is usually best done on pen and paper, but numerous digital apps and tools will allow you to make this a reality through technology.

Amazing Artifacts READING TASK

An artifact is an object that has some significance or meaning behind it. Sometimes, an artefact might even have a very important story behind it.  I am sure you have a favorite toy, or your parents have a particular item in the house that they would consider an important artifact.

For today’s task, you will select five artifacts from the text you have been reading and explain what makes them significant or essential.

They don’t all have to be super important to the story, but I am sure that at least a couple played a significant role.

Be sure to draw a picture of the artifact and if necessary, label it.

FREE READING ACTIVITIES RESOURCE TO DOWNLOAD

Thinking Differently READING TASK

Choose three important events from the text and explain how you would have handled them differently from the characters in the story.

Explain how it may have changed the story’s outcome in either a minor or significant way.

Be insightful here and think of the cause and effect.  Sometimes your smallest action can have a significant impact on others.

Popplet Mind Mapping Task

Popplet is a mind mapping tool that allows you to connect ideas together using images, text and drawings.

From a text, you have recently read, create a family tree or network diagram that explains the relationship the characters have with each other.

Some may be father and son, husband and wife or even arch enemies.

Try and lay it out so it is easy to follow.

You Have Three Wishes READING TASK

A genie lands at the midpoint of the story you have just read and grants the two main characters three wishes.

What do they wish for and why?

Finally, would their wishes have changed anything about the story?  How so?

Again think about the cause and effect relationship and how this may have altered the path of the book you have been reading.

A COMPLETE DIGITAL READING UNIT FOR STUDENTS

Over 30 engaging activities for students to complete BEFORE, DURING and AFTER reading ANY BOOK

• Compatible with all devices and digital platforms, including GOOGLE CLASSROOM.
• Fun, Engaging, Open-Ended INDEPENDENT tasks.
• 20+ 5-Star Ratings ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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Top 7 Reading Comprehension Strategies for Students and Teachers

How to teach Guided Reading: Teaching Strategies and Activities

Identifying the main idea of the story: A Guide for Students and Teachers

Teaching Cause and Effect in Reading and Writing

Graphic Organizers for Writing and Reading

Top 7 Tips for Teaching Guided Reading in Large Classes

5 Reasons You Need a Digital Reading Diary In 2023

Morning Work

Teaching tips, 35 fun literacy activities to help kids with reading.

Did you know that children who are  read to  at least three times a week are almost  twice as likely  to score in the top 25% in reading compared to children who are read to less often? Reading to children is just one way to help boost their early literacy skills and the best news is, it’s easy and enjoyable for children and adults alike!

In addition to reading aloud, there are many simple literacy ideas that you can do at home or in the classroom to help boost children’s early literacy skills. It really doesn’t have to be too difficult, and I’m here to help!

Let’s check out 35 fun literacy activities for kids!

What Exactly are Early Literacy Skills?

Early literacy skills in young children are the fundamental skills they need in order to start reading and writing.

Early literacy skills include:

✩ phonological awareness

✩ print awareness

✩ letter recognition

✩ vocabulary skills

✩ comprehension

✩ listening skills

✩ fine motor skills

✩ narrative skills

✩ early writing skills

Let’s even throw in language skills! 

I know what you might be thinking…

… this list of basic literacy skills is LONG!

Parents, caregivers and teachers can all help early childhood ages with these skills by providing a print-rich environment, engaging in conversations, reading regularly and offering activities that promote phonological awareness.

But don’t worry! I’ve got some super simple and fun ideas below that will take no time and barely any supplies to start implementing TODAY! Keep reading to see my top recommendations and grab some freebies!

Phonological Awareness Activities for Kindergarten

What is phonological awareness exactly?

Phonological awareness  means being able to recognize and manipulate sounds in spoken language. The sounds that make up a word are also called  phonemes . There are actually 44 phonemes in the english language! It involves skills such as understanding rhyming, blending, segmenting and understanding the different sounds in a word.

There are many different ways to work on phonological awareness skills in kindergarten. Let’s look at some fun activities below to use with children to help improve their literacy skills !

1. Syllable Scoops (FREE ACTIVITY!)

This fun little game from my Printable Literacy Games Pack is for 2-4 players. Each player will need ten small objects such as mini erasers or pom-pom balls for their “ice cream.” Students will draw a card, count the syllables, and cover up an ice cream cone with that number.

