30 Amazing Teachers ~ Becky

Hey there! I’m Becky from The Class Couple. (Well half of The Class Couple that is!) I just wrapped up my eleventh year teaching 1st grade. I absolutely love how much first graders grow in their learning, and one year is never the same as another. I am honored to be a part of Mrs. 3rd Grade’s 30 Amazing Teachers. She is truly one of the most genuinely sweet individuals I know, and I’m so blessed to call her a friend! 

 In addition to teaching first grade, I am also a mom to two little boys. Our oldest will be a first grader next school year, and our youngest is entering his last year of daycare. Since they are home with us all summer, I wanted to make sure we were still practicing their literacy skills with some fun activities. So, I thought I would share a few fun summer reading activities with you! 

 Letter/High Frequency Word  Parking Lot 

Incorporating cars and letters/high frequency words has been the hook I needed to keep my boys practicing their letter knowledge. This parking lot has been a favorite for Grayson, my oldest, and now he loves teaching the letters to Urban. My kids love driving their cars from letter to letter. I also have them make the letter sound as they drive their car to the next letter to add a little more fun to the game! You can find this letter recognition parking lot here. You can also use the street tape that is sometimes found at the Target dollar spot and write words on them. 

Word/Letter Memory

For this game, all you need are some index cards or paper cut into small rectangles. Write the words or letters your little one is practicing on the index cards two times, and then play a game of memory! Each time a card is turned over, have them read they words, practicing that word/letter recognition. 

Word/Letter Hop 

Using sidewalk chalk, write the letters on the driveway/sidewalk and have your kiddos jump/hop to the letter you shout out. It gets them moving around, reading words and letter, and having fun all at the same time! You could also have them throw a bean bag on the word, or even have them throw water balloons on the words for some water fun on a hot day! 

Have fun reading!! Another key to getting kids to practice reading is having them read books they like. Don’t forget to ask your kiddos what kind of books they like to read before going to your local library. Right now, our oldest LOVES reading Mo Willem’s Elephant & Piggie books! He loves how funny they are, and although they may be a level higher than where he’s at right now, he is interested in it and will put more effort to reading them on his own! 

Also, don’t forget to read in fun places and in fun ways! So far, one of our favorites this summer is reading in a costume! You can check out some other fun ways to read with our Summer Reading Challenge Freebie! 

I hope you have the chance to try out some of these fun summer reading activities! Be sure to follow us on Instagram to see even more ways we will be incorporating reading into our summer fun!