reading homework ideas kindergarten

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Fun Reading Activities for Kindergarten: 15 Simple Ideas to Try

If you are looking for fun reading activities for kindergarten, look no farther. Your kids will love the activities in this post!

It’s just after lunch. I’m sitting in my chair, pointing to each of the words on the phonics chart. The children drone out the answers as I point. My head bobs and I start to wonder, “Is it nap time yet?” (To be honest, right after lunch is not my energetic time under the best of circumstances!)

After a few too many days like that, I realized I needed to change something and find some fun reading activities for kindergarten. If you have found yourself in the same boat, keep reading. I’ll share some of what I discovered.

How can I make reading activities fun for kindergarten?

First of all, choose activities that are fun for you. If you aren’t enjoying teaching reading, it will show – and the kids won’t have fun either. So pick books that you enjoy – favorite stories, books full of cool facts, anything you can have fun with!

But, I know, you have a curriculum you need to teach, and you don’t have much leeway in what you do. So then my advice is fake it ’til you make it. Do your best to act like the daily phonics routine is exciting. Teach it at your most energized time of day (so for me, not right after lunch!) Then pretend that you are having fun. (I’ll give more tips about that below.)

Your reading block probably has a lot of components to it. Let me break this up to share some of my favorite activities for various parts of the reading lesson.

Fun Books for Read Aloud Time

I’ll admit, read aloud time is my favorite time of day. For me, reading books to kids is just naturally fun. But I realize that’s not the case for everyone, so here are a few suggestions.

First, picks books you like. This is easiest for a “fun” read aloud time. There are so many good picture books out there, it should be easy to find a bunch that you love to share with your students. It is a bit trickier if you have an interactive read aloud curriculum that your school uses. Many of these curriculums include some high quality texts, so focus on using your favorites of these. And maybe every now and then you can swap out a text for one you like better.

Still building your list of favorite books? Consider looking at some engaging non-fiction (anything by Steve Jenkins is a great place to start.) Kids eat up the crazy facts in these books – the grosser, the better. Also, learn from the kids. Reread their old favorites (or their recommendations.) They generally know a good book when they hear it! 

Finally, with little ones, you can’t go wrong with a book that has a choral response. Think the chorus in The Gingerbread Man or the wolf’s threat in The Three Little Pigs . Other examples include The Napping House ; Bob, Not Bob ; or Brown Bear, Brown Bear .

Fun Activities for Read Aloud Time

So beyond picking fun books, are there other fun reading activities for kindergarten read aloud time? There sure are! Here are a few of my favorites.

One fun activity is to act out the story. This clearly works well for a variety of traditional tales. One of my favorite stories to dramatize is The Three Billy Goats Gruff. Those kindergarten tables make an awesome bridge – one child can hide below and shout out at the ones who cross the bridge above. Students can help retell the story, building their retelling skills. This will become a favorite activity in your classroom.

Build in Some Critical Thinking

Get your kids engaged by adding some critical thinking questions from time to time. This interview with Colin Seale gives some great examples about how to add some challenging questions to your conversations. An example of this could be asking “Was it OK for the bears to scare Goldilocks away? Why or why not?” Open ended questions like this (with no correct answer) allow children to “think like lawyers” and justify their thinking.

Take It Outside

A simple way to spice up your read-aloud is to read the book outside – or in the hallway, or with the lights off (with a flashlight for the teacher). Do something a little different to add some novelty to your story time.

Fun Activities for Shared or Choral Reading – or Phonics

Sometimes shared reading (or reading phonics words) can feel super boring. The following ideas can help make even these routines feel like fun reading activities in kindergarten – or in older grades, too!

Read Like a…

The tricky part with shared reading (or reading phonics lists) is that everyone is reading the same stuff at the same time. This can lend itself to monotonous reading – and the tedium of doing the same thing day after day.

Spice up these choral readings activities by using silly voices. Students love to “read it like a mouse” – or a monster, fairy, pirate, ghost, or any other crazy character you can think of. Changing voices is often just what kids need to turn these shared reading into fun reading activities – not boring.

Silly Sentences

We all know that decodable sentences don’t always make the most sense. There are only so many words that follow a given pattern.

So take advantage of that and make the occasional intentionally silly sentence. (For instance: My dad can’t sing, but my dog can.) Play it cool as your kids read it, then watch their reaction as they realize what they just read. 

Alternatively, make a mistake in your sentence from time to time, and challenge the kids to find the sentence with the mistake. (For instance: The big pig ran (to) the pen.)

How can you make your reading group more fun?

Just like any other reading activity, start by picking engaging books as often as you can. (It’s important that the book is engaging to you and the kids. Maybe it’s about a favorite topic, has amazing pictures, or an unexpected ending.)

Then, build a reading group routine and stick with it – except when you don’t. Having a routine keeps your small group lesson to go smoothly. When kids know they routine, they stay engaged and work more efficiently.

But, it’s OK to mix it up a teensy bit from time to time. Pick one tiny part of your lesson and do something different:

• read with silly voices – or work on character voices
• read on the floor
• use a fun pointer (a witch finger, popsicle stick with a googly eye or sticker, a mini star wand)
• read by flashlight
• during your word work switch between white boards, letter magnets, letter cards

One favorite fun reading activity is using a homemade pointer while reading.

Make Independent Reading Fun

Just like any other reading time during the day, engaging books are a key part of making independent reading fun in kindergarten. Offer familiar books, books with awesome pictures, silly books, or books with crazy non-fiction facts.

In addition to fun books, offer fun places to read. This might include pillows, reading under desks, scoop chairs, little lawn chairs, or whatever your students will enjoy.

Allow students to do partner reading. Of course reading is more fun with a friend – why do you think adults have book clubs? ( OK – no wine in school…)

Partner reading can be fun with books with lots of dialogue – like Elephant and Piggie books. Kids can “be” the characters as they read.

Readers’ Theater scripts can also be fun for partner reading. Added bonus: readers’ theater scripts are perfect for building fluency . This best-selling set of Readers’ Theater scripts will certainly be loved by your students. 

Another way to make reading fun in kindergarten is to allow students to make book recommendations for their classmates. This could be in the form of posters or videos. 

Display the recommendations in your library, or add a QR code to the front of the book. Nothing “sells” a book so much a knowing that a friend loved it!

Hopefully you have found some new fun reading activities for kindergarten among this list. Most of them are easy (and free) to implement, so try something out today!

And if I missed one of your favorites, let me know in the comments. I’m always looking for fun new teaching ideas!

You might also like:

• How to Do Readers’ Theater
• Using High Frequency Words Games
• Reading Fluency Activities to Make Young Readers Sound Great

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Teacher’s Brain

Elementary Educational Resources, Ideas, and Lesson Plans

Homework Ideas For Kindergarten

Homework is a tricky topic in most schools, especially in the younger grades. Homework in kindergarten is sometimes completely forbidden by the school, left up to the teacher, or required for all students. In my experience, homework for kindergarten students can be beneficial. It can reinforce the skills learned in the classroom and get parents involved in the learning process. However, it must be developmentally appropriate for our youngest learners. 