Other than that, just print, cut, and you’re ready to play and have fun! This game works great for small groups and partner work.

You can download the Syllable Scoops game for free! Just add your info below and it will be sent straight to your inbox.

2. Read Picture Books

As I stated above, reading books to kids sets up a strong foundation for making them both better readers and writers. They’ll associate reading with feelings of positivity and enjoyment!

Set aside a read aloud time in your classroom; I always liked to do this right after lunch time. If you are a parent and looking for literacy ideas at home, read your child’s favorite story to them at bedtime or right when they wake up. Talk about simple words in the story to help them with vocabulary development. 

For example, if there is a tow truck in the story, point to it and label it for your child: “Ooh-I see a tow truck. I wonder where it’s going?”

If you need a place to get started, check out my favorite alphabet books for kindergarten !

3. Sing Nursery Rhymes

Nursery rhymes are another great way to easily sneak in a literacy activity in your day. Babies all the way up to kindergartners (and sometimes older) love nursery rhymes!

I bet you don’t even realize how many different literacy skills you can hit with singing nursery rhymes!

They help kids to understand rhyming skills, how to sequence a story because they usually have a beginning, middle and end, plus they also help with recall and memorization!

4. Street Signs & Environmental Print

Environmental print is all the words and signs that you see around you every day – like stop signs, store names and logos.

Think about the golden arches-kids know by a pretty young age that that is the sign for McDonalds. They may also recognize the environmental print for places like Wal-Mart, Target and Chick-fila. They are going to know the environmental print of the places they frequent the most often.

Make sure you are naming places as you drive by or even when in a building, simply point out the restroom or exit signs. These are all ways to practice reading and vocabulary words!

5. Magnetic Letters

Magnetic letters are tons of fun! Chances are you already have some in your classroom, too. You can use them with magnetic cookie sheets to let students explore the letters, or use them in a more scaffolded activity.

For example these  Letter Magnet Cards  are a staple in my literacy centers at the beginning of the school year. Just print, laminate, cut, and watch the engagement unfold!

Another fun way to use magnetic letters is with these sorting mats ! Mix together a bunch of magnetic letters and have students sort them. (Tip: I also use letters from games, mini erasers, and letter tiles to this activity!) This works great for letter of the week; just use the sorting mat for the letter you’re focusing on and add it to centers!

6. Introduce New Sight Words/ High Frequency Words

In preschool and kindergarten, young children start to be exposed to sight words to strengthen their reading skills. These may also be referred to as high-frequency words . These are simply words that are seen frequently in text. Words like: “is, the, saw, little, not” (just to name a few).

You don’t have to make sight word practice boring:

You can practice in a playful way such as writing them in chalk, rainbow writing or building with magnetic letters.

You could also try to  create sight word mini books  or have students  read and sort their sight words.

Plus, when you read books aloud to students, you can always point out the high frequency sight words while you are reading!

Recognizing rhyming words is a  basic level of phonological awareness. Most of the time, learning how to rhyme just takes a lot of practice and exposure! Games and songs are such an easy way to give students practice identifying and producing rhymes.

For example, this is the Rhyming Robot game from my Printable Literacy Games Pack . To start the game, students place a mini eraser on all the pictures. Then on their turn, the student removes one, two, or three erasers and produces a rhyme for the picture under the erasers they took. It’s easy to learn, hands on, and guaranteed

8. Practice Alphabet Letters at Bath Time

If you are a parent reading this, you know how fun bath time can be. Kids are silly, they usually have a ton of things to talk about and they want to play.

Bath time can actually be the perfect time to help children work on early literacy skills.

Use foam alphabet letters like these to practice naming letters and sounds, finding the letters in their name, or putting the letters in order. You could also grab these lowercase foam letters to help them distinguish the difference between lowercase letters and uppercase letters. So many opportunities here!

9. Make Letter Shapes Out of Play Dough

Most children love play dough ! Adults love it, too – it’s inexpensive and you can even make it yourself !

Why not take something that they are interested in already and incorporate a little learning? 

Making letter shapes out of play dough is such fun way to work on fine motor skills, too!

10. Word Games

For this idea, you can really be creative with it and differentiate it to fit your classroom needs.

There are many types of word games you can play with kids to help their phonics skills:

• Sight Word Bingo
• Word Wall Relay: Students race to the word word wall and tap on the word the teacher calls out first.
• Sight Word Pictionary
• Sight Word Simon Says: Simon says touch the word “the” (have the sight word cards spread out around the room)

11. Go on a Scavenger Hunt

Going on a scavenger around the school is yet another neat idea for a literacy activity. Simply make the clues all having to do with phonics.

