ActivityThe best way to fine tune your child’s reading skills is to find time to practice every day. And most kids learn better when they’re doing something they want to do, not because they have to. These kid-approved activities and games are fun and help build reading skills. They’re simple enough to make part of your routine: during playtime, at meals and snacks, or when you’re out and about.

These kid-approved activities and games are fun and help build reading skills. They’re simple enough to make part of your routine: during playtime, at meals and snacks, or when you’re out and about.

Recommended Activities

Snappy Caps

Prep: 3 Minutes / Activity Time: 1-2 Minutes

Some two-year-olds may not show interest in drawing, but love to take the marker lids off and try to put them back on. Allow your child to explore markers and writing this way!

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Let's Make a Frame!

Prep: 5-10 Minutes / Activity Time: 15-20 Minutes

Through an easy sequence of folds, you and your child can make a picture frame out of paper. This activity is a fun, creative way for your child to practice both fine motor and beginning writing skills.

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Giraffes Can Dance!

Prep: 2-5 Minutes / Activity Time: 15-20 Minutes

By the end of the book Giraffes Can’t Dance, everyone realizes that Gerald the Giraffe is an amazing dancer! To celebrate Gerald, help your child write an acrostic poem that describes him.

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Stomp the Letter

Prep: 2 Minutes / Activity Time: 2 Minutes

In this activity, the goal is less about recognizing the specific letter and more about becoming aware that a letter is a printed shape that is pretty important.

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My Tiny Hand

Prep: None / Activity Time: 3-5 Minutes

This activity combines family tradition and culture with brief communication interactions that are invaluable for developing the foundations of language and literacy.

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My Letter is Lost!

Prep: 2-3 Minutes / Activity Time: 5-7 Minutes

This activity gives your child lots of opportunities to practice pairing of letter names and letter sounds.

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My Name is Special

Prep: 10 Minutes / Activity Time: 3-5 Minutes

One of the first words your baby will understand is her name. Help your baby make important sound connections by providing opportunities for her to hear and see her name.

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Drop! Plop!

Prep: 2-3 Minutes / Activity Time: 3-5 Minutes

Take advantage of your child’s interest in grabbing items and putting them into containers to help develop the fine motor skills he will need for future writing.

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Letter Matching

Prep: 5 Minutes / Activity Time: 10 Minutes

Simple handmade materials are very effective in developing letter knowledge skills. This activity uses a homemade alphabet chart and magnetic or foam letters to provide practice in matching letters.

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Mangos for Matilda

Prep: 5 Minutes / Activity Time: 15-20 Minutes

Extend your child’s learning through an imaginative writing activity designed to help her think about food allergies.

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