In order for homework to be perfect for kindergarten, it must be short enough to maintain students’ attention.

Pages and pages of written work will frustrate kids, and busy parents do not want to complete more school work for hours each evening. Short, meaningful assignments will keep kids and parents engaged. They will also be more likely to positively influence learning. 

In addition to the amount of time assignments take, the content of the assignments is also important to consider for kindergarten students. Research has shown again and again that reading with a parent (and independently) for 15-20 minutes daily is extremely beneficial to young learners. So reading together is probably the most important part! 

Assignments should also reinforce basic skills with targeted practice. It is not the time for learning completely new concepts. Additionally, assignments with oral components are perfect for kindergarten students. As they interact and talk with their caregivers, they are learning important communication skills. They are also cementing their understanding of the concepts they’ve been learning at school. 

So- short, meaningful, targeted homework that involves parents seems to be the perfect recipe for kindergarten.

That’s a lot to think about when making assignments. If you don’t have the time to plan and prepare assignments that fit your needs for homework- my Kindergarten Homework Packets might be the answer! 

This bundle includes homework packets for the entire year . They are editable, but can also be printed and used immediately. The homework packets are set up to go home every three weeks. You choose three books to send home with each packet, and your students will have everything they need for meaningful homework. 

Sight words as well as Common Core standards for reading, writing, math, science, and social studies are all addressed throughout the year. Activities include written and oral activities that are perfect for school-home connections. Your students will enjoy their homework, and you can rest assured that it is appropriate and engaging. 

What are your thoughts on homework in kindergarten? Let me know in the comments!

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Kindergarten Reading Worksheets

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164 Kindergarten Reading Worksheets

"Reading" pictures #1

Draw a circle around each word you see! In this early reading worksheet, your child draws circles around the word under each picture and then guesses what the word might mean based on the picture.

"Reading" pictures #2

Where's the word? In this early reading worksheet, your child draws circles around the word under each picture and then guesses what the word might mean based on the picture.

A fantasy story: Baby Bear's Space Journey

Can Baby Bear go to the moon? In this early reading worksheet, your child listens as you read the story aloud, then answers reading comprehension questions. Encourage your child to try reading along to the story with you, too.

A fantasy story: spooky!

Read this story in a spooky voice! In this reading worksheet, your child will listen to and read a short story, then draw what comes next and create a title for the story.

A practice sentence

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Your child gets practice writing this sentence and coloring in the picture.

Above, on, below

Draw it! In this coloring math worksheet, your child will draw pictures on, above, and below other objects.

Above, on, below, part 2

Find it! In this coloring math worksheet, your child will identify whether objects are above, below, or on the ground.

This early writing worksheet gives your child practice writing the entire alphabet in lowercase letters.

It's the opposite! In this language arts worksheet, your child gets practice identifying antonyms such as on/off, light/dark, and night/day.

Beginning and ending sounds

In this early reading worksheet, your child gets practice identifying, writing, and sounding out vowels, first letters, and last letters in common one-syllable words.

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Creative Kindergarten

Home » Easy Prep Homework For Kindergarten

Easy Prep Homework For Kindergarten

Homework in Kindergarten: is it a good idea and how you should do it to make it valuable to your students and their families? Take a look at this monthly homework  for kindergarten printable and editable calendars .

Giving homework in kindergarten can be hard. You need parental involvement, and it can be difficult for some families to find time to complete it. One of my co-workers wanted a monthly calendar that students could do with their families. I created these editable monthly homework challenges so that families can complete the activities on their own time. They won’t need a lot of materials, and they can easily be done in a few minutes.

Keep reading to see what these are all about !

Homework for Kindergarten Printable Calendars

There are 16 challenges to complete every month. Some of them involve writing, some of the activities are hands-on. There is a mix of literacy, math and science challenges.  You only print and send home 1 page per month, no more worrying about photocopying a whole packet for each student.

They are editable!

I have made them editable so that you can change up the challenges to match up with what you are teaching that month. It is editable in PowerPoint, and all you have to do is type in the activity you want your students to complete.

Most asked questions:

Is this mandatory homework for your students? No. We don’t enforce homework for our students, if parents want something to work on at home, they can do these activities. I don’t believe in punishing kindergarten students for not doing their homework – that’s something out of their control.

What do you do when students bring back the completed homework calendar? We celebrate! We highlight their work to the rest of the class, I put a sticker on it and write an encouraging note and send it back home.

Try It Free

I am offering the Summer Challenges page as a FREEBIE! Send it home to families at the end of the year so that students can keep practicing skills that they learned over the summer months.

There is an editable version of this page included in the  paid product . If you would like to change out the activities to match the needs of your students, you can adapt it to fit your needs.

Find this free download in my  Resource Library !

Get students reading too

Encouraging students to read at home with their families is also very important. I have always sent home some leveled readers with students, on top of these calendars. Read about how I use Reading Log bookmarks to support home reading.

Want to try it out with your class? You can get it in my store now:

Do you assign homework in kindergarten? Let me know in the comments!

Want more daily inspiration for your classroom? Make sure you are following me here, on Facebook and on Instagram !

Subscribe to my newsletter to get weekly emails with tips, tricks and ideas!

10 comments

Do you have these available in Spanish also? I send my homework home in both English and Spanish.

I do not, but they are editable so you can change the activities to Spanish if you would like to use it!

I love this idea and I do want to try it in my classroom. I’m just curious on how you track it to see if they have been doing the things on the calendar. Honor system? Not much parent involvement in my school area. Just seeing how to get my parents and the student show me what they have done the work at home.

I don’t check to make sure all students do it. We do not have mandatory homework in kindergarten, so this is just for families that need ideas for home.

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I used these and they were amazing. Parents who wanted more homework liked the challenge. Thanks.

That’s amazing! Thank you for sharing!

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Free Reading Activities for Kindergarten

If you’re looking for fun reading activities for kindergarten, you’ve come to the right place! Our literacy activities engage young learners in a range of topics—from community helpers to wild weather to natural wonders—using eBooks, videos, and hands-on resources for reading practice. Plus, we’ve included lessons in Spanish and family support guides.

So take a look around. You’re sure to find plenty of reading lesson plan ideas to fit your curriculum and meet your students’ diverse learning needs.

Kindergarten Summer Reading Activities: Fun and Games

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Kindergarten actividades de lectura: Al aire libre

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Kindergarten Summer Reading Activities: The Great Outdoors

Explore five days of reading and learning activities designed to engage your child in an exploration of nature all around us.

Kindergarten actividades de lectura: Estos son los Estados Unidos

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Kindergarten Summer Reading Activities: This Is America

Welcome to This Is America! We’ll provide five days of reading and learning activities designed to engage your child in an exploration of our country and its symbols.

