Family Holiday Reading Activities
By: Big 2 News Staff
Updated: November 30, 2012
MIDLAND -- It's almost time for Christmas Break, but that doesn't mean the learning or the reading needs to take a break! The Midland Reading Council has put together the following list of websites and fun reading activities to do this holiday season with your children!
http://www.reading-with-kids.com/readingactivities.html
Create your own Book Club:
These are great for developing reading comprehension and listening skills. Click here to learn more about how to start a book club.
Start a reading program:
These are fun ways to get your children involved with reading. You could try our own Reading Club Calendar, or local libraries will often offer reading clubs, reading programs, or reading calendars.
Color with your kids:
Coloring teaches children to hold a canyon/pencil properly. It also develops the muscle coordination they will need when they learn to write. ( Find out more about coloring here .) In addition, alphabet coloring pages help your child become more familiar with letters of the alphabet.
Make scrapbooks with your kids that they can read:
Kids love reading stories about themselves, so make sure you journal your pages so that they can read all about themselves while looking at the pictures.
Let your children write their own stories:
This is a simple activity, but kids love it. Just take some plain paper and a piece of construction paper or colored cardstock for the cover. Fold them in half and put a few staples close to the fold. Let your children dictate their story to you or write their own (depending on their age)and then let your children draw their own illustrations.
http://www.reading-with-kids.com/images/reading-with-kids-girl-writes-learn-to-read.jpg
Give your children their own personal journal:
Kids love writing about themselves and things that actually happened. It can be as simple as a spiral-bound notebook -- that makes little difference to kids. Just give them a book to write in, and they will be happy.
Give your children the opportunity to write letters:
Chrildren love to write to people, whether it is a thank you note, a simple "hello", or even Happy Birthday, they love to write it then stick it in the envelope.
Explore Nursery Rhymes with your kids:
Nursery rhymes are a great way to introduce reading to your children. Make use of the activities on our Nursery Rhymes page, including coloring pages coloring pages and a fun game called "Homonym Phrases."
Plan a treasure hunt with your children:
You can help your children write and hide clues, or you can create a treasure hunt for your children to follow. No matter what the "treasure" is, kids love participating in treasure hunts.
Make a roller box:
This is similar to a slide show where your children get to illustrate the stories themselves. It is a fun way for your children to view a story and a great opportunity for them to get involved in drawing their own illustrations.
Plan seasonal activities:
Kids love to make the most of any holiday season. See our Holiday Reading Activities page.
Do some role-playing with your kids:
You can watch them present a puppet show or play. Or better yet, get involved yourself and let your children "direct" you!
Practice interactive reading skills while reading with your child:
Learning to read should be a joint effort. These are suggestions for reading with your child, not just reading to them or having them read to you.
There are many other reading activities, such as letter mazes or word mazes, word searches, and (for older children) crossword puzzles. Discovery School is a great website for many games. You can make a crossword puzzle, a word search, or other puzzles with your own words and clues.
In addition to the reading activities listed here, you may also want to think about the interests of your own child. You may want to develop your own reading activities based on those interests.
Interactive Reading:
You can read interactively with your children by following these suggestings:
1. Choose a book that both you and your child will enjoy. Take turns choosing books. Sometimes it is nice to choose a book you know you will enjoy, and other times you should allow your children to choose the book themselves.
2. Let your child set the pace. Infants, for example, love to open the book to random pages, glance briefly at the pictures, and turn to another random page. Some preschoolers and older children like to look at the pictures in depth before listening to the story. Still older children enjoy reading the story and discovering how the illustrations compare. Don't be so anxious to get to the end of the story that you forget to enjoy the journey.
3. Point out the illustrations. A good illustrator will add to the story with their pictures. Ask your children how the pictures support the story, and what elements in the pictures are putting more in the story than the words even say. Ask your children what they like about the pictures. By doing this, you allow your child to become more personally involved with the characters and storyline.
4. Give your child the opportunity to ask questions. Stop and explain anything that your child doesn't understand. This is a great way for kids to learn new words and begin to understand things that are different from what they see every day.
5. Stop at critical places to ask questions, especially when reading a story for the first time. For example, "What would you do if that happened to you?" or "How would that make you feel if that were you?" or "What do think might happen next?" Remember, there are no wrong answers -- encourage them to use their imagination!
6. When reading familiar books, play word games. Leave out words for your child to fill in the blank, or change a few key words to either synonyms or opposites. This helps develop listening skills, and kids love to catch you saying the wrong words.
7. Enjoy your time with your child! Your attitude will wear off on them, and they will discover that reading is something enjoyable to them, too.
http://www.theholidayzone.com/christmas/index.html (Crafts and cooking are such great literacy activities because they involve procedural text which will be a major component in any child's reading experience, and they are fun!!
http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/student-interactives/
Write a Recipe:
Use recipes to help children practice reading and writing step-by-step instructions. Have them sample the results to see how they did.
Make a Mystery Puzzle:
Have children explore the different parts of mystery writing by making a puzzle about a favorite book. They can then invent and write their own mysteries using the online Mystery Cube tool.
Hero's Journey:
Harry Potter. Frodo. Luke Skywalker. These popular characters from novels and films share a common root: the ancient myth of the hero's journey. This tool gives teens the information they need to take a closer look at an epic hero or create a hero of their own
Add Seasons to Rhyming Poems and Songs:
Choose favorite rhyming songs or nursery rhymes then replace the rhyming words with seasonal themes.
We're Going on a Shape Hunt:
From dishes to doors, find shapes all around you while strengthening important reading and math skills
Comic Creator:
The Comic Creator invites children and teens to design their own comic strips.
