Take turns reading. "You read to me, and I'll read to you."
Fill in the blanks. Reading poetry and verses that rhyme gives you a chance to stop before the last word in a rhyming couplet and allow your child to supply the rhyme.
Play sound games. "Riddle, riddle, ree. I see something you don't see. It starts with a T." A little more advanced: "...and it ends with a K."
Make a calendar. You prepare the page and write numeral 1. Let your child fill in the rest and write special events on the days.
Write a fill in the blank of a familiar story. THE THREE PIGS: "Once upon a time there were _____. They told their _____ they were going out to seek their _____." Let your child write in the blanks. Invented spelling should be praised. (See Post: Five- and Six-year-old Preferences)
Write a biography or autobiography. Let your child fill in the blanks. "______ was born on _____. S/he weighed ______ pounds and _____ ounces. The first visitor was _____.
Make a personal jigsaw puzzle. Choose a poster, favorite picture, or personal picture. Paste it to poster board. Cut apart shapes.
Make a board game. Choose events or episodes from a favorite book as divided steps in the path. Use objects to represent characters. Use a spinner to advance, seeing who finishes the book first.
Start a memory box. Divide a small box into sections. Collecting things that relate to a favorite book is fun. Or collect items from vacation, or a walk in the woods or neighborhood. Labels each item involves writing and reading.
Cooking from a book. Chicken Soup with Rice, Green Eggs and Ham, or
Watch Out for Chicken Feet in Your Soup are naturals. Many books include recipes for the character's favorite foods. Look for cookbooks based on Laura Ingles Wilder, Mary Poppins, or A. A. Milne books.
Write an acrostic poem. Capital letters of your child's first name written vertically with words or phrases describing him/her.
S ix
A nd
M arvelous!
FROM: Read to Me: Raising kids who love to Read by Bernice E. Cullinan Ages 5, 6
Jen Robinson's Book Page