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Discover five days of reading lessons designed to engage your child in an exploration of how great things can happen when we work together.

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Kindergarten actividades de lectura: Tiempo en familia

¡Bienvenidos a Tiempo en familia! We provide you with daily summer reading activities in Spanish about family and spending time together.

Kindergarten Summer Reading Activities: Family Time

Discover five days of reading and learning activities designed to engage your child in an exploration of family and spending time together.

Kindergarten actividades de lectura: Insectos maravillosos

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June 1, 2020

Kindergarten Summer Reading Activities: Incredible Insects

Welcome to Incredible Insects! We’ll provide five days of reading and learning activities designed to engage your child in an exploration of butterflies, bees, and other bugs.

Kindergarten Daily Reading Activities: Let's Eat

Discover five days of reading lessons designed to engage your child in an exploration of food and how it is important in our lives.

May 27, 2020

Kindergarten actividades de lectura: La creatividad es lo que cuenta

Van a recibir lecciones de lectura para cinco días, con las que su hijo podrá explorar el tema de las artes y la creatividad.

May 11, 2020

Kindergarten Daily Reading Activities: Creativity Counts

Discover five days of reading lessons designed to engage your child in an exploration of arts and creativity.

Kindergarten actividades de lectura: Tiempo extremo

Van a recibir lecciones de lectura para cinco días, con las que su hijo podrá explorar el tema de los diferentes estados del tiempo.

May 5, 2020

Kindergarten Daily Reading Activities: Wild Weather

Discover five days of reading lessons designed to engage your child in an exploration of different kinds of weather.

May 4, 2020

Kindergarten Daily Reading Activities: Community Helpers

Discover five days of reading lessons designed to engage your child in an exploration of how we play a role in our communities.

April 27, 2020

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April 20, 2020

Kindergarten actividades de lectura: Historias y cuentos

Van a recibir lecciones de lectura para cinco días, con las que su hijo podrá explorar el tema de los cuentos tradicionales más de cerca.

April 16, 2020

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April 13, 2020

Kindergarten actividades de lectura: Animales

Vamos a proporcionarles lecciones de lectura que duran cinco días, y las cuales servirán para explorar el mundo animal con su hijo.

April 7, 2020

Kindergarten Daily Reading Activities: Animals

Explore five days of reading lessons designed to engage your child in an exploration of the animal world.

April 6, 2020

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Early Learning. Happy Teaching.

10 Hands On Literacy Ideas for Kindergarten

June 15, 2021 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

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Kindergarten is an almost magical grade to teach.

The change between what students can do on the first day and what they can do on the last day is remarkable.

And that’s because we teach so many concepts during kindergarten that form the foundation of what our students will learn for years afterward – from reading to counting to working well with others.

Early literacy, in particular, is one of my passions. When we help our students learn to read, we help them learn how to learn .

And, if we can make it fun, they’re even more likely to stick with it. Which is why I’m sharing this list of 10 hands on literacy ideas for kindergarten !

Turning literacy into an interactive lesson is the best way to make sure our early learners stay engaged.

After all, we want them to learn to love reading, right?

These resources are excellent for building literacy skills and having fun at the same time!

Read on to see the full list and how to get a free early literacy resource too.

Need ideas for teaching math in kindergarten? Take a look at this list of fun counting books to read with kids !

Apple CVC Word Building Activity

Help your kindergartners practice phonics and spelling with this fun apple-themed word building activity!

Use the word cards at centers and let students practice threading the CVC words for themselves. Check out this resource .

Use highlighters for phonics practice .

When you’re working with printed worksheets, add a little fun by letting students use highlighters!

They can write a new word and then highlight isolated letter sounds, such as the beginning sound, the vowel sound, the ending sound, and more.

Cupcake Uppercase and Lowercase Letter Matching

Working on recognizing uppercase and lowercase letters?

This hands-on cupcake letter matching activity is a perfect activity for early centers! Check out this resource .

Use magnetic or foam letters at centers.

Letting students move letters around is a fun way to show them how word sounds change, depending on the position of each letter.

Hand out individual magnet boards and let the kids spell out words for themselves. Here is a great magnetic letters kit for early readers. (affiliate link)

Use sidewalk chalk for outdoor literacy practice.

When the weather’s nice, take the class outside for the day’s reading lesson!

Draw a few vowels on the pavement and let the kids run to the vowel sound you say. You can also write a few CVC words on the concrete and let them find each one, based on how it sounds.

Sign Language Alphabet Learning Cards

Help your early readers practice recognizing written letters while learning sign language! And they make a fantastic addition to your collection of hands on literacy ideas for kindergarten.

These printable sign language alphabet learning cards are excellent for building hand-eye coordination and learning to spell in ASL! Check out this resource.

Vowel Houses Short Vowel Sound Activity

If you take a few minutes to prep a reusable activity, you can set up a center lesson that kids will use again and again.

This Vowel Houses CVC Word Activity is fantastic for centers! Students can practice placing the pictures in the correct houses by reading the words and listening for the vowel sound. Check out this resource.

Rhyming Word Puzzles

Kindergarten is the grade for learning about rhyming words. These printable rhyming word puzzles are awesome for centers and morning tubs!

Plus, they come with a non-labeled set, so students can practice listening for the rhyming sound and reading it. Check out this resource.

Use a whiteboard to introduce early ELA skills.

As your students build reading fluency, you’ll start introducing them to what sentences should look like – capitalizing first letters, ending with the right punctuation, and so on.

I like to use a whiteboard to write sentences incorrectly and then ask my students what I need to change. They love pointing out my mistakes!

Cookie and Cupcake Themed Alphabet Practice

If you need a quick take-home activity for students, this cookie and cupcake themed alphabet practice set is perfect!

These alphabet worksheets feature five literacy activities for early readers that help them practice recognizing and using letters – with a fun dessert theme.

To get your copy of these printable Sweet Treats! Literacy Worksheets, click the image or the link below to have them sent directly to your inbox – free!

You’ll also get our newsletter this Sunday night!

>>> Cookie and Cupcake Alphabet Worksheets

Did you like this list of hands on literacy ideas for kindergarten? Try some of these other ideas for building early literacy skills!

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Your child has nightly reading homework. What should YOU be doing?

August 24, 2014

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This guest post comes from  Carolyn Wilhelm  of the Wise Owl Factory .

Kindergarten, first, and second grade teachers often give children a nightly assignment to read aloud for 10 to 20 minutes. This can be supervised by parents, grandparents, or family members. Usually, a certain level of book or page of text is sent home in a reading folder with a chart for recording book titles or length of time spent reading. Here are some tips to help parents understand how best to use the nightly reading time at home.

1. Do not skip this time . A half hour every week does not begin to help as much as a few minutes each day. The long-term effects of skipping nightly reading homework are well established, as described in this article by Edudemic . This fact is well known by teachers who have studied reading pedagogy, and parents can easily find the research online if they need to be convinced.

