Reading Activities for Ages 3-5

Here are some fun Reading Activities for Ages 3-5:

1. Fun With Letters

Children enjoy copying words out onto paper.  Write your child’s name and have him copy it himself with alphabet stamps, stickers, or magnets.  Encourage him to “write” his own words using the letters.  Your child will write letters backwards, spell seemingly randomly, and may hold his marker strangely.  It’s okay at this age when a child wants to communicate in writing of any kind.

2. What Words Starts With…

The letter-sound connection is one of the first steps to reading.  Play a guessing game about your child’s favorite words.  What letter does “p-p-p-pirate” start with?  How about “M-m-mommy?”  Once your child guesses one correctly, see how many words you can come up with together that start with the same letter.

3.  Your Child the Author

Three-year-olds can be chatty, and by age 4, it can be hard to get a word in edgewise.  Take advantage of your child’s interest in talking by writing a book together.  Start out with something simple, like describing a fun day at a park or visiting friends.  Staple a few pieces of paper together, and write out one or two of your child’s sentences on each page.  Then, read the story to him and let him illustrate.

4.  A Different Way to Read

Reading to your child is great – but what’s even better is something called “dialogic” reading.  That’s when you ask your child to participate in the story.  Before turning the page, ask your child what he thinks will happen next.  You can also ask your child what other way the book could have ended.

5.  Take Letters Outside

Kids are tactile and enjoy few activities more than poking things with a stick.  Many preschools encourage kids to make letters out of play doh or draw them into sand or clay.  The next time you are out in the park, or at the beach, or in the snow, use your surroundings to play with letters.  Take turns writing letters in the snow, dirt, or sand.

6.  Just the Facts

Try getting your child interested in nonfiction books.  At the library or bookstore, find books on your child’s favorite topics.  Cars, dinosaurs, dogs, and other topics are covered in on-level books with  plenty of pictures, designed especially for kids this age.

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Kristin Rude is the Owner and Center Director of FasTracKids, Del Mar. She previously taught in the Del Mar Union School District. Kristin obtained her teaching credential from the University of San Diego and has her Masters degree in curriculum and instruction with an emphasis on second language learners. When Kristin is not working, motherhood keeps her plenty busy with her 2 children, Connor, age 3 & Katherine, age 2. She looks forward to having her own children benefit from the FasTracKids program. Spending time with her family, golfing, traveling, and continuously learning are among her favorite activities.