So more and more I have been getting questions about what you can do to help a child who thinks “reading time sucks!” I’ve been teaching for over a decade and now I’m a momma to 4 young kids, so this isn’t something new to me! If I’m being 100% honest, being a literacy expert does NOT mean my kids don’t tell me that “reading time sucks” or “I just don’t want to do it! I’m tireeeeddd!”. Sound familiar? Well, I have to be creative with them sometimes BUT I also don’t want to spend hours prepping for an activity when I simply don’t have time! In this blog I’m going to share 10 different fun reading activities, with minimal prep, to help those not-so excited readers!
Scavenger hunts:
This is one of my all-time favourite activities to do with kids! Scavenger hunts! I love putting words, pictures, letters or whatever else around the room/house/classroom and have kids find them! The child matches the pictures to pictures and the letters to letters, strengthening their letter recognition in the process. To add a challenge to this activity, have kids write the word beside each picture they find. This activity is part of my letter of the week bundle that can be found HERE.
Paint it (without the mess!)
My kids LOVE painting, but honestly, sometimes I just can’t handle the mess. This activity is a GREAT solution to practicing letter formation, sight words and just a fun sensory activity! All you have to do is squirt a bit of paint inside a ziplock bag, seal it, then tape it down (this part is important for toddlers). Then voila! You’ve got a great centre that is fun! Give them letters and sight words to draw on this fun new surface. My kids had the best time doing this! Continue reading for fun reading activities!
Sorting pictures into their sounds!
If you’re looking for an activity to build phonological awareness this is a GREAT one! Here, we are working on the “th” sound. To make this activity focused on differentiating between the sounds (and we had limited time) I pre-cut the pictures. The child then sorted the pictures into their beginning sounds : t, h, or th. This such an effective strategy to teach sounds while making reading fun!
CVC fill in the blanks!
This is a great fun reading activity for kids that focuses on phonological awareness. A suggestion- start with only a few words. Write them down with a blank space (enough for your sticky notes) in the middle (or vowel spot). Then grab a bunch of sticky notes and put the vowels on them. Then have the child grab the vowels and fill in the words.
Fun Reading Games:
As you can see, I’m obsessed with sorting games! This is also such a great one and can be applied to so many different lessons (learning words/digraphs/vowels, etc). I did this activity with my son, who is 4. He read the words and said the letter sounds. Then as he sorted them, he said the sounds/words again!
Write the missing letter!
If you’re looking for something that you can do time and time again, these phonics task cards are perfect! I love laminating them and using them with my kids as extra practice. If you’re a classroom teacher, you can use them at centres for extra phonological practice. Click HERE to grab them!
Colour me readers by the Measured Mom
If you’re looking for a simple, effective and amazing FREE readers, click HERE to grab these from The Measured mom!
Baking Soda Science by The Busy Toddler
Sometimes we just need a brain break and this one never fails! The Busy toddler always has amazing ideas! Click HERE to see her blog on this fun idea!
Name building Practice Names
I love building literacy into activities like this one! This is easily adaptable and can be made into names, building word families and so much more! Click HERE to grab the free printable from this blog.
Great creative! Word families + fun crafts!
Remember, we want kids work to look like kids work. This is such a fun idea to helping kids put the “en” family into their long term memory. Click HERE to read the blog.
Let me know if you try any of these by commenting below! You can always tag me on Instagram (@leapingintolearning) or feel free to share this blog with friends, family and colleagues!
