101 Reading Activities contains an appealing array of exciting, motivating, and educational language arts activities, all of which contribute to your child’s reading development.
Reading, writing, listening, and speaking are the four major areas of language arts. Each of these language forms reinforces the other. Therefore, activities that focus on writing, listening, and speaking develop and reinforce skills necessary for reading success. From creating picture dictionaries and word webs to inventive storytelling and creative writing, your child will gain a better understanding of the elements needed to become a more confident reader.
When guiding your child through these activities, your goal should always be to provide a positive learning experience. Take the time to go over the instructions carefully with your child, have patience, and use praise and encouragement.
1) Alphabet Eating: What you will need – alphabet book that deals with food. Read the alphabet book together. Then read the book again, but this time have the child point to and read the words. Next list all the foods illustrated and organize them from A to Z. Some letters will have more than one food, other letters will have none, but include all of them. Now plan what foods to eat over the course of a week, with the intention of eating through the alphabet. Use the letters with several choices to provide a series of menus that are balanced and interesting. Write up a menu for each meal, and have the child read the food words. At the end of the week evaluate the process. Was it fun? Did the child learn some new words and try some new foods?
2) Creating a Character: Invite the child to choose a character from a favorite book. Help the child find descriptive passages that tell about the character. Then invite the child to decide how the character would dress and act. For example, the child can put on a read cape and carry a basket of goodies. Have a dress-up day when the child dresses up as the character and reads portions of the book aloud.
3) Match that Picture – Before reading the book aloud, look at all the illustrations and discuss them with the child. Invite the child to point to and name interesting objects in the illustrations. Then read the story aloud to the child while he or she looks on. Have the child find words in the text that match the objects in the illustrations. If there are illustrations without matching words, list the words on a piece of paper and discuss the meanings.
