Reading Activities

	Child needs to increase their sight vocabulary
	Child needs to improve word flow (use for incorrect phrasing too)
	Child needs to improve comprehension skills

 
 

Tips: 

Talk to your child’s teacher to determine any words or phrases that need to be included in the cards, especially vocabulary words. Mix in words suggested by your child. Include family and friends in the game.  This will make learning more fun. Use colored markers to designate colored words.  Example:  blue for sky and ocean or green for grass and plant. Review words before playing the game.  Especially any new words. Update words as soon as child has mastered the original words. Before throwing out previous words review again after a minimum of a week out of play. Try to play a game a night; your child will be amazed at how fast new words are learned! To make your cards last cover them in clear contact paper. To prevent your child from becoming bored play other games that also promote developing a sight vocabulary.

 
 

    Improving Sight Vocabulary
  

Definition of sight word: Any word that a reader has seen enough times in the past to enable instant recognition.

There are many techniques used to help a student improve their sight word vocabulary such as writing the troublesome words over and over, or writing sentences using the words, or doing tons of work sheets.  These are the normal activities a child might do in class or resource room.  To make learning more fun and feel less like school I have listed several games to be played as a family or with friends.  I did not include activities that are typically used in school.  These activities are for fun and should not be forced, since this hampers the learning process and makes for a miserable child.

 
 

    Activities to improve sight vocabulary
 

     Searching for words or phrases 

Materials:	Index cards, black marker (see tips about using colored markers)
Procedure:	Use the marker to write a word or phrase on an index card.  This will need to be repeated 3 times. When finished you should have 3 identical piles of cards.
Procedure:	This game requires three players who each have a pack of the word or phrase cards.  One person chooses a card and calls a word or phrase.  The other 2 players see who can find the same word or phrase first.  The one who does places the card face up in the middle of the table and says the word or phrase. That person then scores a point.  Play continues until all cards are used or until a certain number of points are scored.
Note:	The cards can be shuffled together and used to play “Go Fish”.  Each player takes turns asking for a word or phrase and would need to collect all three matches before scoring a point.  The person with the most matches would win.

 

     Homerun 

Materials:	poster board, markers, index cards
Procedure:	Draw a baseball diamond on the poster board with the markers. On each card write a word or    phrase. You may duplicate the words.  Place the word cards on the “pitcher’s mound, 1st base,
Play:	You will need eight players for this game.
	Divide children into two teams. The outfielders will need to decide who will be on which base and who will be the short stop. The person stands by the base they are guarding. The team who is up to bat will need to decide who goes first, second, third, and fourth. The first batter picks up a card from the pitcher’s mound. If they say the word correctly they got a “hit” and may go to first base.  (If they did not say the word correctly, the short stop gets an opportunity to say the word. If the short stop is correct the batter gets a “strike” if the short stop is incorrect the batter gets a “ball.) Batting continues until three strikes which is an out or four balls which is a walk to first base. Once at first base the player picks up a word card.  If they answer correctly they move to second base.  If the player answers incorrectly, the first base person gets a chance to answer.  If the first base person is correct the runner is out. If the first base person is incorrect the runner is safe on first and must stay until the next batter gets a hit. When the next batter gets a hit the runner advances to second base and draws a card. If the runner on first base answers correctly they may advance to second base only if the runner on second was correct and moved to third base.  Just like in regular baseball you can not have two runners on the same base. Play continues until the team gets three outs. A home run is scored when a player goes to each base and says the word correctly. An out will occur when the batter misses three words while at bat.  An out may also occur if the runner misses a word at one of the bases and the other team gets the word correct. When the runner and base guard are incorrect the runner stays on that base until the batter gets a hit. Remind the children to walk around the poster board, but not actually step on it. If a child answers out of turn this is interference and another card must be drawn.

 

     Sight Word Checkers 

Materials:	checkers game, small squares of paper with sight words written on them
Procedure:	Cover the black squares of the checkerboard with the sight words.  The game is played the same    way as checkers, except before moving a piece to the square the player must say the word.

 
 

      Feel and Say 

Materials:	different sensory materials such as sand paper, velvet, faux fur, etc., alphabet tracers, scissors, glue,  heavy grade of paper
Procedure:	Use only a maximum of five words.  Work with one or two words during a ten-minute session. Trace the letters of the word on the chosen material.  Cut out the letters and glue onto the paper spelling out the word.  Have the child trace the word using their index and middle fingers. Sound out parts of the word as it is traced.  Once the child learns the word skip the tracing part and have them just say the word out loud.  If the word does not sound as it is spelled then skip the sounding out part and just have the child trace the word.

