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Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Ideas for reading at home...

Reading Tower
Buy a bunch of different colored 3x5 index cards. Write the words that your child can read on the cards. Use one card per word and one color for the type of word. For example, your child can write an action word on a green card. Adjectives might go on a red card, and nouns might go on a purple card. Stack the completed words into a "word tower." Have your child practice reading the words from the cards. As your child learns more words, the "word tower" will grow. You can also do this activity the opposite way. Write words that your child does not know on the cards, and keep
practicing them until they are learned.

Extended Bedtime
Give your child the option of going to bed and turning out the lights, or going to bed and reading for an extra 15 minutes. The strategy here is that children are excited to stay up later, they think they are "getting away" with something, and they are! They are getting another opportunity to read!

Kids Reading to Kids
Have your child read to younger siblings, family, friends, or neighbors. Your child can choose a book that he or she is comfortable reading and one that a younger child would enjoy hearing. Your child will be proud to read to younger children.
It makes them feel older and smarter.

Book Tapes
Your child can record his/her voice reading a book on tape. This way, the tape can be used for them to listen to as well as follow along while reading.

Go on a "Booknic"
Go on a picnic and bring books to the park for a realaxing reading day.

High Frequency Words Go Fish
Prepare a deck of cards by making 2 cards for each word. Deal each player 5 cards. Players lay down any matches that they have and read the words aloud. Each player asks another for a word by saying and spelling it. "Do you have the word because...b/e/c/a/u/s/e?" The player hands it over if he/she has it. If not, the "asker" must GO FISH and take another card. The winner is the one with
the most pairs of words.

Making Words
Pick a big word (example: snowflake). Cut up letters and have your child make smaller words from the letters given. As you make words, point out how changing one letter can make new words. Once you have made all of the words, use the words your child has made to sort for patterns in the letters. (MAKE: an, ask, sake, snake, as, was, fake, snowflake, of, saw, lake, on, won, snow, now, flow, low. SORT: -ake, -ow)

Make your own "word walls"
In the classrooms, teachers put words up on the wall as the students learn them. They are there for reference and identification purposes so that students will get
used to seeing them.

Be A Playwrite

Have your child write the script of an original play. Include descriptions of the characters and setting, and a brief outline of the plot. Paint scenes, create costumes, a press release and playbill with a brief explanation of the play and it's actors. Recruit family and friends to be in your play or to be your audience.

Dictionary Game
One person chooses a word from the dictionary without telling the others what that words means. Have everyone in the group write down what they think the mystery word means, then share answers to see who comes closest to guessing the actual definition of the word. Take turns looking up words. This can get pretty funny!

Letter/Theme Collage
Choose a letter from the alphabet and cut out as many pictures as you can find of objects that start with that letter. Glue the pictures to poster sized paper. Older children can choose a theme and cut out pictures that describe the theme.

"MY"nopoly?
You can create your own board game! Draw stepping stones or a series of squares that lead from start to finish on a poster board. Fill in some of the things you enjoy doing, like rollerblading or drawing. Write silly things in some of the spaces such as "make a funny face", "bark like a dog", "wiggle your nose", or "hop on one foot for a minute". Draw numbers, letters, words, actions, or symbols on the other squares. Write a short list of rules for the game on one sheet of paper, and have fun playing your game!

Flashcards
Make your own flashcards to help improve your child's vocabulary. Use index cards or large squares of paper. Choose words your child is having problems with and print them on the cards.



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