Reading Activities to Do with Your Child
Henry and Mudge (series) / Cynthia Rylant / Henry is told by his parents that he cannot have a baby brother or move to a new street to find new friends, but they agree when Henry asks if he can have a dog.
Clifford / Norman Bridwell / A pet dog bigger than a two-story house brings many adventures to his young owner, Emily Elizabeth.
Tales of Oliver Pig (series) / Jean VanLeeuwen / Oliver and his little sister, Amanda, make small events into special occasions in their loving family.
Get Ready for Second Grade Amber Brown (series) / Paula Danzinger / Amber Brown and her classmates are worried about the new teacher. The students' concerns are soon put to rest as Ms. Light meets them at the door wearing cool earrings and revealing an upbeat attitude.
Fox Outfoxed / James Marshall / Even the sly Fox can be outfoxed in his dealings with his friends. Whether he is in The Big Race, dealing with his neighbor Lulu, or trick-or-treating with his friends, something always goes wrong with Fox's clever plans!
Junie B. Jones and a Little Monkey Business (series) / Barbara Park / Junie B. is not at all happy about the fact that she is going to have a new baby brother. She wonders why her best friends are so eager to have a look at him. Follow this funny story about a girl who takes life a little too seriously and finds herself in some real messy situations.
Amelia Bedelia (series) / Peggy Parish / When Amelia Bedelia takes on a housekeeping job, her literal interpretation of instructions causes confusion.
Frog and Toad Are Friends (series) / Arnold Lobel / Five tales recount the adventures of two best friends, Frog and Toad, who swim together, tell stories to each other, and have many fun times.
Young Cam Jansen and the Baseball Mystery (series) / David Adler / Cam Jansen, who has a photographic memory, goes to the park with her friend Eric. When Cam and Eric begin a game of baseball with some of their classmates, Cam must use her excellent memory to help solve a mystery so that the game may continue.
Ricky Ricotta’s Giant Robot (series) / Dav Pilkey / Ricky feels lonely and is picked on by bullies. But, he finds courage he didn't know he had when Dr. Stinky tries to force his new creation, a giant Robot, to destroy the city. Ricky and the Robot become friends and help each other overcome their problems.
First Graders from Mars / Shana Corey / This science fiction book’s main character is an alien female named Tera. She is a star student. Her class is making models of the planets. Tera’s group, called a pod, chooses to build a model Earth. The other pod members complain about Tera ignoring their ideas, to which Tera replies, “I am not being bossy, I am being right.” Read to find out how Tera discovers the importance of team work. The subsequent argument leads to a broken model, and Tera in time out.
Mrs. Roopy is Loopy (My “WeirdSchool” Series) / Dan Gutman / In this book, the new librarian tries to make reading exciting by dressing up as a variety of historical and literary characters. The students aren't sure what to think after George Washington, Johnny Appleseed, and Little Bo Peep visit their school.
Apple Pie Fourth of July / Janet Wong / Shocked that her parents are cooking Chinese food to sell in the family store on this all-American holiday, a feisty Chinese-American girl tries to tell her mother and father how things really are. But as the parade passes by and fireworks light the sky, she learns a lesson of her own.
Earrings! / Judith Viorst / A young girl uses various arguments to convince her parents to let her have her ears pierced.
Beezy / Megan McDonald / Join in the adventures of Beezy as she and her grandmother become caught in a hurricane, as Beezy finds a cute dog, and as Beezy meets a new girl whose parents have an unusual job.
Super Fly Guy / Tedd Arnold / In this book from the Fly Guy series, Fly Guy stirs up trouble in the lunch room. Will he be able to help the lunch lady get her job back?
Hi Fly Guy / Tedd Arnold / In this award-winning chapter book for beginning readers, a boy named Buzz must decide if a fly he finds is a pest or a pet!
Dreams / Ezra Jack Keats / While everyone in his building is having colorful dreams, Roberto watches as the paper mouse he made in school saves a furry friend in the street.
Carlos and the Squash Plant / Jan Romero Stevens / Carlos doesn't listen to his mother's warnings about washing behind his ears. Now, he's got a squash plant growing out of his head! Includes Spanish and English text side by side, as well as a recipe for a yummy squash dish!
Jamaica and the Substitute Teacher / Juanita Havill / Jamaica faces a test of character when she tries to write a perfect paper for her substitute teacher by copying from a classmate during a test.
Just Like Josh Gibson / Angela Johnson / When Grandmama was a little girl, she could hit a ball a mile! But back in the 1940s, girls were not supposed to play baseball with the boys. Now, she's ready to tell her granddaughter about how she finally got to use her talent, and about Josh Gibson, one of the greatest ballplayers who ever lived.
Jelly Beans for Sale / Bruce McMillan / In this colorful book, counting jelly beans, and the coins it takes to buy them, is almost as much fun as eating them!
Check Outpoetry by the following authors:
Jack Prelutsky
Shel Silverstein
Alan Katz
Kenn Nesbitt
Reading Activities to do with your child:
Ask your child to tell you who the characters are, where the story
takes place, what the problem is and how it was solved.
The SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT ACTIVITY for building knowledge required for eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children by parents or other family members. Read with and to your child daily!!
Some effective ways you can help your child improve his/her reading skills include:
- Read yourself! Your actions really do speak louder than your words and when you model reading, your children will want to follow your example.
- Make sure your children read every day! Reading - like shooting baskets and playing the piano - is a skill. Like other skills, it gets better with practice. Children who read more become better readers
- Schedule regular trips to the library. Make sure everyone in your family has a library card. While you are there, check out a book yourself!
- Read aloud to your children. Research shows that this is the one most important thing parents can do to help their children become better readers. Set aside some time each day for reading aloud. Even 10 minutes a day can have a big impact. Bedtime is a natural reading aloud time. Other busy families read aloud at breakfast or just after dinner.
- Give books as gifts.
- Make reading a privilege. Say, "You can stay up 15 minutes later tonight if you read in bed." Or you mightsay, "Because you helped with the dishes, I have time to read you an extra story.