Check out some ideas for clues:

• Find an object that starts with the letter B.
• Find something that rhymes with bat.
• Locate a book that has the word  is  in the title.

12. Literacy File Folder Games

Having some simple file folder games to pull for independent work or small group time is another really simple way to help younger children with phonological and early literacy skills.

I used these  Literacy File Folder Games  because they aligned with Common Core standards and there are 24 different games to choose from.

They range from upper and lowercase matching to beginning sounds, ending sounds and CVC words. This makes them perfect for differentiating within groups in your class!

13. Write Letters in Sand

Any type of activity with sand is an automatic hit for most kids that I know! All you need is:

• A sturdy container, a plastic tray , or you can get really fancy with a sand tray like this
• Sand (I like to get multiple colors to change out throughout the year; for example, I use orange around Halloween time)
• Letter cards ( here’s one option )
• Optional: Some kids don’t like the feeling of sand, so I include a pencil (they can use the eraser end) or witch fingers

14. Everyday Activities

When you think about it, there are actually ways that we can practice literacy skills in everyday activities.

When a child is involved in pretend play, there are so many different ways that you can sneak in learning about phonological awareness:

Make him or her the chef of the kitchen and have them create a restaurant menu.

Write letters to friends and have your child deliver them as the mailman.

Play school and they can be the teacher.

When you take your child to places like the grocery store, look for letters and sight words within the store and on the products. Talk about the letters that the fruits and vegetables you are picking up begin with.

Take the child’s lead and go with their interests on this. It will make it more fun for them and they will want to continue playing longer and be more engaged.

15. Alphabet Songs

Singing alphabet songs are some of the main building blocks of literacy. The more your child is exposed to the alphabet, the better they will know it!

Try having the Alexa play the alphabet song while you are making dinner, sing it during bath time or sing it while you brush your teeth!

16. Labeling Everyday Objects

Labeling everyday objects is another great way to work on literacy development. This is especially important for really young kids like babies and toddlers. It’s important to constantly talk about what we are doing so that kids can help interpret what the meaning of a word is.

For example, if you are mopping the kitchen floor-say that out loud. I’m mopping the kitchen floor because it’s dirty. 

17. Alphabet Puzzles

Alphabet puzzles are another simple activity for kids during anytime of the day. Letter recognition skills become of utmost importance by the time kids enter kindergarten so they have the right tools for reading.

This set is just one of many good options out there!

18. Letters of the Alphabet Treasure Hunt

Print out letter cards. I like to use this gold coin themed set from my Alphabet Fine Motor Pack.

Hide the letters around the school or classroom in advance. (This is a great after-lunch activity!) 

Explain to the class that they are going on an alphabet treasure hunt, and their mission is to find all the letters of the alphabet. They MUST work together to find all 26 letters!

Begin the hunt by providing the child with the first letter. You can hand it to them or give them a clue that leads to the location of the first letter. If you don’t want to give clues for this, you actually don’t have to. They know they are done when they have all 26 letters and that is the beauty of it – if you need a fun activity in a pinch, this could be it!

Once they work together to find all 26 letters, put the letters in order, practice the sounds of each and give them a prize! (a small eraser or sticker will do! Keep it simple!)

19. Tell a Short Story

A new activity to try is having your child or student tell short simple stories.

Encourage them to tell the family stories at home or do this as a class at school. Try to guide them to have a beginning, middle and end.

They don’t need to write the story down-they can just verbally tell you. They could also draw a picture for their story and then tell you about it.

20. Name Activities 

One of the most important life skills is for young kids to know their name, be able to spell their name and identify which letters are in their name.

Have students rainbow trace their name, outline each letter with stickers or spell their name with magnets to mix it up a bit.

21. Use Alphabet Beads

Do you already own plastic alphabet beads? There are some letter-shaped ones out there, but any beads with letters will work for this activity. Plus, it incorporates fine motor work so it’s obviously one of my favorites!

Simply print any sort of alphabet cards ( like these ). I like to laminate them for durability. Tape half of a pipe cleaner on back so it sticks off the side of the card as shown. Provide students with alphabet beads and let them sort the beads by threading them on the pipe cleaner!

