Fun Activities for Foundational Skills

Hello teachers and parents! Here are 3 of my favorite foundational literacy activities that I use daily with my students that will help your child improve their reading. 

#1 Sound Sorts

Activity Description:
Give students a set of picture cards that depict objects or animals. Have them sort the cards into two categories: those that begin with the same sound (onset) and those that end with the same sound (rime). For example, cards might include a "bat," "dog," "cat," and "hat." The students will place "bat," "cat," and "hat" in one pile for the beginning sound (/b/, /k/, /h/) and "dog" in another pile for the ending sound (/g/).

How to Implement:

• Step 1: Begin by reviewing letter-sound relationships with the students so they understand the sounds they’ll be sorting.

• Step 2: Provide a variety of picture cards with distinct sounds (e.g., "bat," "dog," "sun," "bus") and have students work individually or in pairs to group the cards based on the sounds.

• Step 3: After sorting, ask students to explain why they grouped the cards the way they did, reinforcing their phonemic awareness. For example, they might say, “I put 'bat' and 'hat' together because they both start with the 'b' sound."

• Extension: For advanced students, challenge them by sorting cards based on more complex sounds like digraphs (sh, th) or blends (cl, st). You could also introduce vowel sounds to practice ending sounds.

#2 Sight Word Scavenger Hunts

Activity Description:
Transform your classroom into an interactive word search! Write sight words on small pieces of paper or sticky notes, then hide them around the classroom. The students will "hunt" for the sight words and read each word aloud when they find it. You can even place words along the hallway!

How to Implement:

• Step 1: Choose a set of sight words that are appropriate for the students' level. For beginners, you might select high-frequency words like "the," "is," "and," and "it."

• Step 2: Hide the sight words around the classroom in visible but not too obvious locations (on desks, under chairs, behind books, on the board, etc.).

• Step 3: Give each student a clipboard or a piece of paper where they can write down the sight words they find. As they find each word, they read it aloud and write it down.

• Step 4: Once all the words are found, gather the students together and review the words they discovered, encouraging them to say the words out loud and even use them in simple sentences.

• Extension: For older or more advanced students, hide sight words in sentences or short paragraphs, challenging them to read the sentence and locate the target word.

#3 Sentence Builders

Activity Description:
Provide students with word cards featuring a variety of nouns, verbs, adjectives, and simple sight words. The goal is for students to create their own sentences by combining the words in meaningful ways. After building their sentences, students read them aloud and illustrate the sentence.

How to Implement:

• Step 1: Prepare a set of word cards that include common nouns (e.g., dog, cat, ball), verbs (e.g., run, jump, play), adjectives (e.g., big, small, fast), and sight words (e.g., is, the, it). You can also include punctuation cards such as periods, exclamation marks, or question marks.

• Step 2: Give each student or pair of students a selection of these word cards and a piece of paper. Ask them to create as many sentences as they can using the words provided.

• Step 3: After creating each sentence, students will read their sentences aloud to the class or in small groups. Encourage them to use expression and proper punctuation when reading.

• Step 4: Once students have read their sentences, they can illustrate their sentences on the same paper. For example, if their sentence is "The big dog runs," they can draw a picture of a big dog running.

These activities are designed to make foundational skills fun and interactive while reinforcing phonemic awareness, sight word recognition, and sentence construction in an engaging way!