2. Choose the right time.  Always try to find a time when your child will cooperate, when neither of you are pushing to just finish the homework. The best time might not be right after school as some play time may be needed first, and certainly just before bed is not opportune. Find a time that works for you and your family.

4. At the emergent level (when the child is learning sight words, short vowels, and mostly individual letter sounds), allow the child to use all the resources of the book, including pictures. Parents sometimes tell me they are proud of the fact they covered the pictures in emergent readers to force the child to read the “big” words. At this point in early reading, it is not possible to read the big words. The point of emergent readers is to learn sight words, use left to right reading orientation, and realize each word is separate, to utilize the pictures, and to experience reading success. Books that say things such as, “I like the ball, I like the car, I like the bird” are only helping reinforce the words I and like . Here is a link to a free emergent reader printable if you are wondering what they look like.

5. Do not “tell” words at the developing level as the child reads. When the child has progressed from the emergent level to the developing level (learning letter blends, long vowels, and word solving strategies), he or she should be able to stop pointing to words. When children stop dead in the middle of a sentence or paragraph when reading to the teacher, the teacher knows the parents are trying to help by telling the words. Instead, help the child learn to rely on word solving strategies outlined at the end of this blog post.

6. Do not stop reading aloud to your child.  It is a mistake to think that now the child can read on his or her own, the parent is out of the picture. Reading aloud to children should continue through grade four or higher. Why? Adults can read such a great variety of stories and expose children to a huge amount of vocabulary that children cannot access on their own. Children need to be reminded that reading is interesting.

7. Discuss what was read.  Help your child understand the point of reading is to understand, not just “word call.”  Here is a link to my free PDF that explains how parents can help develop their children’s reading comprehension .

This video illustrates some of these concepts:

What is word solving?

This is the missing piece of information for most parents. Because English is not a completely phonetic language, relying on the sound-it-out strategy is not the most effective way to support a child’s reading. To become a fluent reader, more strategies are required. Here are some of them:  [For a full description of these strategies, please see my FREE 162 page printable .]

Auto the Otter: This means some words cannot be sounded out and just have to be learned by memory, such as sight words . Good readers need a memorized word bank for automaticity and fluency in reading.

Chunky Monkey: This means to use letter blends and “chunks” of words such as ing, or ed . I remember one mother saying the homework came home for her to help her child chunk the sounds, and she said, “How am I supposed to know what chunking is?” This is really beginning syllabication, but what we say in school is how many times does your mouth open when you say a word like hippopotamus ? In that word, your mouth opens five times (five syllables)! A child’s name may have one, two, or three syllables. Of course, we do not expect children to know what that means.  We clap as we say words in school, four claps for happy birthday . Also, children can find little words in big words to help them read longer words.

Crabby Connector: This means to make connections between similar words to read a new word. For instance, if you know the word cake , you can more easily read the word lake . Or if you know the word cook , it is easier to connect that to the word cookie, than to completely sound it out over again.

Eagle Eye: This means to look over the entire word. Many times children will stop reading if a word looks difficult, making no attempt to word solve. One trick teachers use is to put a red dot under the middle of the word to get the child to look all the way through the sounds. This will often help the child figure out the word.

Elephant Ears:   This means to try a word and see if it makes sense. Sometimes children will read a sentence saying a word that doesn’t fit. We ask, “Did that make sense?” Children need to learn to trust themselves by thinking about the sentence, not just the word. We ask, “What would make sense in this sentence that also begins with that letter?”

Fix-up Bear:  Fix-up bear means it is alright to go back and reread and fix an error.  We do not have to race through reading just to be done. We read to understand. If we make an error, it should be fixed.

Flippy Dolphin:  This is sort of an amazing strategy. If a child reads a long vowel word with a short vowel, or a short vowel word with a long vowel, we say, “Flip the sound.” Somehow children seem to instinctively know to try again with another sound. At the emergent level, though, children do not know the long vowel sounds so this doesn’t apply.

Helpful Kangaroo:  This strategy may be used when a few others have been tried without success. It means to ask another person for help!

Lips the Fish:   This means to ask a child stuck on a word to get his or her “lips ready” for the first sound. By making an attempt to really notice the first sound, it is often enough for the child to try to finish the word.

Skippy Frog: This strategy is second best to Stretchy Snake. Skippy frog is using context to figure out a word, but what we tell children is to skip the word and keep reading the sentence. Most often, they realize they can figure out the word by using this strategy. They somehow do not think this strategy is OK, so we tell them good readers use Skippy frog, too.

Stretchy Snake: This is the whisper it out strategy. Sound it out uses strong, separate sounds the child is trying to connect together. When we whisper, we naturally connect sounds as they should be connected in reading. It is the best strategy, but it doesn’t work for all words.

Tryin’ Lion:  Keep trying! Try another strategy! Try again!  Of course, this isn’t for a tired or frustrated reader. Another strategy might be more useful in those cases.

What to Read Next

Categories: Instruction

Tags: English language arts , Grades K-2 , learning & memory , parent-teacher connection

25 Comments

I love this post!! Bottom line…this has to become a part of the culture of your home. With my daughter, I am working on consistency. We conduct SSR for 20 minutes with a timer. We all have to read and I am working on her dad being a regular participant! My daughter has become competitive with it. She is happy to share that she is in a chapter higher than the one I am in (she is 2nd grade). I let her have those moments. If it motivates her to beat mommy, then so be it! What I really like is it forces me to get back to my personal reading which I seem to sacrifice to lesson planning, grading papers, curating, emailing….something work related. Thanks for this wonderful post.

That sounds awesome, Shayne. When I have been able to do something similar to this (i.e., doing my own actual pleasure reading along with them), I love it. I think for a lot of us, we are good at preaching about reading, but might not walk the walk as often as we’d like our kids to.

Your video is OUTSTANDING, clearly explains, and demonstrates the parent role in nightly reading homework. Your art is wonderful! This is so nice for teachers to share with parents. It will clarity the dilemma of how to help a child improve in reading skills. Thank you so much! Carolyn

Carolyn, thank you! I’m so glad you like it; your article is excellent as well. My hope is that my video along with your article will reach a whole lot of parents. Thanks so much for partnering with me on this!!

That video is fabulous. Is there a way to add it to my class page?

Thank you! Yes, if you contact the tech person in your school, they can probably show you exactly how to embed the video right on your page. If your district blocks YouTube, it won’t work, but you can still put a link to the video on your page. Here is a direct link to the video on YouTube: http://youtu.be/korfvEOQb14 Here is an article that may help you with the embedding: http://www.htmlgoodies.com/tutorials/web_graphics/article.php/3480061/How-To-Add-a-YouTube-Video-to-Your-Web-Site.htm

Thank you x a million for this information!!

You’re welcome, Carrie!