TIP: Starting with all 26 letters is probably too much for preschool or early kindergarten, but it’s up to you! It takes more planning, but I like to sort out and use only the first few letters we do for letter of the week.

22. Letter Hopscotch

This one is just like it sounds-your classic hopscotch games with letters on the board. For students that need the challenge, try putting sight words on the hopscotch board instead.

23. Use Clothespin Clipping Activities

Here’s yet another way to incorporate building fine motor strength with early literacy! You can use any type of clothespins that you have. I like the plastic ones because they’re colorful and there’s no risk for slivers.

Clothespin clip cards can cover virtually every early literacy skill you could think of. Here’s just one example:

24. Write Letters in Shaving Cream

Does anyone else remember doing this when they were in kindergarten? It’s the perfect activity because it’s hands on and exciting, plus you’ll have sparkly clean tables and desks when you’re done!

Here are a few ways to make shaving cream letter writing work in your classroom:

• Have students write their name in shaving cream (have them look at their name tag for reference)
• Have students write letters they know
• Call out a letter and have students write it
• Call out a letter sound and have students write the corresponding letter
• Call out CVC words and have students write them

25. Dab-it Alphabet Pages

Kindergartners love bingo daubers ! They are perfect for keeping little hands busy, engaged and are even great for working on fine motor skills.

Students can use the bingo daubers to practice letter formation. You can print large letters or you could also use the dab-it pages from my Alphabet Fine Motor Pack . Another favorite activity is my “ spot and dot ” letter identification printables. They’re perfect for whole group activities, small group practice, and centers.

26.  Letter-Sound Coloring Pages

If you are looking for a quick and east no-prep literacy activity, simply print these 26 letter-sound coloring pages and watch the magic happen! Students will color the pictures on that page that begin with that letter. Kids stay really engaged and focused during this since their hands and minds are busy.

They work really great for morning work or literacy centers also!

27. Story Sequencing Cards

Sequencing short stories and events is a skill all kids need help with. You can print out pictures yourself or buy some sequencing cards for your home or classroom.

28. Play “I Spy”

Playing I Spy is honestly just a great game to help with vocabulary and comprehension. You can play this as a class or in the car with your child! That is the best part of I Spy- you don’t need anything at all to play!

29. Fingerprint Letters

This fine motor activity idea is from  Happy Toddler Playtime.

You’ll need a washable ink pad, paper and a marker. Start by writing large letters spread out on the paper. Then instruct your child to dip their finger on the ink pad and make fingerprints along each letter. This is a great way for little ones to start recognizing letter shapes even if they can’t quite trace with a pencil.

30. Play Memory Games

Memory is a classic game that can also be applied to many early literacy skills. From simple letter matching to reading CVC words, memory is easy to learn and simple enough for kindergarteners. I have several memory games in my Printable Literacy Games pack , so there’s no need to go reinvent the wheel!

31. Make Alphabet Mini Books

Mini books are something I absolutely love using in the classroom. They usually practice a variety of skills, and the book format adds a fun component. Students love taking their mini books home!

If you’d like to try a mini book, you can try my Letter A Mini Book for free! Just sign up below and I’ll send you my Letter A Activity Pack, which includes the letter A mini book shown above.

32. Create a Word Chain

This is a fun idea when you have about a 20 minute minimum block of time.

• Start by writing a simple word on the whiteboard or paper (e.g., “cat”).
• Explain to the students that you’re going to create a chain of words, where each word starts with the last letter of the previous word.
• Ask the first student to come up and say a word that starts with the last letter of the word you wrote (e.g., “cat” ends with “t,” so the next word could be “turtle”).
• Write down the new word.
• Continue the chain, with each student adding a new word to the list.
• If a student can’t think of a word, you can provide a hint or allow the next student to take their turn.
• Keep the chain going until everyone has had a turn or until you reach a designated stopping point.

33. Word Family Books

This is a set of five word family books . Students will cut out CVC words and pictures and sort them onto the correct word family page. You can have students work on one word family at a time, or they can work on two or more.

34. CVC Word Games for Early Readers

Games like these are really versatile and work for small groups and partner work. You only need to print them and throw in some small objects. Check out some different options below:

Short A CVC Word Games

Short E CVC Word Games

Short I CVC Word Games

Short O CVC Word Games

ShortU CVC Word Games

35. Try a Kindergarten Literacy Night at Your School!

Have students invite a family member to come up to literacy night with them to create  eight Make & Take Literacy Activities !

