Teaching Early Reading Skills: Free Activities, Fun Sentences and Mini Stories

Teaching a child to read is one of the most important tasks a parent will face in raising children. Reading is an essential life skill. When you teach your child reading skills, you will want to use a variety of methods and resources for a well-rounded reading education, as well as to ensure that comprehension is achieved. It should also be fun for the child. Below are some of the resources I have made and used successfully in teaching children to read.

Group Reading Activities

Participating in group reading activities helps a child build oral reading skills, as well as comprehension and teamwork skills. Below is a collection of group reading activities I have used successfully.

Free Reading Activities for Kids: Stop and Read Game
"There are many benefits to playing this game with children. This game provides oral reading skills, which are very helpful in school and in the workforce. A child can also learn how to share, as well as learn that not everything in life is fair because some children may get to read more often than others. Hand-eye coordination is also practiced when passing and receiving the book. The more a child reads, the more brain cells he or she will be gaining, which can contribute to absorbing knowledge well. Reading skills help a child to achieve in every academic subject." Click here for the instructions.

Family Time How-To: Reading Circle
"Family time is a precious commodity. Yet, many families do not spend time together as often as they should. There are many ways to spend time without spending money. One of these ways is to create a special reading circle...This can be done with just members of the family or it can be done with a large group of people." Click Here for the instructions.

How to Make Activity Bins for Studying Reading
This is a collection of reading activities with instructions on storing them for future use. Click here for the activities and instructions.

Pass The Sentence
"Pass the Sentence" is another activity for Circle Time (group reading). Make sentence strips from the mini stories below (instructions on the strips are below). Play "Pass The Sentence" just like "Stop and Read", listed above, only you will be using the strips instead of a book.

Fun Reading Sentences or Mini Stories

These fun reading sentences or mini stories can be used in a variety of ways. One way I like to use them is to print them on primary writing paper, cut them down to the size of the sentence, laminate them, and use them during various desk activities.

If you don't have a laminating machine or access to one, lamination isn't necessary. It just helps them last longer. Another way to do so is to write them on poster board or plastic stencil blanks. You may be inspired to also make up your own games and activities and that's great. Any extra focus on reading will go a long way in giving your child a head start to a great education.

Here are the sentences or mini stories.

A fat cat sat on Pat. "No, no, Cat! Pat is not a mat!"

A big pig eats a fig. The fig is big. "Yum, yum", says the pig.

Jen sees Ben. Ben has a ball. "No, no, Ben! You may fall!"

A jet gets wet. Don't fret. I bet you can dry the jet.

Click Here for the words to the story "Skip Has Fun", an early reader.

Click Here for the words to the story "Pat Can Bat", an early reader.

Make a Fun Mini Leveled Reader

You can make a fun mini reading book, or reader as they are often called, with your child. Use the sentences or short stories above. You'll need a few sheets of blank white paper, one pencil, as well as something to color with, such as crayons, colored pencils, or markers. Choose the coloring medium that best suits your child's abilities and preferences.

Take the sheets of paper and stack them neatly together. You or your child can fold them in half together (lengthwise). Put a good crease in the papers. If you'd like this story to last longer, I'll explain how to laminate it later. If you are not going to laminate it, go ahead and secure the pages by stapling it down the left edge.

Next, have your child read the sentence or mini story you picked from above. The child should then think of a title and write it on the front of the book. Help the child by telling him or her which letters to write if necessary. Next, have the child write the story in the pages, with help here as well, if necessary. Finally, the child can then draw and color corresponding pictures.

If you have chosen to laminate the book, separate the pages and laminate each separately, using the instructions that came with your laminating machine. Once this is the done and the sheets have been cooled, put the pages back together in order. You may have to use something solid to put the crease in now the pages have been laminated. If your laminating machine allows for it, you may be able to seal the binding edge together with it. If not, simply use a stapler to secure the edge together.

Once the book has been completed, have your child read it to you, with assistance where necessary. Repeat the reading process more than one daily, if possible.

Writing Activity For Early Reading Skills

Another way to practice early reading skills is to have the children write or trace words. Use the sentences/stories from above for these activities. You'll also need some primary paper and some wet or dry erase markers.

A good way to practice writing skills is to simply write the sentences and have the child copy them underneath. If the child is still in the learning stages with writing, write the words dotted, so the child can trace them. I like to laminate the paper and use dry or wet erase markers. That way a big amount of paper doesn't get wasted. Practice writing skills with your child every day as often as possible.

Other Free Reading Resources

Below are several various free reading resources, activities, and stories that can also be used in instructing early reading skills.

Free Preschool Lesson to Teach a Child Beginning Reading Skills - Click Here

How To Teach Your Child The Letters of the Alphabet - Click Here

Great Science-Related Reading Books for Grades 3 - 5 - Click Here (Some children will advance fast, so these may become necessary.)

Collective Works on Teaching and Enhancing Reading Skills - Click Here

Teaching Hints

Never try to work with a frustrated child. Wait until the child is more attentive and receptive to learning. I always say that 5 minutes of teaching a willing and focused child is more effective than an hour of teaching a frustrated one. When a child is frustrated, the information will not be processed properly.

One way to get a child more focused is to play a fun learning game prior to any oral or written instruction. Active games are best for this, as they get the child excited and ready to learn.

If the child wants to bend the rules a bit on the game, making their own variation, feel free to let them, so long as they are not cheating. The more fun the child is having, the more he or she will learn.

Create the "Read and Play Class" - Click Here

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