8 Fun Reading Activities for Kindergarteners
Kindergarten is an exciting time for emergent readers. They’re not only mastering the alphabet and letter sounds–they’re also beginning to stitch those sounds together into words. This is the time to build strong decoding skills, which are the steps new readers take to sound out words.
Try these interactive games and reading activities for kindergarteners to help them start down the path to a lifelong love of reading.
1. Make DIY Alphabet Books
Before kids can read, they need to know the alphabet and the sounds that letters make.
To make your own DIY alphabet book:
Step 1: Use a notebook or put together 26 pieces of paper.
Step 2: Have your child label each page with one letter of the alphabet.
Step 3: Then, provide a stack of old magazines and let them go through and cut out items that start with each letter.
Step 4: Help them paste the images on the correct pages. When they’re done, they’ll have their own alphabet book, inspired by the collage activity at Toddler Approved.
Bonus Activity Idea: Let kids draw their own pictures for these books too. Or, they can use your phone to take photos of items to fit the various pages. Print these out and kids can paste them in.
If children are really enjoying this activity, make individual books for each letter of the alphabet.
2. Move Letter Beads Along Pipe Cleaners
Once kids master the letters and the sounds they make, it’s time to begin combining those sounds into words. This simple reading activity is a fun way to start.
Use letter beads that fit snugly onto pipe cleaners, as shown by Gift of Curiosity.
Step 1: Begin with the letters spread far apart, and ask kids to sound out each letter on its own.
Step 2: Then, move the letters closer together, continuing to make their sounds, until they’ve sounded out the entire word.
Bonus Activity Idea: For kindergarteners, this activity works best with CVC words, which are consonant-vowel-consonant words that follow the standard rules of pronunciation.
Have kids sort their letter beads into vowels and consonants, then let them experiment with different combinations to see what words they can discover on their own.
3. Take a Stroll Across New Words
This idea from Coffee Cups and Crayons is perfect for kids who’d rather be up and moving.
Step 1: Use sidewalk chalk to write decodable words (those that follow the rules of pronunciation and can be easily sounded out) in large letters.
Step 2: Then, ask your child to stand on each letter, one at a time, and say the sound it makes.
Step 3: Finally, they can walk along from one letter to the next, blending the sounds into the word itself.
Bonus Activity: Give kids their own chalk and have them practice writing out each word themselves several times. Then, they can illustrate or decorate their words for a bit of creative fun! See more decoding activities for kids here.
4. Create a Phonics Flip Book
This nifty little book lets kids experiment with different sound blends, allowing them to discover new words all on their own.
Kids Activities Blog has the instructions for splitting an index card notebook into sections. You can make multiple versions of these, with varying word lengths as kids advance their skills.
Bonus Activity Idea: As children experiment with their books, ask them to write down any real words that they create. Keep a running list, and see how many new words they can make without any help from others.
5. Swat Beginning Sight Words
Sight words are common words that aren’t easily decodable because they don’t fit standard rules of spelling or pronunciation. Instead, it’s easier for kids to memorize them so they’ll know them on sight.
Sight Word Swat, as demonstrated by Time for Play, is one reading activity kindergarteners will love to play again and again.
Step 1: Simply lay out cards with various sight words on them.
Step 2: Give kids a fly swatter.
Step 3: Then, call out a word and see how quickly they can swat it!
Bonus Activity Idea: Choose a “Sight Word of the Day” and look for it wherever you go. This is a neat way to incorporate learning when you’re out and about.
Little ones are often very excited to realize just how often some of these words appear (like “the” or “and”), and will celebrate the fact that they can recognize and read them.
6. Swap Spoons to Learn Rhyming Words
What a simple and surprisingly fun way to work on rhyming words!
Step 1: Label plastic spoons with letters of the alphabet.
Step 2: Then, use them as a sort of “magic wand” by placing them at the beginning of different word endings, as shown by Teacher Bits and Bobs.
Step 3: See how many different words you can create.
Bonus Activity Idea: Try Rhyming I Spy. Say, “I spy with my little eye something that rhymes with sat.” Kids look around until they find the object you have in mind, then it’s their turn to go. This is an excellent game to keep kids busy pretty much anywhere.
7. Place Punctuation Stickers
Once kids know enough basic words, they’ll be able to start reading simple books on their own. That’s when they’ll need to know how punctuation marks work.
Try this idea from Creative Family Fun.
Step 1: Write periods, exclamation marks, and question marks on small colored dot stickers.
Step 2: Then write out some sentences.
Step 3: Have kids pick the right sticker to end the sentences with.
Tip: You can use very easy words they’re able to read, or use more advanced words that you read out loud to them. Remember to put the right inflection in your voice to give them the cues they’ll need.
Bonus Activity Idea: Part of reading fluently is being able to read smoothly with expression. Even early readers can do this, especially with books they’re more familiar with.
After kids sound out the words on a page, don’t immediately flip to the next. Instead, have them re-read the passage, this time focusing on fluency.
8. ABCmouse Reading Games & Activities
Try the ABCmouse early learning educational App for Kindergarten reading activity fun!
Whether you want a quick easy activity you can take on the go, or wanting a customized learning path for your developing reader ABCmouse.com has hundreds of reading games and activities designed to help your kindergartener learn and develop their reading muscles.
ABCmouse has activities and games for kindergarteners learning to read that cover:
- Letter and Sound Recognition
- Word Blending
- Sight Words
- Reading Comprehension
- Phonics
- Vocabulary Building
- Reading Fluency
- Progress Tracking
- AND MORE!
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