What are your favorite literacy activities for kids?

No matter which ideas you use, we know that it’s easy to have fun while teaching kids about letters and boosting their phonological awareness. I hope these literacy activities help inspire you and make teaching even easier!

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You are here, 14 activities for building literacy at home.

Literacy is more than just reading.

Developing literacy, especially in young children, also means helping a child learn to engage with the world: How to ask questions, form knowledge, imagine the (im)possible, and reflect on their experiences.

With many young children spending more time at home due to COVID-19, Penn GSE Reading/Writing/Literacy doctoral student Daris McInnis offers these 14 activities that will help parents build these literacy skills with their children and have fun in the process.

These activities are all meant to be personalized to work with what you have at home or around your neighborhood.

Two ideas are at the heart of every activity.

The first is inquiry. One of the best ways to teach children is to ask a child questions, McInnis says, and to encourage a child to ask questions when they are curious or want to explore more.

The second is respect. It’s important we treat kids as the cosmopolitan intellectuals that they are, as Penn GSE’s Gerald Campano and Columbia professor Maria Paula Ghiso remind us. When we treat their ideas and questions with respect and engage them in meaningful dialogue, children will want to explore more.

Create a schedule

 One of the first things kids see when they walk into a classroom is a schedule with pictures of what they will do for the day. Whether you are providing care for your child every day or only occasionally, a schedule can help orient both you and your child.

You can ask your child to draw pictures for each activity, which gives them some ownership over the schedule. 

Remember, you can be flexible after you write in those times. Some activities will be shorter, some will take longer. That’s fine.

Looking for more advice for families?  Subscribe to the Educator’s Playbook for Parents .

Chart the weather

 Start the day by stepping outside and asking: what does it feel like and what does it look like?

Creating a meteorology chart to track the temperature and the forecast allows children to use their knowledge, senses, and curiosity to explore the weather and its effects.

Invite your child to draw the day’s forecast or weather. Or if this is an everyday activity, they could create a series of drawings representing different forecasts to swap in and out of your chart.

For slightly older children, around age 5 and 6, you can ask ‘why’ questions, like: why do you think it’s hot today? You can start to explain bigger concepts like the relationship between the sun and the earth and how seasons work, depending on your geography. 

Tune up fine motor skills

 Young kids love sorting things. With your child’s help, you can create a sorting activity that will help them notice similarities and differences and also develop their fine motor skills.

Collect objects from around your home of different size or shape, like a grain of rice, a bead, or a remote control. Ask your child to sort the objects into different piles. You are introducing the math concept of categorization and opening the door for powerful inquiry.

Ask the child why they put the grain of rice into this pile instead of that pile. Are they organizing by size, shape, color, or something else? 

While they are thinking, you’ll be helping your child build their dexterity while they practice gripping with their thumb, index, and middle finger – this is important for pencil grip and writing activities in the future. 

If a child is physically unable to sort the items without assistance, you can move the objects for them and still ask the rationale behind their choices.

Scavenger hunt!

 You don't have to buy any new stuff to use your home as a play space.

When you create your scavenger hunt, you can show your child what a list is and why we would use one. You can ask them to find something that is a circle or a triangle. Find a letter S. Find a clock. Find something with the color green. The possibilities are limitless.

For slightly older kids, you can let your child do the hunt themselves and give them a time limit. Be sure to use a timer they can see, to keep them on task.

This is a way to encourage your child to notice details in their everyday environment and also build their vocabulary. For example, your child might identify an iron as a triangle. This is a chance to explain what an iron is and why someone would use it. 

Bonus idea: Create some cutouts of letters and hide them around your home. 

Have more ideas? Let us know. Tag us on Instagram or Twitter @PennGSE on your neighborhood walks, experiments, weather reports, home cooking, and art! 

Plant a seed

You can create a really nice gardening activity with materials you have around the home, like reusing an egg carton, paper cups, or an old two-liter bottle.

You can show a child how to plant a seed. You can tell them about watering and sunlight needs. Have them start a plant journal where they can draw what they notice about the plant bed every day. This can open a conversation about the life cycle of the plant.

There’s even a behavior element to this lesson. How do we use our bodies around the plant? For instance, it’s probably not a good idea to play with or throw an object near the plant, because we might knock it over and hurt it.

  Kids are innately brilliant, and books are a way to spark a child’s imagination and develop early literacy skills. As you are reading the book, make sure the child can see the pictures. Ask them what they notice, in both the narrative and the pictures, especially about details like characters’ facial expressions.

