Taking a Sound Hike
Take a sound hike at the mall, a nearby park, or on a family trip, and then ask children to notice the sounds they hear and then use sound words as they write their own books.

Practice Letters and Sounds Using Online Games
Find three fun online games that are designed to help children learn to recognize letters and how they sound.

Acting Out with Mother Goose
After reading a favorite story or nursery rhyme, act it out. Take turns, create props and invite others to a performance.

Write Summer Alphabet Books
Show children a fun way to practice their ABCs using summer words in an alphabet book. Younger children can draw pictures for their favorite words, and children who are writing can use the words in sentences.

Note Writing at a Message Center
With children, write short everyday notes to remind, plan, request, or compliment one another.

Add Seasons to Rhyming Poems and Songs
Choose favorite rhyming songs or nursery rhymes then replace the rhyming words with seasonal themes.

Let’s Go on a Reading Hunt!
Take off on a hunt for places where children can read and enjoy books wherever they go—on a family road trip, at the pool, or at the doctor’s office.

Blast Off to Learn New Words
Boost vocabulary by taking an imaginary trip into space. After a lunar “landing,” children return to Earth with a galaxy of new words.

Let’s Play Bingo
Before heading out on an adventure, or even walking around the block, create a Bingo board of sights and sounds. Turn the outing into a game!

Learn About Staying Safe
Share a fun book about staying safe and then talk about real-life safety issues before writing a letter to someone in your community who can help.

Reading Signs and Labels
Read signs, logos, brand names, and other words at home and out in the community—in the car, in the kitchen, at the park, or at the bus stop. It’s the perfect activity to try any place!