Thanks so much for this post! I already follow your blog as a middle school educator, but I love these tips for helping my daughter with reading skills as she begins kindergarten this year. It really helps to know exactly what we can and need to do at home to maximize her nightly reading. I’ll be hanging on to this (and sharing it with fellow parents) as she continues to grow as a reader.

Why is reading before bedtime a bad thing? That is our routine. Am I missing something?

My kids read every single night before they go to sleep, and before they could read, I read to them at bedtime every night as well, so I see why you’re asking. I think in this case, the “not before bed” recommendation is referring to the kind of reading the child has to do out loud, with the parent supervising. Reading practice. So it may be more of a struggle. For a child at that stage in their reading skills, you’d want to choose a time when the child is not tired and can handle the challenge of new words. I’d say you still do the reading to them (if that’s the routine) and still encourage them to do their own recreational reading at bedtime, but save the more challenging work for earlier in the day.

What an excellent and essential post! For years, I did the Reading Recovery program with first graders. Repeatedly, I saw that the kids that made the most progress, were the kids who had support at home. However, parents need to learn the strategies outlined in this post in order to provide optimum support to their early readers.

I cannot find the free 162 page printable. Thank you

Hi, Kelly! This is Debbie, a Customer Experience Manager with Cult of Pedagogy. We are contacting the author to see if she can tell us where to find it. Thanks.

Kelly, the link to the free printable in the post has been revised. Thanks for making us aware of the problem!

Thank you for the video. Have you considered doing a Spanish version? I’d love to share this with our Spanish-speaking families.

What a wonderful idea! That’s not in my plans for the near future, because my Spanish isn’t anywhere close to fluent, but I will keep it in mind for future possibilities!

If you have a child with a learning disability like dyslexia, these strategies are not enough to help your child meet their potential. 1 in 5 kids have dyslexia so it is important to consider why your child might have trouble with reading, spelling, and writing. If you child is falling behind in one of these areas you need to get an evaluation. Your child will also need explicit, structured, evidence-based instruction by a highly-trained teacher. Here are two resources I would recommend for more information: understood.org and dyslexiaida.org.

Excellent video! Do you have a video with tips for parents of middle school students? Or a handout you’d recommend? Thank you:j

Hey Jennifer!

Glad you liked the video! I’m not exactly sure what you might be interested in for a middle school reader, but if the student is struggling, I think the tips in the video are still really good to use with a reader of any age. I’d also check out How To Kill the Love of Reading — there might be some really good information that you can apply at home. Pernille Ripp’s Parents: Creating Joyful Reading Routines at Home seemed to have some good suggestions as well. Hope this helps!

Do you have anything like this for fourth grade parents?

Hello Alba, Try checking out Scholastic’s Guide to 4th Grade for parents. In addition to reading activities parents can do with their children, there are also many activity ideas from other subject areas listed on the website.

My son who’s about to be in second grade is having a hard time reading. I’m glad you shared this; I’ll keep in mind to let him read books that consist of pictures. This is quite a challenge that’s why I aim to find the right reading curriculum for him.

I love your videos and podcast! I’m found them so helpful! I am curious if you do all the art yourself in these videos? I’d love to make my ed videos look this polished!

Hi Amanda! Yes, Jenn does all her own illustrations. Check out the FAQs and Behind the Scenes pages for details. Hope this helps!

Hope this helps!

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27 Fun Reading Activities To Try At Home or In The Classroom

Written by Ashley Crowe

Teachers and parents

Prodigy English is ready to explore! Get kids playing — and learning — today.

Fun reading activities for the classroom

Reading activities for parents & children, activities to try after reading, other educational activities to help kids learn.

Learning to read is a huge milestone in a child’s life. We all know how important a love of reading is for future learning. When children love to read, they can learn anything. 

Make sure your children keep the joy of reading alive by using fun reading activities along with traditional reading strategies .

These fun daily moments can improve reading skills and help reluctant readers find joy in the written word. We’ll be covering reading activities by grade level both for the classroom and at home, as well as some activities to improve reading comprehension after your students are reading independently. 

Though many children begin the basics of reading at home, most solidify their skills and become accomplished readers in the classroom. These activities keep early readers engaged and improving while helping reluctant readers master the basics. Here are our favorite ways to keep reading fun!

1. Find the secret word

Great for: Kindergarten to 2nd grade

Turn a reading lesson into a scavenger hunt! Give each student or pair of students a piece of text, then speak the first secret word. Once they find it, have them circle it in a specific color, or circle and number, then report back to you for word #2. 

Keep this word search up for as long as you like — we recommend choosing about 8 to 10 words for students to find. It’s one part competition, one part scavenger hunt! Choose a prize for each team to receive when they complete the activity. Or celebrate everyone reaching the end with a classroom dance party! It’s a great way to keep your kids moving and learning.

2. Read aloud as a class

Great for: All grades

Kids are never too old to hear a story read aloud. Reading aloud as a class is a great way to keep kids engrossed in a story. Since you are most familiar with the text, you can keep the flow going during the dramatic moments. Then hand it off to your students to take their turns.

Want to add a new element to your classroom read-aloud? Pass around a ball or stuffed animal to indicate the next reader. It’s a variation of popcorn reading to help minimize reading anxiety, and it gives kids the power to pass it on after spending a short time reading. 

3. Partner reading

Great for: 1st to 3rd grade

Sometimes trying to get the whole class to read together is just too much. To encourage more reading time, pair up your students for partner reading. 

During partner reading, each child will get more time to practice their skills. And being corrected privately by one friend may be better for a struggling reader’s confidence. Try to pair a confident but patient reader with those who need some extra help and watch them both learn to succeed.

4. Find the synonym

Great for: 2nd to 5th grade

Once your readers are feeling more confident, take our scavenger hunt game mentioned above and add a new twist. 

Instead of searching for the exact spoken words on your list, give students the challenge to find the word’s synonym in the text. It’s a great way to keep the game challenging for older students.

5. Word searches

For younger students, a word search is a challenging way to encourage early reading. You can do this much like our scavenger hunt-style games, but instead of saying the words aloud, provide a list. 

They can search for one word at a time, with you providing the next word to the team once the first is found. Or provide a full list from the beginning and let them work individually. Add in some color matching (marking the word in the same color as printed on the list) to keep this game fun and engaging.

6. Keyword bingo

Looking for a calmer alternative to the secret word game? Have each child work individually in a game of reading bingo. Choose a grade-level text and compile a list of words found in the passage. 

Read each word aloud, giving about 15 seconds before moving on to the next. It’s a race against your clock to find the words, or they can try to remember them while looking for the others. When they find the words, they can mark them out. Once the list is done, allow 20 more seconds to wrap up any remaining words, then pencils down and count. Whoever finds the most words, wins!

7. Decoding games

Decoding games focus on letter sounds and phonemic awareness. A favorite game for pre-readers is to say a letter and have students find an object that starts with that letter. As they bring the object back, reinforce the sound that letter makes.