When you finish the story, encourage them to respond to the text. Maybe that’s drawing a picture of their favorite part. Or asking them to explain why they like or dislike a particular character in the story. You are providing opportunities for your child to explore their own ideas, extract information, form opinions, and infer.

Don’t forget, many libraries have created touchless pickup or have digital borrowing options to help families through COVID.

Readers’ theater

 Building on a read aloud, have your child act out a favorite story, or act it out with them. For slightly older children, encourage them to make a costume from items around your home. 

You are testing their comprehension, but it’s also super cute. If you’re able to, record their production on a mobile device, and let them see themselves as a writer, actor, and director.

Remember: Cardboard boxes make great set pieces, like vehicles or clubhouses. 

Make some goo

Find a recipe online to make your own version of Gak or Play-Doh. It might be a good idea to try this activity on your own first. When you do get to the lab together (probably the kitchen area), start by going over the safety rules, and orient them to the materials and the ingredients.

Once your Gak or Play-Doh is ready, create letters and numbers on a piece of cardboard or tin. Have your child shape the material into the letters. This helps kids recognize their name, which they will need to do at day care or pre-school.

Added bonus: Because it can take 30 minutes to an hour just to make the material, this can be good for a rainy day spent inside. 

Collage time

Collages are a great way to introduce kids to creating art. They can be figurative or abstract, and they can feature letters, shapes, colors, story characters, or any other theme you and your child might want to try. Found objects like bottle caps, pipe cleaners, and feathers make great additions — but think twice before opening glitter.

Don’t forget to ask your child to sign their piece, since they are, in fact, the artist. Then display it. Running out of gallery space? Try a memory board, which will let you slide pieces in and out. Save special pieces in a scrap book or an accordion file, which makes a meaningful gift when your child reaches a milestone like graduating high school. 

When we treat their ideas and questions with respect and engage them in meaningful dialogue, children will want to explore more.

Take a virtual tour

 Because of the pandemic, many museums and zoos around the world have expanded their virtual offerings.

Virtual tours are fun activities themselves, but they also offer another chance to invite your child to do some critical thinking. Say you tour the Smithsonian’s Air & Space Museum . You might learn that in our solar system, Mercury is the closest planet to the sun, but Venus is the hottest. Ask your child: why do they think this the case? You can explore comets or share dialogue about how gravity might work on other planets.

Inquiry is a great way to keep your child interested and engaged in learning, based on what they already know and things they care about, McInnis says. The discussion and exchange you have about what they learned, or what they liked, or what they want to know more about, can help you plan your next virtual tour.

Give them an apron

 You can do two things at once: Engage your kids AND keep them busy while you prepare a meal.

If your family has a particularly cherished recipe you can tell you child how it’s been passed down from generation to generation. Or you can describe the part of the world where this meal originated. You can also write out a recipe with your child, having them add words or drawings as they go. Eventually you could design and publish a family cookbook with your child as a significant contributor.

You can give children basic, age appropriate tasks, like rinsing food, or tearing up herbs or lettuce. It’s also a good opportunity to talk about the importance of following steps when preparing meals and teaching them about food safety. 

One more hack: The slow cooker is your friend. Take turns with your child measuring ingredients and filling the pot. You can start dinner early in the day, avoid using a stove, and still enjoy a nice hot meal.    

Take a stroll

Nature or community walks are a great way to get out your home and into your community space. It's also an opportunity for you to talk about nature, perhaps naming some trees you see, birds overhead, or flowers in your window box. 

If there isn't much green around your community, there is an opportunity to talk about environmental print. Stop signs are octagons and other street signs have different shapes; use the world around you to engage in discussions around shapes, colors, and letters we see every day.  

Introduce an experiment

  People often assume science lessons are for older children. But thanks to their natural curiosity, younger children are great scientists too.

Try a game of sink or float for your first experiment. Create a chart, help the child write or draw objects, and then have them predict if the objects will sink or float in a bowl of water.

Kids will often pause if you ask about an egg, because of the shape. Or you can ask about a piece of tinfoil folded like the hull of a boat versus a ball of aluminum foil. This can lead to a conversation about buoyancy and water displacement.

For the next experiment, the child can find objects to test. Note: Your smartphone will sink. Don’t test that. 

Freeze dance!