 

     Gritty Words 

Materials:	sand or salt, shoebox lid or equivalent, word cards
Procedure:	Pour the sand or salt into the shoebox lid.  Be sure to only make a small layer of the sand or salt. The child selects a word card and writes the word in the sand or salt.

 

     Sight Word Charades 

Materials:	word cards (The words should be verbs or phrases depicting an action.)
Procedure:	Pick a word from the stack of word cards and pantomime the action.  Each person may take turns acting out a word or you can divide up into teams and keep score.

 

     Dominoes 

Materials:	index cards and a marker
Procedures:	To make the dominoes draw a line to divide the card in half and write a different word on the ends of each card. Be sure to repeat the words several times.
Play:	Each player draws seven dominoes.  The first player may play any domino.  The next player must match the word on the domino. As a player makes a match they pronounce the word.  If the player can not make a match, they must draw a domino from the discard pile. Play continues until one person matches all their dominoes and wins.

 

     Word Bingo 

Materials:	word cards with 9, 16, or 25 words written on them, a list of the words, a large quantity of dried beans to make the word cards, draw squares on a sheet of paper.  In each square, write a word being sure to change the order of the words on each card.  Children in the first grade should only have 9 words while children in the fifth grade can 25 words.
Procedure:	Play just like bingo.  Before beginning the game review the words on the cards.  Call out the words giving the children time to find the word. To mark the word, the child places a bean on the word. The first child to get 3, 4, or 5 words in a row and is able to say each word in the row correctly wins. After the children become more adept at finding the words, limit the amount of time given the children  to find the words.

 

     Word Race 

Materials:	large sheet of paper, 2 sets of identical word cards, 2 toy cars
Procedure:	Draw an oval racetrack on the paper.  Divide the track into at least 16 sections.  Write a sight word into 15 of the sections, these should be the same words written on the word cards.  Write start/finish in the first section. Each player is given one set of the word cards and a toy car.  The players place their car on start and places their word cards face up by the track.  One player reads the word on his top card.  If the word is the same as the one in the first space of the racetrack, he moves his car up. If it is not, the player may not move.  The card is placed on the bottom of the deck and the other player  takes a turn.  The winner is the first player to go around the track to the finish line.  Be sure to shuffle both sets of cards before each game.  (You can easily change the words on the word track by taping a piece of paper with new words on top of the old ones.  This way you will not have to draw a new racetrack each time the words have been mastered.)

 

       Improve Word Flow Activities 

These activities are appropriate if your child pauses after each word while reading aloud.  They are not allowing the words to flow as they would in a normal conversation.   Pair these activities with some of the activities suggested in assisting a child with developing a better sight word vocabulary.  Keep in mind the grade level of the child.  Your child’s teacher will be a good resource for a word list as well as looking through your child’s reading book.  Most books have a vocabulary list associated with the stories.  Remember to include words important to your child and their hobbies.  These activities are inappropriate for an emerging reading.

 

     Read Aloud 

Go to the library and assist your child in choosing a book below their grade level.  These need to be easy to read books.  A competent reader should first read the book to the child.  Tell the child to listen to the flow of words and how the reader only pauses where there is a comma or period.  As each word is read, follow with your finger and tap the comma or period as you pause.  This draws the child’s attention to the punctuation.  After the reading demonstration, allow the child to read the same book out loud.  Gradually increase the complexity of the books as your child’s oral reading improves.

 

     Write Your Own Stories 

Materials:	markers, crayons, paper, stickers, stamps, etc.
Procedure:	Distribute items to your child that will help them write a story.  Younger children need items to help them with their creativity.  A computer program that allows you to print paper with various scenes for your child will make writing their own stories lots of fun.  After they have finished writing their story allow them to read it to you and as many other individuals as possible.  The more times they repeat their story the more confident they will become in reading it.  If your child has difficulty coming up with a story give them a topic or the first sentence.  Make sure that they are interested in the topic. Having an adult write with them will also give them additional encouragement.

 

     Choral Reading 

Materials:	an interesting book at or below grade level
Procedure:	Read the book out loud together.  Remember to keep in mind your child’s pace.  You are trying to assist them in eliminating the pauses between each word not speed up their reading pace.  Children who are trying to read a book above their grade level will often pause and stumble over words. This is completely normal. Try to make sure the book your child is reading is appropriate for their grade level.

 

     Read Poetry 

Read poetry aloud to each other.  This allows the child to hear that words have rhythm.  Keep in mind to choose poetry that is both interesting and at your child’s grade level.

 

     Read Songs 

Ask your child’s music teacher to make a copy of your child’s favorite songs.  Practice reading these without the music.  Do not sing the songs, but read them aloud using the songs natural rhythm.