Other decoding games can focus on the mechanics of reading — such as reading a word or sentence from left to right. This is a great time to utilize finger puppets, following along with a finger as you sound the words out together.

8. Thumbs up, thumbs down

Great for: Kindergarten to 5th grade

Thumbs up, thumbs down (or the higher energy variation — stand up, sit down) is a great game to keep your students engaged. 

Check reading comprehension when you ask students to give a thumbs up if a statement about a recently read story is true, or a thumbs down if it’s false. Help them grasp grammar concepts by having them stand up when you say an adjective word or sit down if you say a noun. 

It’s a fun way to keep their bodies and brains working. 

9. Discover the missing letter

When you’re teaching letter sounds, it’s fun to get creative. In this game, you’ll call your students to the front of the class by their names — minus the first letter. For example, Stacy becomes tacy and Roland becomes oland. Let the kids guess who you’re calling up, then have them decode the missing letter. 

You can do the same thing for objects, or drop middle letters for older children. Just be sure to prepare your words ahead of time to avoid any slip-ups!  

10. Guided reading ball game

Great for: 2nd to 7th grade

Grab a few beach balls from your local dollar store and get your classroom moving. Take a sharpie and write a discussion prompt on each colorful section of the ball. What is the setting? Who is the main character? What happened after…? 

Toss or roll the balls around. Students answer whichever question their thumb lands on when the ball heads their way. This is an exciting way to mix things up, practice reading comprehension and get kids thinking outside of their seats.

Not all reading happens in the classroom! Parents can play an active role in helping their children learn to read. Here are a few activities to try with your kids.

1. Reading together

Great for: All grades and ages

There’s something special about listening to a book being read out loud. It can capture your attention in a unique way. Whether your child is a baby or fully grown, it’s always a good time to read together.

Take turns reading chapters from a favorite story, or just read to your child. Enjoying good stories is a huge motivator in learning to read.  

2. Silly voices reading

Great for: Kindergarten to 4th grade

Kids love to laugh and joke, so play into this with a crazy story and silly voices. Get really high-pitched, speed it up like a chipmunk, and then pitch your voice low. 

Your kids will love seeing these stories come to life with your words, and you’ll all share a good laugh. To get them involved in the fun, ask them to do their own silly voice!

3. Dialogic reading

The word dialogic means to have a dialogue, and that’s exactly what this activity is designed to do. Instead of reading to your child while they passively listen, invite them into the story. Ask them what they think may happen next, or at the close of the book invite them to create a completely different ending. This is a great way to stretch your little storyteller’s imagination.

4. Reading outside

Kids thrive outdoors. They can run, climb, and dig in the dirt. Outside is also a great place to practice reading and letter writing. Invite your child to help you create words in a sandbox or take a stick and dig a letter into the dirt. 

Older kids can simply take their reading outside. It’s amazing how refreshing a change of setting can be. 

5. What word starts with…

Great for: Kindergarten to 1st grade

Letter sounds are an essential early reading tool. With this game, ask your child to think of words that start with “B” (or any other letter).

 Give an example, like b-b-butterfly, then think of more “B” words together. Choose your child’s favorite things to keep the game fun and exciting. Early readers especially love to talk about the letters in their names.

6. Try nonfiction

Great for: All ages

You never know what a child may love to read. Though many kids enjoy a good princess or dragon story, others will prefer non-fiction books. 

If your attempts at fiction are met with indifference, try a book about their favorite animal (sharks, dinosaurs, or lemurs are popular here), learn about space or strange weather events. Whatever your child is into, and whatever their reading level, there’s a book for them.

7. Create a “book nook”

A cozy spot dedicated to reading can add joy to the activity. Load up a corner or top bunk space with comfy pillows and blankets, make sure it has good lighting, and include some sticky notes and a dictionary. All your child needs to bring is their favorite book! Even better, snuggle in together and discover a new favorite with your child.

8. Who’s coming over?

This game can be played in a couple of different ways, and both are great for reading comprehension. First, try giving clues so your child can guess their favorite characters. These favorites can be from books or TV. You can mention physical characteristics, some of their best friends, or things that happen to them. Keep giving clues until they guess correctly.

The second way to play is to invite a favorite character over and then discuss what you’ll need for their visit. A special kind of bed, their favorite foods, or a place for their pet to stay are all things to consider. This is a fun way to create your own story around your child’s favorite characters.

9. Take turns reading

As your child begins to read you can invite them to read to you. Don’t push if they don’t want to, but as their confidence builds they’ll be excited to share their new skill with you. 

This may look like you both taking turns reading a new chapter book, or they may want to share all the creature descriptions from their favorite new computer game. No matter the topic, do your best to listen intently and congratulate them on their reading skills.  

10. What happens next?

Keep reading fun and active when you step outside the book and asking your child what happens next:

• What do they think will happen?
• What would you like to see happen? 
• What’s something funny that could happen?

Any question that gets them thinking through the story on their own is both fun and helpful for reading comprehension. 

11. Talk about the pictures

Pictures are a great way for kids to follow along with a story. When your child is beginning to read, have them look at the pictures and ask what they think is going on. As they unravel the story, point out the words they are discovering in the text. Or just let them enjoy creating their own unique version of the story based on the pictures. 

12. Try new reading apps and websites

There are some amazing reading apps for both reading instruction and digital reading libraries. If your child enjoys spending time on their tablet, give some of our favorite reading apps a try and watch them learn while they play.

After your child is reading on their own, there’s still plenty to learn. Reading isn’t effective if they’re struggling to understand the words on the page, or how they all fit together to create the story. Here are a few activities for children to practice reading comprehension.

1. Summarize the text

Once a child is done reading a text or section of a book, have them revisit the main ideas by highlighting or taking notes on the text’s biggest themes. Once students identify the main themes, ask them to break them down further and quickly summarize the story.

2. Book reports

Great for: 2nd to 12th grade

Book reports are a classic reading activity. Have the child analyze the book, highlighting the most important themes. Older children can present arguments pertaining to the story, and provide passages to support their theories. 

Keep book reports even more engaging when you invite kids to give a presentation, complete with dress-up and drama. 

3. Review the book

Ask children to rate their most recent reading. They can assign it a number of stars, but then they must also explain why. Was it too scary? Not funny? What were their favorite parts? What would they do differently?

Not only does this help students think critically about what they’ve just read, but it can also help parents and teacher identify what they might like reading next.

4. Extend the story

Great for: Kindergarten to 12th grade

“And they lived happily ever after…”

Maybe so, but what happened next? Ask your child to keep the story going. Where do they go next? Who do they meet? Favorite characters can continue adventuring when your child takes over the story. This is a great writing prompt , or just a fun dinner conversation!

5. How could it have been better?

Everyone has an opinion, so ask your child for theirs. How could this book or story have been better? Would a different ending be more fun? Or maybe they just think the main character should be named after them. 

