Ways to help with READING at home
Don't leave home without it Bring along a book or magazine any time your
child has to wait, such as at a doctor's office. Always try to fit in
reading!
Picture Walk. Take a picture walk before you read and ask your child
what they see on each page using transition words such as, “and then…”
Once is not enough! Encourage your child to re-read favorite books and
poems. Re-reading helps kids read more quickly and accurately.
Dig deeper into the story! Ask your child questions about the story
you've just read. Say something like, "Why do you think Clifford did that?"
Play word games. Have your child sound out the word as you change it
from mat to fat to sat; from sat to sag to sap; and from sap to sip.
I read to you, you read to me. Take turns reading aloud at bedtime. Kids
enjoy this special time with their parents.
Talk about it. Talk about the books you read together. When you ask
about a favorite part or predictions you are helping them make sense of
the story.
Retell. Always ask your child to retell the story once you are done.
(Beginning, Middle and End) Puppet idea for retelling on the back!
Story in a Bag!
Explain to your child that you are going to read a story and then act it out!
Let your child pick whatever book she’d like and start by reading the story
together. Stop after every 2-3 pages to talk about what’s happening. At the
end of the story, ask your child:
Who was the story about?
 Where did the story take place?
 What happened in the beginning of the story?
 What happened in the middle of the story?
 What happened at the end of the story?

Help your child write down the answers to each of those questions, to use
for a puppet show later on.
2. Reuse those socks! Old socks make perfect puppets. Just throw them in
the wash first! Once they’re clean and dry, tell your child she’s going to make
puppets for each of the characters in her story, and then act it out! Give
your child the craft supplies and let her use her imagination. Yarn makes
great hair, googly eyes add a fun touch. And old ties or bandanas serve as
great “costumes”. If she’d like, she can use construction paper to make
background scenes, houses, or any other important settings from the story.
3. Act it out. Gather the family and announce the performance. Let your
child take the lead and tell you whether she’d like to play all of the
characters, or whether she wants some acting backup from you or a sibling.
Once the show is over, place the sock puppets, scenery, and written story
summary in a brown bag and have your child write the story title on the
front. Be sure to keep your "story-in-a-bag" for future shows! This is a fun
way to see if your child really understands and remembers a story.
Ideas for WRITING at Home!
Encourage your child to write stories instead of focusing on correct
spelling or punctuation.
Parents can help young writers develop by emphasizing the fact that
writing is a way to tell stories and share feelings, thoughts, and ideas.
Help your child not to focus on using the correct punctuation or spelling
words the correct way. Instead, encourage "invented spelling," sounding
out words and writing words the way they sound. You might also make a
one-page "dictionary" of words your child uses often in her writing so
that she can refer to this list when she wants to spell a wordy short
period of time.
Find a way to include writing in your first grader's routines.
Make a calendar where your child can record special events such as
holidays, birthdays, and play dates with friends. You can also ask your
child for help as you write the grocery list and work together to write
down a story about real or imaginary events. Having your first grader
write "thank you" cards for birthday presents or make labels for
collections are other great ways to encourage writing. When you make
writing a part of each day, you help your child to practice and become a
better writer.
Make a story topic can.
Take an old coffee can, decorate it and put a bunch of ideas for writing
inside. Have your child pick one out and write a short story about it.
Write a letter to a character.
Have your child write a letter to their favorite character from a book.
Make a collection of your child's writing to instill a sense of pride.
Whether you collect your child's writing in a simple box or in a scrapbook,
you will enjoy looking at this collection in years to come. You will be able
to see the enormous growth your child makes and your child will love
looking at it!
Different ways to practice Word Wall Words
Make flash cards, play "Go Fish
Choose two words and play "Tic Tac Toe" using them instead of an x, or o write
your word.
Find the words in your books, newspapers or magazines.
Write the words in sentences.
Play Word BINGO. Parent and child write words in different boxes. Have the
child pick a word card and read it aloud. Player with 3 in a row first wins!
Play Hangman.
Spelling Puzzle: write each letter of a word on a piece of cardboard. Then, cut
the letters into puzzle pieces. Allow your child to piece together the letters to
spell each word.
Use your spelling words to write and illustrate a story. Don't worry about all of
the spelling mistakes if your child is making an effort.
Rainbow Write your spelling words. Use red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and
purple crayons or markers to practice writing your words! Put them in an arc
shape if you want to! Click on the apple for fun worksheet you can use to type
your spelling words rainbow style in a word document!
Make a matching game. Write each spelling word on two different index cards.
Turn all the cards face down and have the first player turn over two cards. If
they match, the player keeps them. If they don't, the player turns the cards
back over and player two begins.
Make a word search! Use a highlighter to find the words!
Throw or roll a ball back and forth with a partner. When the person throws the
ball, they saw the first letter. The person who catches it says the next letter
and so forth.
Make a hopscotch board on a sidewalk using letters. Then, have your child
jump on various letters to spell the words.