Dance parties are fun, and as your kids learn songs, they can help you write out the lyrics or names of songs in a playlist. Or open the recycle bin to find materials to make your own drums and maracas, and make the music yourselves.

Jam out to your favorite tunes or dance while playing your homemade instruments — and when you pause the music, it’s time to freeze your body!

And remember, if you and/or your child are working virtually for an extended period of time, dance parties are a fun, simple way to take a break.

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26 Read Across America Day Activities To Celebrate Literacy

National Read Across America week is March 2-6, 2024

March is National Reading Month, and there are so many ways to encourage the love of reading and so many amazing authors to celebrate. NEA’s Read Across America has broadened its scope to embrace the theme “Celebrate a Nation of Diverse Readers” to affirm to all children that they belong in the world and the world belongs to them. Here are some of our favorite Read Across America activities to share with your class.

1. Invite students to read in a variety of ways

Make reading fun by allowing your students to do it in many different ways. Make time for students to read alone, read with a friend, read with someone they’ve never read with before, listen to teacher read-alouds, read with a younger or older buddy, even read with a favorite stuffie. Hold special events like Flashlight Friday or one of these fun suggestions from PTO Today :

• Transform your school cafeteria, gym, or library into a “campground” and ask families to bring sleeping bags.
• Read mystery books and solve a special mystery by decoding secret messages at a series of stations using invisible ink, words cut out of newspapers, and backward messages that require mirrors.
• For an event with a treasure hunt theme, focus the read-aloud on a favorite book and then have students hunt for hidden clues that lead them to book-related treasure.

2. Challenge younger students to a picture book scavenger hunt

Motivate your students to read many, many books with Read Across America scavenger hunt activities. As they are reading, they will look for the items on the list. Create your own list, or ask students to help you brainstorm ideas.

3. Plan a few tantalizing book talks

Book talks are a great tool to give students a sneak peek at books that might not be on their radar. Start each morning with a brief talk, each one about a book with a different theme or from a different genre.

Learn more:  What Is a Book Talk? Your Guide to Making Them Work in the Classroom

4. Get moving with a round of “Would You Rather?”

Get your kids up and moving while you learn more about their love of learning. For each round, two “Would you Rather” questions will flash on the screen. Depending on students’ answers, they will be directed to perform a short physical activity. Fun questions like “Would you rather read all day in an igloo or in a tree house?” and “Would you rather own a bookstore or be a librarian?” will hook your students and get them all the more excited about Read Across America.

5. Track your reading progress

Get kids amped up about reading with a little friendly competition. Have each class keep track of either how many minutes or how many pages they read each day. Make a large thermometer out of a large sheet of bulletin board paper and post it in the hall. At the end of each day, check in with students to see how much progress they have made. Color in the thermometer as you work toward your ultimate goal. When they meet their goal, celebrate with a special event.

Buy it: Goal Tracker Pocket Chart at Amazon

6. Do a creative book report

You know that feeling when you finish a really great book and you just can’t wait to share it with a friend so you have someone to talk to about it? Well, kids feel the same way! Why not give them a few creative ways to share a book that has knocked their socks off? Try one of these fun book report ideas: a book report cake, a clothes hanger mobile, or even a book report charm bracelet.

7. Read your way across the map

This is one of our favorite Read Across America activities. Students get to choose reading activities and color in the map of the USA as they complete each activity. There is a link in the video to access the free printable with the list of activities and a blank map. Students have free rein to choose the activities that spark their curiosity, which, of course, fuels their love of reading. ADVERTISEMENT

8. Invite guest readers to join in the fun

Everybody loves an engaging read-aloud, no matter their age. Set up a roster of guest readers (parents, grandparents, school staff, even local authors) to visit your classroom and read to your students. If you’re extra ambitious, why not set up a “Masked Reader” event (like the TV show “Masked Singer”)? Your kids will be extra engaged as they try to identify who is sitting in the reader’s chair.

9. Have a reading-inspired dress-up day

Dress up like your favorite book character or favorite author, and encourage your students to do the same! Check out these book character costumes , including Olivia the pig, Ms. Frizzle, and Camilla Cream from A Bad Case of Stripes .

10. Set up a performance stage

Many young authors love to share the stories they’ve written. Give your students the opportunity to sign up to take center stage, kind of like an open mic night, and perform a read-aloud of their own original material.

11. Encourage readers to explore diverse themes

Reading broadens children’s horizons. There are so many wonderful people, places, and ideas to discover in the pages of a book. Encourage your students to not only read for pleasure, but read to learn about the big, wide world.