 

       Improve Comprehension Skills Activities 

If your child does not understand what he has just read than these activities are appropriate in assisting him to improve his comprehension skills. These activities will assist your child to recognize, evaluate, and describe various situations.  They will also give your child practice in the comprehension of details and discovering the relationship between pictures and words.  Improving comprehension skills requires a child to master many skills such as classifying words, recognize visual signals, and sequencing of ideas.

Parents must also keep in mind their child’s vocabulary level.  If your child does not understand the vocabulary used in the story or information than they cannot be expected to comprehend the full meaning of the story.  Be sure to question your child concerning the meaning of a few of the words in the reading material before attempting any of these activities.  The story should be at or a little below their level.  Reading a story a little below their level will allow your child to concentrate only on the story and not the pronunciation or meaning of individual words.

 

     Picture the Words 

Materials:	book, crayons, markers, paper
Procedure:	Together with your child, read a short story.  Give your child a piece of paper folded into thirds.  Have your child draw a picture of the three most important details of the story.  This exercise can also be used to as a timeline. Simply ask your child to draw pictures of what happened first, second, and third in the story.  As your child improves, have them draw additional pictures.  One example would be to read the story “The Gingerbread Man”.  In the story, the gingerbread man runs away from several different characters.  Have your child draw a picture of each of the characters the gingerbread man ran from in the correct order.  Working up to complicated stories will take time, so do not get discouraged or rush your child.  Use this time to have fun with your child and be creative together with the drawings and objects use to make pictures.  Keep “special” crayons or markers set aside for these activities. This activity will assist your child in learning how to sequence a story.

 

     Comic Mix-Up 

Materials:	comic strips from the newspaper
Procedure:	For this activity, cut up your child’s favorite comic strip.  Mix the pieces up and ask your child to put them back in the correct order.  Have your child read the comics once they have reassembled them even if they are in the wrong order.  Allow your child to keep rearranging the pieces until your child has them in the correct order. This activity will allow your child to use the words and pictures to find the correct order, so if they are having great difficulties with their reading skills and comprehension, remind them to use the pictures as clues.

 

     Puzzling Sentences 

Materials:	Strips of paper, pencil or pen
Procedure:	Write sentences for your child that must be placed in a certain order.  For this type of activities directions work the best. You might want to write out the directions on how to feed the dog.  The first sentence would read “Get a bowl.” 2nd “Get a can of dog food.”  3rd “Open the can of dog food.”  4th “Put the food in the bowl.”  5th “Give the bowl of food to the dog.”  Your child would put the sentences in the correct order.  To make it more fun, act out the sentences to see if they are in the right order.  Let your child see what happens if they put the sentences in the wrong order.  If your child is having great difficulty with their reading skills and comprehension, use pictures with the words so they may rely on the pictures with the words to find the correct order.

 

      Picture Puzzle 

Materials:	pictures clipped from magazines glued to tag board, word cards, flannel board
Procedure:	Place a picture on the flannel board.  Give your child the word cards and have them select the best words that describe the picture.  Place the pictures on the flannel board and have your child tell why they chose the word.  If their choice is not appropriate explain why to them.
Variation I:	If your child is advanced past individual words, use sentences.
Variation II:	Add the appropriate cards to the stack to allow your child to make sentences describing the pictures.

 

     Make Your Own Riddles 

Materials:	Paper and pencil
Procedure:	Write several short stories describing an object or animal.  Have the child read the story. (If their reading level is below the story, read it to them.)   The child must try to figure out what the object is from the clues given in the story. The answer should be concealed in the bottom corner under a flap of paper.
Example:	I am a thing. I come in different sizes. Children love to play with me. I bounce up and down. What kind of toy am I?                           Answer is here.

 

     Picture This 

Materials:	Pictures cut from a magazine, tag board, flannel board
Procedure:	Place pictures of objects on a flannel board.  On tag board write some questions concerning the pictures and some questions to be used as distracters. Ask your child to answer questions in relation to the pictures posted.  To make this more fun use pictures and words related to your child’s interests and hobbies.  Of course, silly things are always fun.
Example:	On the flannel board are pictures of a frog, train, house, and cloud. Posted under the pictures are the questions: Do you see a pig? Do you see a barn?  Do you see a frog?  Do you see a train? Etc.
Variation I:	Use word cards and have your child place the correct word under the correct picture.
Variation II:	Once your child has advanced, use descriptive words to describe the picture. Such as The frog is green. The cloud is in the sky. Each of these variations will give your child practice with developing picture-word description relationships.

KayDee@KayDeesplace.com