No matter their critique, listen and discuss. Then encourage them to create their own tale.

How reading activities help kids embrace learning

Reading keeps kids learning for the rest of their lives. When a child can read, they can take more control over their education. And that’s a wonderful thing!

Fun activities are the best way to keep a child interested in the world of books. Learning to read can be a frustrating journey for some. Others may simply find it boring (especially if they’re being made to read about topics they care little about). These activities are designed to get kids moving and thinking beyond the page. Because when reading is fun, learning happens naturally.

When teaching starts to feel like a drag, or the kids are fighting their instruction, revisit this article. Mix in some fun activities and keep the learning going. Getting up, moving around, or enjoying a laugh together can help stimulate everyone’s mind. 

Looking for even more great learning activities to engage your kids? Here are some of our favorite activity posts for reading, math, and more!

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Get more ways to help kids love learning with Prodigy English , a brand-new learning adventure! Whether you're a parent or a teacher, create a free Prodigy account to access tools that help you support reading and language learning in the classroom or at home.

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20+ creative alternative homework ideas for teachers

When giving homework, it must always be based on learning goals your students have to reach, just like in your lessons. But it’s sad to see that lots of teachers are using homework as extra lesson time. Of course, as a teacher, you’re on a clock. But that doesn’t mean your students have to suffer from it and keep working on those boring textbooks and worksheets at home.

Consider goals like attitudes, real-life experiences, and practice, physical exercise, social encounters, creative solutions, and philanthropy as crucial as your lesson goals. These are things students don’t just pick up in your classroom. These are things they pick up in life.

In this blog post, I’ll give you some innovative homework ideas that will engage your students more. These alternatives to traditional homework will thereby also teach your students new things that can’t be taught in the classroom. You will find a variety of homework ideas: online and offline.

I will mention homework alternatives for primary school and high school. Some of these ideas can be changed a little bit, so they are the perfect fit for the right audience.

20 Creative homework ideas

You can divide homework tasks into the following themes or categories:

• Crafts & arts
• Outdoor activities & outings
• Games and activities
• Physical activities
• Digital or computer activities
• Philanthropy & social work

💡 Good to know : all the ready-to-use homework activities are created with BookWidgets . You can easily create activities like these yourself or duplicate an activity below for free, edit it if needed, and share it with your students. You can do so in the examples separately, or you can find all the homework examples in the BookWidgets Blog group folder .

Crafts and arts homework

1. prepare a dish from a recipe book.

2. Make a board game

3. Create a birdhouse

4. Transform a fictional book character into a hand puppet

Outdoor homework activities and outings

5. coupon game.

Students can also go grocery shopping with their parents. Here, they have to read the ingredients of the products and help their parents choose the healthiest products for the best prices, figure out the best deal between the sizes of items, …

6. Visit the zoo

7. Visit the local dumping ground or container park

8. Build a tree house

Games and activities as homework

9. bookwidgets games.

10. Minecraft

11. Play Cards

12. Play Zoo Tycoon or Rollercoaster Tycoon

Physical homework activities

13. rope skipping.

Many rope-skipping songs let your students do different tricks while rope-skipping. This is an excellent opportunity for homework as well. Ask your students to transform a rope skipping song into a song with lesson content. Let them count or spell or even sum up the different states or capitals. To engage their lifestyles even harder, you can additionally give them the assignment to create a TikTok in which they are jumping and singing.

Click here to see how you can get Tiktok more involved in the classroom.

14. Walking quest

If there aren’t any walking quests in the neighborhood, you could ask your students to create a walking quest like this for their fellow students. What a fun day it will be!

15. Obstacle Quiz

In order for students to answer the questions, they have to run and pass a challenging parkour. This is a fun homework exercise, and in the end, it’s a great lesson starter or lesson end.

16. Swimming games

After the activity, they can fill out an Exit Slip:

Digital or computer homework activities

17. create a picture album.

This teaches them to handle the online software, add pictures and write without spelling mistakes. And of course, creating memories is so much fun!

18. Video job application

19. Your life in 10 minutes - video

20. Email pen-pals

Is it still too complicated? Read the messages from your students, before they send them, and provide them with some feedback.

Philanthropy and social homework

21. grow a community garden.

22. Help in a retirement home

23. Help at a homeless shelter

24. Collect litter

Here’s another homework tip: Don’t call homework “homework”. Call it a challenge. Homework has become a negative word for students, and I bet they start rolling their eyes as you even mention the word.

Still looking for more inspiration? Check out the blog on short films and lesson activities that spice up your Google Classroom . Tip: even if you don’t use Google Classroom, there is a lot of inspiration back here.

Above you have read single assignments. But, you also have the option to involve your homework in a project. Find out more here .

So, as I mentioned earlier, there are many fun alternatives to traditional homework. Now it’s up to you to apply this in the classroom as well. In this folder , you will find all the examples you have come across.

Which idea do you or perhaps your students like the most? Let us know on Twitter . Of course, there are many more alternatives. If you have other ideas, you are always welcome to share it with other teachers in our Facebook group .

One more thing: don’t forget to say hi👋 on LikedIn .

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The Big List of K–2 Literacy Centers

Forty ideas to inspire you!

Having a cache of go-to literacy activities that are meaningful, flexible, and able to be completed by students independently is a teacher necessity. The best literacy centers build autonomy, help students practice key skills, and free you up to teach small groups or give support elsewhere. We’ve pulled together this long list so you can have plenty of simple options at your fingertips. 

1. “Feed” the mini trash cans.

Whether you ask students to sight words, letters, pictures or words by phonetic pattern, there’s just something about a trash can with a swinging lid that makes the task much more exciting!

Source: @msbendersclassroom

2. Spell words with magnetic letters.

Yes, this is an old standby, but wait … a muffin tin?! So smart. 

Source: @playdough2plato

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3. Write before-and-after reading sticky notes.

We love this idea for recording prior and new background knowledge on a topic, but it’s easily adaptable to other comprehension strategies, too.

Source: @missps_style

4. Roll. Say. Cover. Repeat.

Make it a race to see which column “wins” or make it a fill-the-board challenge. Here’s another flexible upgrade to traditional bingo games. 

Source: @theprintableprincess

5. Roll & read words.

For another low-prep center using dice, try this idea for word reading—nonsense or real! Just copy different lists on different paper colors to differentiate.

Source: @tastefullyteaching

6. Read it and keep it.

Yet another take on a dice-rolling center, this one is so easy to prep and customize for different kiddos’ needs. 

Source: @teachingwithmissle

7. Unlock learning with locks and keys.

What student wouldn’t want the chance to open a bunch of padlocks?! 

Source: @differkinder

8. Find letters or words in a sensory bin.

Sensory bins  are awesome for play, science, and more, but if you’re struggling to fit them into your day, turning one into a search-and-find literacy center is a win-win option!

