Learning through purposeful play
Here are 9 literacy activities for kids that are effective, simple and a wonderful way to get children excited about letters and words! These literacy activities will help your child build a solid literacy foundation all while having fun!
purposeful literacy
books, books, books!
Reading together and talking about what you read is so absolutely vital to promoting a literacy rich environment at home!
Read a variety of books with your child including fiction, non-fiction, picture books and biographies. Have books available in all rooms of your home. A home full of books is shown to foster a love of reading and learning in children that will last a lifetime!
While you read with your child, run your finger underneath the words as you read. This will reinforce the letter/sound/word connection. Your child will begin to understand that letters make sounds and when put together make words that can be read and spoken.
Make sure your child sees YOU reading for pleasure as well. Talk about what you’re reading and how you chose that particular book, article or magazine.
To read more about the importance of early childhood literacy and how you can prepare your child for school, visit our Language and Literacy Page.
materials
books of all kinds
Purpose
Creates a bond with your child
Increases print knowledge
Non-electronic entertainment
Increases comprehension
Improves concentration
Instills a love of reading, learning and knowledge
Increases child’s reading confidence
Exposes your child to new information
Exercises your child’s brain
Reading 20 mins a day=1.8 million words a year
purposeful literacy
clap out words
This is a really fun, effective and simple literacy activity for kids that your child will beg to do over and over! It quickly became one our favorites in my classroom as well as at home!
First, show your child how to “clap out” a word by saying a word and clapping to each syllable.
Start by clapping out words and names that have a lot of meaning and significance to your child. You can also clap out silly words that make you both laugh!
Next, have your child take a turn picking out the words.
They can even be nonsense, made-up words. This is such a fun way to dissect words and sounds!
Variation: Instead of clapping, have your child jump for each syllable. You could also have your child play a note on an instrument for each syllable. For example you could have them play a key on the piano for each syllable of the word you’ve chosen. Another fun variation is to “Throw out the word” instead of clap. Simply throw a ball back and forth as you say each syllable!
materials
none
Purpose
Fun with word play
Encourages experimenting with words and sounds
Teaches the concept of syllables
Isolates and reinforces beginning, middle and ending sounds in words
Promotes phonological awareness
purposeful literacy
silly erasing
Silly erasing is SO MUCH FUN and also quickly became one of our favorite literacy activities for kids!
First start with a word and spell it out with magnetic letters or with a dry erase marker on a dry erase board.
Sound out the word together.
Next, remove the first letter and sound it out again.
Remove the next letter, sound it out again.
Continue this until all the letters are gone.
This can also be done backwards-starting by removing the last letter first and sounding out the word. Continue until you get to the first letter of the word.
Silly Erasing is a fantastic literacy activity for kids and is such an easy way to keep word play fun, silly and engaging! When you are picking words to use, be sure to use words that are familiar to your child. You can also let your child choose words. You can even pick silly words or non-sense words. The sky’s the limit!
We used to do this in the bath tub with foam letters that stuck to the side of the tub.
See the example below with the word Play
materials
dry erase board
foam letters
magnetic letters
erasable crayon
chalkboard and chalk
Purpose
-
Reinforces beginning sounds in words
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Reinforces phonological awareness
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Fun with word play
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Promotes sight reading
purposeful literacy
Sticky Words
Write down the words to common household items on separate slips of paper or post-it notes.
{Examples: fridge, toaster, table, window, door, TV, computer, couch, chair, pillow, bed, bear, blanket}
Have your child tape the words on the corresponding objects around the house.
materials
paper or sticky notes
marker
tape
Purpose
Reinforces the purpose and meaning of print
Strengthens letter and sound knowledge
Improves word recognition
purposeful literacy
shaving cream letters
Fill a tray or cookie sheet with shaving cream or finger-paint. Invite your child to practice drawing shapes and writing letters and numbers in the shaving cream!
For older kids, place note cards next to the tray with names and other familiar high frequency words written on them. Encourage your child to write the words from the note cards into the shaving cream.
{Example: Write the word Dog on a note card and place it next to the tray- encourage your child to write the word Dog in the shaving cream/finger paint}
materials
tray or cookie sheet
shaving cream or finger paint
letter cards
word cards
Purpose
Strengthens fine motor skills
Sensory exposure
Promotes letter recognition
Reinforces letter-sound connections
Increases exposure to high frequency words
purposeful literacy
letter hunt
Letter recognition is really simple and fun with this great literacy activity. Letter Hunt will strengthen your child’s letter and sound recognition all while using their hands!
Hide magnetic letters in a tub of sand. Give your child sand tools to dig, sift and find the letters. When your child finds a letter talk to them about the name of the letter, its shape and the sound it makes.
You can extend this activity by hiding letters to the child’s name or other high frequency words. Write a name or word on a dry erase board or a note card for the child to reference while searching for the correct letters needed to spell the name/word.
I absolutely LOVE Kinetic Sand– you can purchase it here. This sand is so incredibly soft, like wet beach sand but it’s totally dry! It lasts forever and can be molded and remolded over and over again. It’s a perfect rainy day activity. I also really like to bring this out when my son is feeling stir crazy or stressed out. This sand is so calming and relaxing!
materials
sand
magnetic letters
dry erase board or note cards
Purpose
Reinforces letter recognition
Teaches letter sounds
Supports learning of high frequency words and name recognition
Wonderful sensory activity
tips
Place sand in a large shallow plastic bin so kids have plenty of space to play.
When your child wants to play with the sand, lay a vinyl tablecloth or a towel on the floor and place the bin of sand on top of it. That way when sand falls out of the bin (which not matter how careful you child is-it will happen) all you have to do when they are done is lift up the tablecloth/towel and pour it back into the bin!
purposeful literacy
grocery store fun
Bring your child to the grocery store when you get the chance. While you are out shopping, focus on engaging your child and making them a part of the process. You might be surprised at what a fun activity it can actually be!
While you’re shopping be sure to point out the print on the labels for the food items you’re buying. The produce section is perfect for this as each fruit and vegetable is clearly labeled.
Run your finger underneath the word as you read it. Point out the beginning letter of each word and the sound it makes.
You can also write down a grocery list for your child to hold. Attach the list to a mini clipboard and have them check off each item as it goes in the cart. The list can either be just the word or a word with a picture.
For younger children a picture with the word is a great option. As they become more familiar with the activity and the words on the list- make the list without the picture.
While you are shopping, be mindful of your behavior and how you are treating the other customers in the store as well as the store employees. Your child is watching and soaking up all of your social interactions. Make it a point to model kindness, respect for others and exceptional social skills.
materials
grocery list
clipboard
child friendly writing utensil
Purpose
-
Reinforces letter and sound recognition and connections
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Promotes sight reading
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Reinforces print concepts-that print has a meaning
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Makes reading and letters accessible and fun
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Reinforces the purpose of print
-
Strengthens social skills
purposeful literacy
the very hungry caterpillar
This is a really fun and purposeful extension activity to pair with the classic children’s book The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle.
purposeful literacy
Make Books
Writing books together is another great way to engage in purposeful literacy activities with your kids. When you write books with your child, you will be giving them the chance to become excited about the magical world of words, books and stories.
Writing projects also strengthen children's literacy skills and helps instill in them a love of learning.
Tap the link below for a few Book Making Projects you can do with your kids.
