Fun Reading Activities for Preschoolers
Learning to read is one of the most exciting and important parts of a child’s life. But pre-K kids don’t need to become fluent readers just yet. Instead, they should focus on pre-reading activities like mastering letters and the sounds they make.
These preschool reading activities offer lots of fun ways to practice pre-reading skills.
Dig Up Alphabet Beads
If you’ve got a sandbox or sand tray, this activity from Preschool Inspirations couldn’t be easier. (No sandbox? Fill a big bin with some sand instead.)
Simply bury some alphabet beads or magnets in the sand, then let kids dig them up.
Very young kids can just find the letters and name them with your assistance.
Older ones can put them in alphabetical order as they find them, and say the sounds they make out loud too.
Bonus Activity Idea: While you’re playing in the sand, get a little pre-writing practice as well. Kids can trace the shapes of letters with their fingers, or use a stick to start getting the feel of a writing utensil.
Subscribe to our newsletter and get free, educational printables every week from ABCmouse.com.
By providing my email address I agree to the Privacy Policy
Play Alphabet Hide-and-Seek
Take a tip from Busy Toddler and try this fun pre-reading game. Buy or make some alphabet letter cards.
Buy or make some alphabet letter cards. Then, hide them around your room, house, or yard.
For young kids, hang them in plain sight, then call out a letter for them to find.
They’ll get a kick out racing from one to the next. For older students, make the hiding places a little trickier, and see if they can find and reassemble the whole alphabet in a specified amount of time.
Bonus Activity Idea: There are lots of fun ways to play with letter flashcards. Lay one inside a hula-hoop (or if you’re outside, draw a circle with sidewalk chalk instead). Then, send kids out to find items that start with those letters and bring them back to lay in the circle.
Mix Up a Bowl of Alphabet Soup
Follow the lead of Mom Inspired Life and drop a selection of alphabet beads or magnets into a bin of water.
Give kids spoons, tweezers, or other tools and ask them to pull out the letters one by one.
Name each letter, match uppercase with lower-case, say the sounds, and put letters in order.
Want to make this a little less messy? Simply mix up the letters in a big bowl (without the water) instead.
Bonus Activity Idea: Make an on-the-go letter hunt sensory bag. Fill a large ziplock bag with rice or beans, and mix in some alphabet beads or magnets. Seal the bag firmly with packing tape so little fingers can’t get inside, and let kids poke and prod to find the letters hidden within. You can try this with a plastic bottle too.
Make Name Bracelets
The first letters that many kids learn are those that make up their name.
Bonus Activity Idea: The more name activities, the better! Make name puzzles with photos and wood craft sticks (get more details at Make, Take, and Teach). Twist pipe cleaners into the letters that spell out the name, or roll and shape playdough instead.
Go On a Letter Scavenger Hunt
One way to master the alphabet is to be on the lookout for letters everywhere you go.
One option, suggested by All About Letter Press, will make good use of the catalogs and junk mail filling up your recycling bin.
Arm kids with child-safe scissors, and let them cut out letters as they find them. They can focus on a single letter, or work to assemble the whole alphabet. Glue them onto colorful paper to make collages.
Bonus Activity Ideas: Take advantage of children’s natural interest in technology, and let them use your phone to take pictures of letters they find when you’re out and about. These can be actual letters printed on signs, or items that resemble letters instead. Kids will love working to find them all!
Toss Letter Balls Into Matching Buckets
Use ping pong balls, or slightly larger bouncy balls like shown at Some Day I’ll Learn.
Then, set up small plastic or metal buckets labeled with matching letters (try using uppercase on one and lowercase on the other for more advanced kids).
Then, let kids see if they can toss the balls into the correct bucket. Wee ones can also just walk up and drop the balls into the right one, if you like.
Bonus Activity Idea: Pick one ball and play catch with your child. As you toss the ball, say the name of the letter. As they catch it, they should say the sound the letter makes. Then they toss it, saying the letter name, while you catch and say the sound. Repeat as long as you like, then move on to another letter.
Play ABC Go Fish
Use a few sets of alphabet flashcards to play Go Fish, working to make letter matches.
Add to the complexity by matching upper and lowercase letters, or asking for letters by the sound they make instead of their names.
Thanks to How Wee Learn for this easy idea.
Bonus Activity Idea: Put an alphabet spin on other classic games. For tic-tac-toe, have kids choose a letter other than X or O to represent them.
Label a hopscotch board with letters instead of numbers, and say the sounds they make as you jump along. Run a relay race where kids must race to the end of a course, pick up the next alphabet block in order, then run back. The opportunities are endless!
ABCmouse Reading Games & Activities
Try the ABCmouse early learning educational App for 2nd grade 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 2nd graders learning to read that cover:
- Letter and Sound Recognition
- Word Blending
- Sight Words
- Reading Comprehension
- Phonics
- Vocabulary Building
- Reading Fluency
- Progress Tracking
- AND MORE!
Any links provided to third-party resources are provided for informational purposes only. We do not sponsor or endorse, and are not affiliated with such parties, unless explicitly stated otherwise.