MyTube: Make a Video Public Service Announcement:
Invite teens to explore issues that are important to them, and then write a script and film a video public service announcement
http://www.teachervision.fen.com/poetry/printable/5418.html?detoured=1
Shape poems
http://www.reading-with-kids.com/readingactivities.html
Create your own Book Club:
These are great for developing reading comprehension and listening skills. Click here to learn more about how to start a book club.
Start a reading program:
These are fun ways to get your children involved with reading. You could try our own Reading Club Calendar, or local libraries will often offer reading clubs, reading programs, or reading calendars.
Color with your kids:
Coloring teaches children to hold a canyon/pencil properly. It also develops the muscle coordination they will need when they learn to write. ( Find out more about coloring here .) In addition, alphabet coloring pages help your child become more familiar with letters of the alphabet.
Make scrapbooks with your kids that they can read:
Kids love reading stories about themselves, so make sure you journal your pages so that they can read all about themselves while looking at the pictures.
Let your children write their own stories:
This is a simple activity, but kids love it. Just take some plain paper and a piece of construction paper or colored cardstock for the cover. Fold them in half and put a few staples close to the fold. Let your children dictate their story to you or write their own (depending on their age)and then let your children draw their own illustrations.
http://www.reading-with-kids.com/images/reading-with-kids-girl-writes-learn-to-read.jpg
Give your children their own personal journal:
Kids love writing about themselves and things that actually happened. It can be as simple as a spiral-bound notebook -- that makes little difference to kids. Just give them a book to write in, and they will be happy.
Give your children the opportunity to write letters:
Chrildren love to write to people, whether it is a thank you note, a simple "hello", or even Happy Birthday, they love to write it then stick it in the envelope.
Explore Nursery Rhymes with your kids:
Nursery rhymes are a great way to introduce reading to your children. Make use of the activities on our Nursery Rhymes page, including coloring pages coloring pages and a fun game called "Homonym Phrases."
Plan a treasure hunt with your children:
You can help your children write and hide clues, or you can create a treasure hunt for your children to follow. No matter what the "treasure" is, kids love participating in treasure hunts.
Make a roller box:
This is similar to a slide show where your children get to illustrate the stories themselves. It is a fun way for your children to view a story and a great opportunity for them to get involved in drawing their own illustrations.
Plan seasonal activities:
Kids love to make the most of any holiday season. See our Holiday Reading Activities page.
Do some role-playing with your kids:
You can watch them present a puppet show or play. Or better yet, get involved yourself and let your children "direct" you!
Practice interactive reading skills while reading with your child:
Learning to read should be a joint effort. These are suggestions for reading with your child, not just reading to them or having them read to you.
There are many other reading activities, such as letter mazes or word mazes, word searches, and (for older children) crossword puzzles. Discovery School is a great website for many games. You can make a crossword puzzle, a word search, or other puzzles with your own words and clues.
In addition to the reading activities listed here, you may also want to think about the interests of your own child. You may want to develop your own reading activities based on those interests.
Interactive Reading:
You can read interactively with your children by following these suggestings:
1. Choose a book that both you and your child will enjoy. Take turns choosing books. Sometimes it is nice to choose a book you know you will enjoy, and other times you should allow your children to choose the book themselves.
2. Let your child set the pace. Infants, for example, love to open the book to random pages, glance briefly at the pictures, and turn to another random page. Some preschoolers and older children like to look at the pictures in depth before listening to the story. Still older children enjoy reading the story and discovering how the illustrations compare. Don't be so anxious to get to the end of the story that you forget to enjoy the journey.
3. Point out the illustrations. A good illustrator will add to the story with their pictures. Ask your children how the pictures support the story, and what elements in the pictures are putting more in the story than the words even say. Ask your children what they like about the pictures. By doing this, you allow your child to become more personally involved with the characters and storyline.
4. Give your child the opportunity to ask questions. Stop and explain anything that your child doesn't understand. This is a great way for kids to learn new words and begin to understand things that are different from what they see every day.
5. Stop at critical places to ask questions, especially when reading a story for the first time. For example, "What would you do if that happened to you?" or "How would that make you feel if that were you?" or "What do think might happen next?" Remember, there are no wrong answers -- encourage them to use their imagination!
6. When reading familiar books, play word games. Leave out words for your child to fill in the blank, or change a few key words to either synonyms or opposites. This helps develop listening skills, and kids love to catch you saying the wrong words.
7. Enjoy your time with your child! Your attitude will wear off on them, and they will discover that reading is something enjoyable to them, too.
http://www.theholidayzone.com/christmas/index.html (Crafts and cooking are such great literacy activities because they involve procedural text which will be a major component in any child's reading experience, and they are fun!!
http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/student-interactives/
Write a Recipe:
Use recipes to help children practice reading and writing step-by-step instructions. Have them sample the results to see how they did.
Make a Mystery Puzzle:
Have children explore the different parts of mystery writing by making a puzzle about a favorite book. They can then invent and write their own mysteries using the online Mystery Cube tool.
Hero's Journey:
Harry Potter. Frodo. Luke Skywalker. These popular characters from novels and films share a common root: the ancient myth of the hero's journey. This tool gives teens the information they need to take a closer look at an epic hero or create a hero of their own
Add Seasons to Rhyming Poems and Songs:
Choose favorite rhyming songs or nursery rhymes then replace the rhyming words with seasonal themes.
We're Going on a Shape Hunt:
From dishes to doors, find shapes all around you while strengthening important reading and math skills
Comic Creator:
The Comic Creator invites children and teens to design their own comic strips.
MyTube: Make a Video Public Service Announcement:
Invite teens to explore issues that are important to them, and then write a script and film a video public service announcement
http://www.teachervision.fen.com/poetry/printable/5418.html?detoured=1
Shape poems