Source: @kinderwithmrsbrooks

9. Race the fidget spinner.

Make fidget spinners work for you with this fun idea that’s adaptable for any words.

Source: @atlantareading  

10. Practice writing on magnetic drawing boards.

Whether your students need practice writing individual letters or words, adding guidelines with Sharpies is an amazing teacher hack!

Source: @teaching_in_canada

11. Level up tic-tac-toe.

This spin on a classic partner game is adorable, effective, and so easy to prep!

Source: @kinderkish

12. Spoon up some phoneme manipulation.

Turns out a plastic spoon is perfectly sized and shaped to help little hands swap beginning letters!

Source: @topteacher

13. Stack cups with a plan.

This would be perfect for synonyms or matching vocabulary words to pictures, too.

Source: @ erikadeane315

14. Take your word work to the wall.

This setup makes it super easy to update words as needed.

Source: @lucyjaneloveslearning

15. Solve a hands-on word scramble.

Magnetic letters are perfect for moving around while trying to solve a scrambled word. Having each word in its own box keeps it organized.

Source: @teachinginthe401

16. Play Snakes & Ladders.

You can’t go wrong with this literacy-themed version of the classic board game.

17. Use a punctuation “surgery kit” to edit sentences.

Because healing erroneous sentences may help heal the world. (P.S. Including Band-Aids is the perfect touch!)

Source: @sweettoothteaching

18. Read in different voices.

We love this idea for fluency practice with a familiar poem!

Source: @atlantareading

19. Follow a color code using dot paints.

Mess-free painting with a literacy twist? Sign us up.

20. Play Bear Cave.

You can’t get much simpler than the setup of this crowd-pleasing partner game. 

Source: @creativekindergartenblogonptp

21. Respond to a book using loose parts.

Kids this age still need to play! Set out loose parts and mats for them to answer a reading response question creatively, like this one for “What do you love about fall?” 

22. Use props to practice retelling a familiar story.

Support reading comprehension with a simple storytelling center tied to a classroom read aloud.

Source: @playexplorelearn

23. Read it and draw it.

Practice reading phonics-based or vocabulary words and emphasize meaning.

24. Find it and hole-punch it!

Find letters or words on a list and mark them with a tool that children love. (All that squeezing is great for building hand strength, too.)

25. Spell with nuts and bolts.

For another way to mix word work and strength building for little fingers, just hit the hardware store.

Source: @senteacherireland

26. Mark answers with clothespins.

Clipping a clothespin to an answer on a card engages students, avoids a paper worksheet, and acts as yet another fine motor booster all at once! 

Source: @youclevermonkey

27. Make word study magical with white crayons.

The simple thrill of writing words or word parts in white crayon and coloring to reveal the “magic” writing never gets old. 

Source: @bklandadventures

28. Label it.

Have students label the components of a picture while they work on invented spelling or, as above, using descriptive language.

29. Build words with pool noodle segments.

The laundry basket makes this a self-contained and portable activity. 

Source: @gardenstateteaching

30. Use sound knowledge to crack the code.

Secret codes make anything more fun. Leave messages in pictures for children to solve using their knowledge of letters and sounds.

31. Practice segmenting and blending with slinky sounds.

Use the analogy of the classic toy that grows and shrinks to help children practice stretching words to spell them or blending sounds to make words. 

32. Build sentences at a pocket chart.

Including environmental print and picture cards allows even emergent readers to make interesting sentences!

Source: @thekeystokinder

33. Mix and fix sentences.

Work in your content area vocabulary for an extra boost of learning!

Source: @teachingwithoutfrills

34. Build compound words with blocks.

Ask students to build real compound words and then challenge them to spell and draw the silliest made-up ones they can think of, too.

35. Or, use blocks to build contractions.

Clear up confusion on this tricky topic once and for all with a hands-on approach.

Source: @firstgradefinds1

36. Play Vocabulary Pictionary.

This classic game works so well as a partner center.

Source: @elizabethannespires

37. Hunt for words in an authentic text.

Set out books, a piece of titled chart paper, and a stack of sticky notes, and you’re good to go for an engaging and authentic center activity. To differentiate, offer a few different book choices. 

Source: @saturdays_off

What are your favorite literacy centers for K–2 students? Share them over at our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook.

Also, don’t miss: 40 Creative and Simple Sight Word Activities for the Classroom

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Find Reading resources | TPT

Learn more about reading resources.

Not only is reading a core concept in the study of English language arts, but it’s also a cornerstone skill for proficiency in many other subjects (for instance, without strong reading skills, students won’t be able to solve math word problems or read through primary sources for social studies class).

If you’re a teacher or parent looking for printable and digital reading resources to help your student learn a reading concept, look no further! TPT has an extensive collection of resources, created by other teachers, that are designed to help with any need across grade levels.

Elementary students just learning to read can practice the basics with some simple, fun phonics practice activities or small-group reading centers focused around sight words. Students in middle and high school can read novels and complete hands-on, interactive assignments that build their comprehension and critical thinking skills. With plenty of TPT resources at your fingertips, you can sharpen your student's reading skills in no time.

Fun and engaging reading activities to try

Engaging reading activities can energize your students and foster a love of reading. Here are a few ideas for reading activities from our teacher-created resources that you can find on TPT and try in your classroom:

Interactive Phonics Activities

Use hands-on activities such as sorting, matching, or building words with manipulatives to help students recognize phonics patterns and learn word families.

Encourage students to find specific words either in a text or around the classroom to help reinforce sight word recognition.

Reader's Theater

Bring short stories, books, poems, or plays you’re reading in class to life by assigning roles to students and having them act out scenes. This can help enhance fluency and comprehension.

Interactive Read-Alouds

Engage the class by pausing during read-alouds to discuss the story’s theme, reflect on a character’s motivations or actions, or to ask students questions.

Comparative Analysis

Explore different adaptations of the same story (book versus movie, classic version versus a modern retelling) to encourage analysis of interpretation and presentation. You can also pair texts that are similar in theme, like poems and songs.

By incorporating these (and other!) reading activities into your lesson plans, you can nurture a love for reading while enhancing comprehension, critical thinking, and communication skills.

Frequently asked questions about teaching reading

What types of reading resources are available on tpt.

There are many different types of reading resources sold by Sellers on TPT. Some popular reading lessons include: phonics, vocabulary, spelling, and balanced literacy.

How do I find reading lessons on TPT?

Educators can save time preparing reading lessons with resources created by experienced teachers. Simply start a search for reading resources on the TPT marketplace, and filter by grade level, price, and/or resource type to find materials that've been proven to work in classrooms like yours. No matter what you’re teaching, there are plenty of reading lessons and activities sold by Sellers on TPT that are tailored to meet your students' skill levels.

How can I make my reading lessons fun and engaging?

Students learn best when they're engaged! Sprinkle a little fun into your reading lessons by using manipulatives, pairing unusual texts like poems and short films together, or doing an escape room activity.

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