Reading Activity for Kindergarten
Which reading activity for kindergarten is worthwhile doing with your child?
One of the most important activities for preschoolers is the development and nurturing of reading habits. Through exposure to a wide range of children's literature, the child...
- enriches his knowledge and vocabulary.
- He develops his imagination.
- He learns and understands the structure of the language.
- He learns how to make predictions
...and in this way develops his cognitive abilities.
As a rule, any reading activity for kindergarten will contribute to your child's development whether it be a guided activity or an activity just meant for fun.
Since in many households it is a regular practice to read your child a bedtime story, reading as a fun activity is already a day to day routine activity. Therefore, I will suggest a wonderful reading activity for kindergarten that will give your child that little bit extra, in addition to the enjoyment of reading the book itself.
A reading activity for kindergarten with an unfamiliar book
Choosing the book
For this reading activity it is important that you purchase a new book that the child is not familiar with.
The timeframe
This reading activity will take place in the afternoon while the child is not tired and will be willing to cooperate, and not at bedtime!
Curiosity stimulators
Awaken your child's curiosity in preparation for the joint activity. Tell him that you have bought him a new book and that you will read it together later in the afternoon.
A warm-up activity
Before you begin reading the book, it's a good idea to find out what your child knows about the structure of the language and the structure of a book.
- Place the book on the table and ask your child to bring the book over so that you will be able to read it together. Pay attention to how your child holds the book: Does he give you the book in the right direction, or does he hold the book backwards?
- Ask him to open the book and see if he knows where the story begins.
Getting familiar with the structure and sections of the book
All books are compiled from the same sections. It is imperative that the child knows how to recognize these sections even if he does not yet know how to read.
Here are the sections that are important to introduce your child to:
- The place of the title, name of the author and name of the illustrator.
- The front cover of the book - where the title of the book appears.
The back cover of the book - Usually there is a short summary of the book and/or information about the author.
- The back of the book - The part of the book that joins the front cover to the back cover. At the back of the book the name of the book and the name of the author are written so that we will be able to identify the required book even when it is on the shelf next to other books.
Making predictions
Present the book to your child. Read the name of the book and allow your child to look at the picture that appears on the front cover of the book. Ask him to predict what the book will be about. Encourage him to go in to as much detail as possible about the story.
Reading the book
Begin reading the story (allow your child to look at the pictures during the reading of the story).
Stop reading the story just before the turning point or the peak of the story.
Ask your child to predict the outcome of the story in his opinion. It is important that your child explains and justifies his reasons for his predictions. Continue reading until the end of the story. At the end of the story have a short discussion about the book.
Ask questions such as:
- What did you think of the story? What did you think of the hero of the story?
- What is the difference between the actual story and what you predicted the story to be about at the beginning?
- How did you know that the hero would behave in this way? (providing that his predictions coincided with the outcome of the story)
- Is the name of the story appropriate for the contents of the story?
- Are the illustrations appropriate for the contents of the story?
It's important to say that the reading activity for kindergarten offered here is not meant to replace the bedtime story. If you are in the habit of reading your child a bedtime story continue doing so, and once in a while add guided reading activity in the afternoon.
Have fun!
