PreK – 1st Language

Reading and talking about books is a great way to support language skills.

Get ready to read the story by thinking about what you already know about fish and sharing:

– What are some kinds of fish that you know? Can you describe them?
– What facts do you know about fish?  
– Why is it nice to share?
– How does it make us feel if a friend doesn’t share with us?
– Why is it sometimes hard to share?

After the story go through these questions:
– Who are the characters in the story?
– Where does the story take place? This is called the setting.
– What happened at the beginning of the story?
– What was the problem? How did this make the characters feel?
– How was this problem solved? How did the characters feel now?
– How does the story end?

Can you retell the story?

PreK-2nd Grade: Language –

Reading and talking about books is a great way to support language skills.  

Before you watch the video, please talk with your family about pets.  
– Can you name 3 different kinds of pets?
– What are some things people have to do to take care of pets?
– This story is called “Harry the Dirty Dog.” What do you think will happen in the story?

Watch the video:
https://www.storylineonline.net/books/harry-the-dirty-dog/

After you watch it, talk about the story with your family.
– Who were the characters?
– Why did Harry hide the scrubbing brush?
– Where did Harry hide the brush?
– How did Harry get so dirty?
– What happened at the end of the story?

16 Everyday Activities That Count as Learning

I know this is an overwhelming time for everyone. So, I was encouraged when I saw this list from WeAreTeachers about 16 Everyday Activities That Count as Learning.

Talking with your children while you do these activities is a great learning opportunity and a wonderful way to support their language development. Click on the link to visit WeAreTeachers and learn more.

Articulation – Games

There are so many games you can play to practice your speech sounds. All you need is a deck of articulation cards.

It’s easy to make your own articulation cards! All you need is some index cards or paper, a pen, and a word list. Simply write your words on the cards. Make sure to have two cards for each word so you can play games like Matching and Go Fish.

Once you have your articulation cards check out some of these fun games you can play:

Go Fish:

Deal 5 cards to each person.  On your turn, ask another person if they have a given card.  If they do, they will give it to you. If not, they will say, “Go fish” and you draw a card from the draw pile.  Put any matches you have down in front of you. 

Speed:

Put 5 cards face-up on the table in front of each person.  On your turn, draw a card and say, “Does anyone have _____?”  If you have the card, you place the card you just drew on top of it.  If someone else has it, give it to them. If no one has it, you place it in front of you.  Whoever finds matches for all of their cards first wins.

Bowling:

If you have bowling pins, place them on top of the cards.  If not, you can use cups or something along those lines. Roll a ball and knock over pins.  Say the words on the cards under the pins you knocked over.

Bean Bag Toss:

Spread cards out on the floor.  Throw a bean bag toward the cards.  Say the words on the cards where the bean bag landed.

52 Card Pick-Up:

Flick the cards around the room.  Race to see how many cards they can pick up.  They say the words on the cards they gathered.  Whoever has the most wins.

Hide and Seek:

Hide the cards around the room.  See how long it takes to find them all.

Dice Roll:

Form six piles of cards and label one through six.  Roll a dice. The number on the dice indicates which pile they will pull from.  Say the word the number on the dice times 3. 

Giant Board Game:

I spread out the cards across the floor as spaces on a game board.  Students roll dice to determine how many spaces to move and then say the word on that space.

Spider Web:

Use tape to form a spider web on the ground.  Place the cards throughout the web. Walk around the web and gather the cards.  Say the words they have gathered. 

Card Grabber:

Place the cards on the edge of the table, hanging over slightly.  Using tongs or a pincher of some sort, students try and grab as many as they can in a given amount of time. 

Password/ Catch Phrase:

Have your child describe the word on the card to the group without saying the word on the card.  You have to try and guess what it is. Take turns guessing/describing. 

Jenga:

Play Jenga as normal, but place the articulation cards between layers.

I Spy:

Place the cards on the table.  Take turns playing I Spy while spying things on the cards.  On your turn, you say, “I spy with my little eye something ____.”  Your child has to guess which word/card you are referring to.

Sorting:

Have your child sort the cards.  They could sort by the number of syllables, if the sound is at the beginning, middle, or end of the word, if the word is a person vs. object etc. 

Ideas to Practice Speech/Language Skills at Home

  • Play a game where you hide something and give your child specific directions on how to find it (i.e. Go up the stairs.  Turn right and walk to 10 steps. Look behind the pillow.) Then have your child take a turn hiding something and giving you specific directions.
  • Play a game where you describe an item and have your child guess what you are talking about.  Then have your child take a turn describing an item for you to guess.
  • Write a sentence, cut the words apart, mix up the words, and have your child put the words in order.
  • Have your child name all the items they can think of that fit in a category (i.e. fruits, vegetables, etc)
  • Ask your child imagination questions (i.e. if you were a bird, what would you see when you are flying)
  • Have your child make up a story.
  • Have your child tell you how two things are alike and how two things are different (i.e. an apple & a banana; a fork & spoon; a car and a motorcycle)
  • Simon Says
  • Headbandz game (use it for describing items together, turn-taking, predictions – you can write down what the other person says to help you find out what item you have on your head)
  • Make a treasure hunt for the kids to find fun toys or snacks
  • Name a shape and have your child go around the house and find things that are that shape
  • Place objects from around the house (i.e.: spoon, crayon)  in a pillowcase or bag and have your child describe to you what each object is using specific characteristics (i.e. size, shape, color, parts, location, group it belongs to)
  • Have your child follow directions to work on prepositions (i.e.: in, on, over, under) with your child’s favorite toy.  Tell your child to place the toy “under” the chair or “in” the box. After, have them work on their expressive language by having them create the direction using a preposition.  
  • Wall Bop – Put each alphabet letter on a sticky note and put them on a wall or door.  Have the kids throw a beanbag at them. Whatever letter they get, they have to name the letter and something that starts with that letter.

Online Reading Opportunities

Check out some digital books, audiobooks, and magazines online. Many of these websites are offering free access to their content in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Check out some books or audiobooks:
Epic! – digital library
Storyline Online – videos of children’s books read by celebrities
Audible Stories – audible books available for streaming
Scholastic Kids – online books and games

Or, check out some magazines online:
* Highlights Kids
* National Geographic Kids
* TIME for Kids
* Ranger Rick

Online Books

Epic! Digital Library
Storyline Online
Audible Stories

Magazines

Highlights Kids
National Geographic KIDS
TIME for Kids
Ranger Rick Magazine