Play this interactive word family dominoes game to make reading fun and reinforce phonics sounds. Kids will love matching up rhyming words and learning through play!
I promised a while back to post about our superfun Literacy Night. We had a good turnout and the families who came seemed to really enjoy t...
This unit presents three activities that celebrate the family including the game of "Mother May I?", a song titled "You Are My Family", and pretending to be different members of the family, dress up, and "Play House". Also includes a contents page.
Have you ever had a parent ask, "how can I help my child read at home?" My answer was always simple - "read with them!" However, that's not always as easy for parents as it is for teachers. I wanted to be able to give them more. So I created a toolkit of reading strategies
Play this interactive word family dominoes game to make reading fun and reinforce phonics sounds. Kids will love matching up rhyming words and learning through play!
???? Celebrate the important role families play in our lives with these super cute and fun-to-read preschool books about family.
Friday Reading Time is a fun part of our weekly routine where all of us have a chance to read together and enjoy snacks. Here's how it works!
Pre-K & Preschool theme ideas for learning about families Find more Family Theme Activities for Pre-K on the category page. Books Check here for a
Combining sight words and word families is the perfect way to start a child's reading journey. Download free printable worksheets and centers!
The AT word family is one of the first sets of words young children learn to read, usually in kindergarten. These words are practiced as part of a word family. What is a word family? A word family is a set of words with the same ending. The words in a word family always rhyme.
Set up a little library role play area in your home or classroom for encouraging emergent, meaningful literacy experiences for young children.
Monkey has been a reading machine lately. I wanted to add some variety to her reading routine so I made these fun word family sliders. View and Download After you print you will need to cut out all
Free family play dough mats for young children to use to talk about family members. Great for a family theme for preschool.
Estate Planning is an important topic consider. Is is crucial that you take steps toward making sure your own estate plan is up to date, while also talking to your family members about creating an estate plan.
Why do family reading? There are many reasons why family reading is good for parents, kids, and teens! This article shares 10 of them.
Use partner plays in kindergarten to build fluency and confidence all while having fun! Learn how to use partner plays here!
What better way to kick off International Day of Families, then a short complication of stories from you! Relax, enjoy and be sure to spend some quality time with the family in your life!
We love play dough activities! There are very few days when we don’t play with play dough, whether it’s for practice counting, developing fine motor skills, or just for fun. All of my kids love play dough, from my 11 year old to my 3 year old. We’re thinking of new play dough activities for ...
We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post. Please see policies for more information.This DIY project is SO good. Whether you make it as a gift for your kids or as a project for the kids to do there are a lot of fun concepts and things for the kids
Looking for some no prep word family games? Here you go! These print and play word family games are a free sample from my Print & Play Word Family Games pack! If you want even more no prep phonics games, you might enjoy the entire bundle, Print and Play Phonics Games {just updated}! *This post ... Read More about Print and Play Word Family Games
200+ learning activities for preschoolers at home and in the classroom. From math to movement to science. Includes a free printable list!
This My Word Book of Family Members is great for PreK and K students to learn the words of family members. Have the students trace and copy the words, and color the pictures. Then cut the pictures on the last page and paste onto the correct pages. This activity is fun and hands-on. This packet is also appropriate for ESL class. It includes: * 6 worksheets to practice the words of family members * 1 page of cut and paste pieces Hope you enjoy it!
I promised a while back to post about our superfun Literacy Night. We had a good turnout and the families who came seemed to really enjoy t...
Teaching word family activities and lessons in the classroom will help kids learn to read and spell through phonics and hands-on activities.
Create a story basket full of storytelling props to retell favourite fairy tales together in a playful way! So easy to set up with items from around the house and beneficial for so many strands of early literacy development. As part of our on-going Playful Storytelling series, co-hosted with the gorgeous blog, One Perfect Day,...Read More »
A week of planned activities on the theme of families inspired by the book Around the Table That Grandad Built by Melanie Heuiser Hill.
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This fun word family sort game takes just a few minutes to make and it's a fun way to help your kids practice word families.
Hi families. Thank you so much for joining me for this blog series! Today I wanted to talk about the most important thing you can be doing to support students […]
If you're looking for a fun way to make CVC word families fun, look no further! This CVC popcorn activity makes learning poppin'!
Every moment together counts, so make the most of family time with these perfect ideas.