Here are a few of our favorite book lists to scan for ideas:

• Books about friendship K-6
• Social justice books K-12
• Picture books about kindness
• Picture books about names
• Graphic novels for middle and high schoolers
• Fantasy books for middle grades
• Books that celebrate diversity

12. Host a book tasting

Another one of our favorite Read Across America activities. Expand your readers’ palettes with a book tasting. Much like a food tasting, students circulate around the room, spending a few minutes checking out the front and back cover, reading the inside flaps, and browsing the book for a first impression. Then they record their observations on a note catcher for future reference. 

Learn more: Expand Your Readers’ Palates With a Book Tasting

13. Branch out and read something new

Many times kids find a genre they love and stick with it to the exclusion of the many, many other wonderful genres available. Read Across America Week is a perfect opportunity to encourage them to branch out!

Learn more: 50+ Literary Genres and Subgenres Every Student Should Know

14. Set up a classroom book swap

Help get books into your students’ hands by organizing classroom book swaps! These simple Read Across America activities encourage kids to bring a book or two from home that they feel ready to part with (with their parents’ permission, of course). Then, on the day of the swap, lay out the books and give the kids time to browse. Make sure every child gets one book before anyone gets more. Ask around the building to see if other teachers or the librarian have books they can contribute.

15. Tap into March Madness with a twist

We’ve all heard of March Madness. Why not tap into the energy and create a Book Madness bracket for your classroom?

Learn more: Book Madness March at Brown Bag Teacher

16. Take pledges to donate to a charity

Before Read Across America week, send home a pledge sheet with each student. Have them ask family and friends to pledge a dime (or any spare change) per book read to donate to the March of Dimes . The March of Dimes is a nonprofit that supports research, programs, education, and advocacy needed by parents throughout their pregnancies. Have a celebration at the end of the week and tally up the donations.

17. Tune into the Reading Rainbow archives

For 40 years, Reading Rainbow has encouraged a love of reading in our children. Check out their website for links to full-length episodes of their beloved show. Look for titles like “How Much Is a Million?,” “Fly Away Home,” and many more.

18. Do an author study or two

Dive into the talent behind some of your students’ favorite stories with an author study or two. Make sure to have books by your focus author on hand for students to check out. Check out Best Children’s Book Illustrators Everyone Should Know , Brilliant Black Children’s Book Authors We Love and Famous Children’s Books Every Kid Should Read .

19. Load up those e-books

While physical books will always have a place in our hearts (and our classrooms!), you can’t beat e-books for their convenience and ability to serve kids with many different types of learning differences. That’s why we’ve put together this list of sites where kids (and their parents) can easily download free e-books so they can keep reading no matter where they are!

Learn more: Ways Kids Can Read Free E-Books

20. Make bookmarks

Celebrate the love of reading by making DIY bookmarks. From simple designs to more complicated projects, your students will love these adorable DIY bookmark activities to celebrate Read Across America.

Learn more: DIY Bookmarks

21. Explore poetry

While you’re exploring genres, why not give poetry a try? Read poems together from this list of Essential Poetry Books for Kids . Or try some of these Inspiring Poetry Games and Activities for Kids .

22. Make reading fun with Reading Bingo

Who doesn’t love a good old-fashioned game of bingo? Try this version with a twist. Send this free printable bingo card with your little learners and have them return them completed for a small prize.

Learn more: Reading Bingo Printable Cards at Primary Playground

23. Shine a light on flashlight reading

Looking for a fun way to get your students excited about reading? Well, get your students all settled and comfy, turn off the lights, and strap on the finger flashlights! Your kids will feel like they’re on a sleep-away camping trip with their favorite book.

Learn more: Flashlight Friday Ideas

24. Organize buddy readers

Invite older students in your school to come read with your primary students. Not only will they have fun reading together, they’ll build community and school spirit.

25. Make your own books

Motivate your students to read and write by teaching them how to make their very own books. Eight easy projects for even the youngest learners.

26. Create your own book jackets

Learn the parts of a book jacket and the purpose for each part. Then, create your own! Not only will this tap into your students’ creativity, it requires thinking deeply about the book in order to know what to include.

If you liked these Read Across America activities, be sure to  subscribe to our newsletters  to find out when more articles like this are posted.

You might also like ideas to inspire your students to read more than ever this year.

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