Parent Guide:
Family Fun Literacy Activities
What You Need To Know
The silver lining behind this time of sheltering in place is that we're spending more time with family. You may very well be bonding with your kids while reading books, playing board games, or using technology, so why not take advantage of the time to focus on literacy development? This short list of books, board games, and technology represents just a small fraction of resources offered out there. Take time to explore some of the resources listed here and look for others that suit your family's preferences.
Disclaimer: The links below are included so you can preview some pages from the book, learn more about the product or service, or read reviews so you can form your own conclusions. Whether or not you decide to buy something is entirely up to you. This is not an endorsement of the products or the retailers. These are not affiliate links. No commission or compensation has been received for this post.
Children's Picture Books...on Punctuation!
You probably anticipated that a recommended book list would show up here, and you are correct to expect one... with a twist. These books all feature punctuation! There are plenty of fun and humorous children's books which highlight the proper use of punctuation. It's not your traditional bed-time story, so give these books a read any time of day. Look up these titles for digital versions at your local library, search for a read-aloud on youtube, or purchase one online to be delivered for your home library. If you find a title you think I should add to this list, let me know! (Extra Credit - Find children's picture books on parts of speech.)
The silver lining behind this time of sheltering in place is that we're spending more time with family. You may very well be bonding with your kids while reading books, playing board games, or using technology, so why not take advantage of the time to focus on literacy development? This short list of books, board games, and technology represents just a small fraction of resources offered out there. Take time to explore some of the resources listed here and look for others that suit your family's preferences.
Disclaimer: The links below are included so you can preview some pages from the book, learn more about the product or service, or read reviews so you can form your own conclusions. Whether or not you decide to buy something is entirely up to you. This is not an endorsement of the products or the retailers. These are not affiliate links. No commission or compensation has been received for this post.
Children's Picture Books...on Punctuation!
You probably anticipated that a recommended book list would show up here, and you are correct to expect one... with a twist. These books all feature punctuation! There are plenty of fun and humorous children's books which highlight the proper use of punctuation. It's not your traditional bed-time story, so give these books a read any time of day. Look up these titles for digital versions at your local library, search for a read-aloud on youtube, or purchase one online to be delivered for your home library. If you find a title you think I should add to this list, let me know! (Extra Credit - Find children's picture books on parts of speech.)
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Alfie the Apostrophe
by Moira Rose Donohue and Joann Adinolfi |
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Penny and the Punctuation Bee
by Moira Rose Donohue and Jenny Law |
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Family Game Day With Group Games
This is a no-brainer. You must have family friendly group games for a family fun day! In addition to a shelter-in-place situation, these games are great for rainy days, while you are on a family vacation, or just want to go "off-the-grid."
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Story Cube
Lots of versions of this game are offered by different brands, but the basic idea is that the game has a set of dice with pictures. Family members can roll the dice and take turns telling stories, or add details to an existing story by using those pictures as inspiration. Different themes are offered so storytelling is endless. Great game for pre-readers. |
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Zingo
Similar to bingo, Zingo is a matching game using sight words and pictures. A dispenser reveals the picture/word cards and players have to quicky match them to their game board. Zingo is a great game for pre-readers. |
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Banangrams
Players use letter tiles and race against each other to make crossword grids. Requiring no paper, pencil, or game board, this game is easy to take on-the-go as well. It may be helpful to have a dictionary lying around to check for real words, in case someone wants to claim something that isn't true! |
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Scrabble
The classic cross word game, players make words using the letter tiles they receive. It takes lots of strategy to use uncommon letters like Q, X, Y, Z. Skilled players will be keen to line up words on triple-letter score! Again, keep a dictionary handy to check for word spelling and to make sure you are using real words. Look for the Scrabble, Jr. version for younger players. |
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Taboo
Players draw a card from the deck and try to get their teammates to say the Guess word listed at the top of the card. The catch is that they are not allowed to say any of the Taboo words listed on the clues below. Players have to draw on their knowledge of the Guess word and give context clues based on what they know. Exciting game for middle schoolers and up! |
Creative Writing Using Technology
There are so many creative writing websites, services and apps these days! Here's a short round-up of technology which promotes creative writing. There's something here for all ages, for levels of writing!
There are so many creative writing websites, services and apps these days! Here's a short round-up of technology which promotes creative writing. There's something here for all ages, for levels of writing!
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Storybird
This website helps everyone to become better writers with their art-inspired creative writing platform. Storybird offers creativity tools like online tutorials, writing lessons, reading stories other members have written for inspiration, and of course, the opportunity to write and publish your own book. Check out their Free 7-day trial to create a story. They offer varying membership levels and depending on what you choose for your published product. |
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Storyjumper
A simple yet effective way to create your own story and get it published! Kids can use pictures in the photo library or load their own original artwork. There are options to customize your characters with a sophisticated design tool and a way to record your voice to accompany the story, too! Free to create and write a story with varying prices based on publishing options. |
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Adobe Spark
This free resource (Starter Plan) allows people to create animated videos and include a voice recording, With a help from parents, what a wonderful way to write a story and have a record of your child’s voice at a precious age! This professional tool uses customizable templates to create cool, design-savvy looking presentations and is great for middle school and high school students to explore their creative and expressive side. |
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Storium
A great option for an upper elementary school to high school student, Storium is a free, collaborative, online storytelling game. Participants who play the game receives story cards featuring character, setting, conflict etc, and start writing their story according to the cards they receive. Who knows what twists and turns you’ll be creating in your story? Fun stuff! |
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Photo Book service (Shutterfly, Picaboo, etc.)
A photo book is a very pleasurable activity to work on together. You and your child can walk down memory lane and write captions for pics from throughout the year. Print one out for your family photo album collection, add it to your child’s bookshelf as his own book, or gift it to Grandma and Grandpa. |