Literature Links

Children who are read to at home actually do better in reading at school. In addition, the child who is exposed to new vocabulary words and how they sound. The child also gains familiarity with books and begins to form a foundation of how stories work and function. The following activities are intended to have children interact with books and again have FUN!!!!

1. Alphabet Eating-

Read the book Eating the Alphabet by Lois Ehlert. Then read the book again, but this time have the child point to and read the words. Next list all of the foods. Now plan what foods to eat over the course of the week, with the intention of eating through the alphabet. Write up a menu that includes each food and have the child read the food words on the menu.

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. Have a dress-up day on a rainy day where the child dresses up as the character and reads or acts out portions of the book.

3. Match That Picture!-

Before reading a picture book, such as the ones that your child takes home each night from class, 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 their meanings.

4. New Endings-

Read the book Jumanji by Chris van Allsburg. Discuss what might happen if the Budwing children play the game by not following the rules. Then write the Budwing’s story together to share with others.

5. Sports Heroes-

Read through a book about a favorite sports figure together. Then scan the newspapers or magazines for additional information about the person. Invite the child to start a notebook that records facts or statistics about the sports figure and add to it regularly.  

6. Creepy Crawlies-

Together, choose a book about a particular creepy crawly, such as the ladybug, that is found in the book. Invite the child to read everything in the book about ladybugs. Then look for ladybugs outside together. Have the child make notes about the ladybugs and compare the notes to the information found in the book.