Hi families. Thank you so much for joining me for this blog series! Today I wanted to talk about the most important thing you can be doing to support students […]
5 min read Fostering a safe learning environment for children is a responsibility of schools and a shared obligation for parents. It’s about protecting kids from harm and nurturing an environment that supports mental, emotional, and social growth. A study reveals that children thrive in safe, stimulating environments, and parents play a critical role in establishing such spaces. […]
Are you looking for new ways to promote literacy among your elementary learners? If so, a family literacy night might be just the ticket to get your students, and their families excited about reading! Come along to learn more about hosting a family literacy night at your school! What is a Family Literacy Night? First things first, let's talk about what to expect at a family literacy night. Essentially, this is an event that is usually hosted outside of school hours and focuses on promoting reading among young learners. Typically, the idea behind it is to engage students and parents together in literacy-based activities. In addition, family literacy nights often prioritize educating parents on literacy development and providing strategies to help foster reading skills at home. My favorite thing about a family literacy night is that it helps build community and trust between school and home. Engaging parents and kiddos together in these activities with other children and families present is a recipe for getting students excited about reading! Family literacy nights can be hosted by grade level, or with the entire school involved. If your school isn't already hosting a family literacy night, talk to your principal or administrator about getting it started. This activity is one that you won't regret, I promise! What Types of Activities to Include Literacy nights can be structured in a number of ways, but more often than not, they are filled with fun and engaging activities for students and parents to participate in together. The activities target things like working together, prompting deeper thought, open discussion, and reflection. The more variety you can have in the activity types, the better! Personally, it was always my mission to choose activities and games that felt fun and a bit different from the norm. The goal is to get our kids reading and what better way to get there than with fun activities?! Being intentional about choosing activities that might be a little bit out of the box is super helpful when it comes to planning a successful family literacy night. For example, one of my favorites is a "Book Walk". This activity is a play on the typical cakewalk game, which is a bit like musical chairs. To play, students will walk in a circular path while music plays. Throughout the path, there are books placed in random spots. When the music stops, students are awarded the book they land on. Ask about using PTO or Title 1 Funding to help buy books for this popular activity. Another fun activity that is easy to facilitate is having the principal, librarian, other teachers, community leaders or school board members read aloud during the literacy night event. Parents and students can pick and choose which book reading they'd like to attend. Not only will this allow for more time for reading, but it will help parents and students get to know other school staff members too! And. . . this is a great way to connect your school with the local library. Invite the library to attend the event and set up a table where families can apply for a library card. This is a fun way to branch out beyond the resources within your school. Students will love learning about the public library and seeing when they can visit for story time and book browsing. Last but not least, sending students off with a book of their own after the event is a great way to end the evening! Ask community members if they would be willing to donate books for the event. You can also find used books for pennies at thrift stores and yard sales. Look for books that would appeal to the age range of your students. Then set up a table with all of the available books. Students can flip through the books and choose one to take home with them. It's a great way to give every family a book so they can put into practice what they learned at the family literacy night. Get Creative with Literacy Night Activities It's also a good idea to choose a few activities that promote creativity and individuality as well. Over the years, I've discovered this truly is the secret sauce in helping students cultivate excitement for just about any topic. If we can guide them towards expanding their literacy skills while also allowing them to express their unique perspective, we can expect to snag their attention and keep it. Wondering how this strategy looks in action? Let's take a closer look at more activities I've used in the past with the most successful outcomes! Family Literacy Night Interview Questions First up, this one is a classic and one of my favorites. Every Family Literacy Night I have hosted, I always made sure to include this activity because it's SO much fun. It's a great "ice breaker" for the evening since it gets those brains thinking too! The questions in this interview pack are split into two levels. One questionnaire is for children in kindergarten through third grade and the other is for third through sixth grade. The idea behind this activity is that parents and children will interview each other to better understand how they feel about reading and share their interests. The questions include things like: What kind of books do you like to read? What do you think makes someone a good reader? How do you feel when you hear or read a story? These questions are designed to make both children and parents stop and reflect on their feelings about reading. Both parties will love asking and answering questions in this activity! After the interview, they will draw their family member as they see them as a reader based on the answers. This activity is great for starting out the evening on the right foot. Reading Scavenger Hunt Next up, this is one of those unexpected activities that's tons of fun and is always a huge hit! I loved planning a school scavenger hunt on family literacy nights because it offers an opportunity for parents and children to work together as they scour the hallways and classrooms for specific items on their lists. I included tasks such as: find the kindergarten teacher with the longest name find a poster and write down what it says find a poem somewhere in the building This activity is also differentiated by grade level to make this applicable to all of the students at your school. Simply print and distribute scavenger hunt checklists, recording sheets, and clipboards if you'd like, and send the families off on an adventure! Cooperative Reading Banner If you're looking for a fun activity that involves everyone, this next one is a must! The idea behind a Cooperative Reading Banner is that families will work together to complete pieces of the banner. They will color pages, decorate them, cut them out, and assemble them into one large banner. The banner comes in a few options like "Reading Rocks!", "Family Literacy Night" and more! You can have students create banners prior to Family Literacy Night and display them as decorations or have families work on them as an activity at your event. Either way, this is a great way to encourage teamwork and strengthen the school community. In addition to completing the front pages of the banner, students can also personalize the back of each section with pictures and sentences about their favorite places to read, favorite books, and other fun facts. I liked to hang these across hallways so you can easily see both the front and back of each banner. Reading Motivation Bookmarks When reading, everyone needs a bookmark. Right?!?? So why not use that to create a hands-on bookmark crafting stating. This is a simple activity that's low-prep and allows everyone to make their own fancy bookmark to take home. I started by printing these bookmarks that have motivational phrases on them on colored paper or cardstock. Then, let parents and kids go to town to decorate them! I liked to provide crafting materials to make this activity feel extra special such as: markers, crayons, colored pencils stickers ribbon or pipe cleaners glitter glue Encourage parents and kids to work together to create a fabulous bookmark to take home and use for their evening story-time routine. This activity is a great way to get your littles excited about reading long after your family literacy night has ended! Would You Rather Questions Presentation Looking for an activity that will get your families up and moving on Family Literacy Night? Check out this set of Would You Rather Reading Questions! This activity asks 14 different questions related to reading such as "Would you rather read a book you picked out or read a book recommended to you?". But instead of answering with words, students and parents will copy the movement of the answer they agree with. One option has them dancing in a "twist" while the other has them doing "the running man". Your students will LOVE this activity, and there's bound to be tons of giggles too! I love this activity because it's super low-prep too. All you need to do is project the presentation up on your screen or smart board and you're good to go! Reading Rock Craft and Poem This final activity is one of the BEST when it comes to promoting some creativity at your literacy night. In this activity, students will bring in a small rock and decorate it with their parents. I provide paint, markers, and googly eyes to jazz up the rocks. Then, parents and students will read the printable poem together and agree to use the rock as a reminder to read, read, read! The poem is a cute and friendly way to nudge students toward reading and remind them to read every day. The poems come in full-page and mini versions in both color and black and white to meet a variety of needs. Personally, I loved using the mini versions and laminating them. I know it's an extra step, but it will help ensure the poem lasts all year long! I encouraged families to hang the poem on the fridge at home and recite it from time to time to help promote more reading! Family Literacy Night Bundle If you're anything like me, you can never have enough activities on family literacy night! This was hands-down, my favorite event we hosted every year and so I was always excited to plan fun and engaging activities for it. If you can't decide on a favorite from this list, be sure to check out the family literacy bundle! It includes 6 of the fun activities mentioned here to help make planning your own family literacy night fun and easy! No matter what you choose to use at your own family literacy night, focus on FUN and variety for a successful event! Save This Post This post is filled with all of my favorite ideas and activities for family literacy night. Pin it on Pinterest to keep these activities handy!
Use these easy tips, strategies and activity ideas to create more opportunities for dramatic play in the outdoor learning environment.
Who knew you could play a game with dice that helps your 1st learn to read? Try this game that will have your child rolling his way to better reading skills.
Tools to empower families find the confidence, time, and resources to build literacy skills at home.
Lets make a family book! Families come in all types and numbers and as far as I'm concerned there's only one thing they all should have in common - love! Now let's celebrate your family
Grab a FREE copy of our Word Family Books for short vowels. Each printable book comes with a few extra freebies from Learn to Read as well!
Here’s a phonics activity that is both easy and fun! Use paper cups to create word family spinners. Kids can turn the bottom cup to change the beginning sound and then read the words. I don’t know about your kids, but my beginning readers have never been able to sit still. I don’t know if […]
Family is the most important thing ever! You can teach your child this through this Paper House My Family Craft.
Found this great project on line at Living and Learning Now And I just wanted to expand on it some for our Teaching today. Well Easter has come and gone and about right now you are wondering what are you going to with all of those plastic Easter eggs that are all over your house? The eggs are perfect utensils to help your children recognize word families. Word families are groups of words that have a common feature or pattern - they have some of the same combinations of letters in them and a similar sound. For example, at, cat, hat, and fat are a family of words with the "at" sound and letter combination in common. The 37 most common word families in English are: ack, ain, ake, ale, all, ame, an, ank, ap, ash, at, ate, aw ay, eat, ell, est, ice, ick, ide, ight, ill, in, ine, ing, ink, ip, it, ock, oke, op, ore, ot, uck ,ug, ump, unk. On the small side of the egg you can place stickers that have a letter per sticker. For Example, if you are making a word family egg for the family of _at, you could put a sticker with: B S C F R M On the small side of your egg and then a sticker with at on the large side of the egg. The child can then twist the egg to make each individual letter match to the word family. This encourages word recognition along with letter recognition.
If you're looking for a fun way to make CVC word families fun, look no further! This CVC popcorn activity makes learning poppin'!
SAVE OVER 85% WITH THIS BUNDLE! Limited time only.Help your students become strong readers with this HUGE GROWING BUNDLE of PHONICS CENTERS! Aligned with the Science of Reading, this will be your go-to resource all year round! Use it to provide targeted phonics and phonological awareness practice to...
On Day 2 we read "What Mommies and Daddies do Best" by Laura Numeroff. Then we share connections about our parents or guardians. I also love to read Weird Parents by Wood. This is a funny story about parents who love to embarrass their children. (one of my favorite things to do) After reading and connecting, we make our parents and/or guardians. We also do this sort below with Parent/Children or Both.
Lets make a family book! Families come in all types and numbers and as far as I'm concerned there's only one thing they all should have in common - love! Now let's celebrate your family
