A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words
For children ages 3 to 6

Books that have no words, just beautiful pictures, invite you and your child to use your imagination and make up your own stories.

Try To Find

1. Wordless picture books (Example: Do You Want to Be My Friend? Board Book or The Very Hungry Caterpillar board book by Eric Carle )
2. Old magazines
3. Safety scissors
4. Construction paper

What To Do

The first activities in the list below work well with younger children.

As your child grows older, the later activities let her do more. But keep doing the first ones as long as she enjoys them.

Look through the whole book with your child. Ask her what she thinks the story is about. Tell the story together by talking about each page as you both see it.

Ask your child to identify objects, animals, or people on each page. Talk with her about them and ask her if they are like real life.

Have your child tell another child or family member a story using a wordless picture book. Doing this will make her feel like a "reader" and will encourage her to continue learning to read.

Have your child create her own picture book with her drawings or pictures you help her cut from magazines.

Rhyme with Me: It's Fun, You'll See!

For children ages 3 to 6

Rhyming helps children to connect letters with sounds.

Full-Color Literacy Activities: Rhyming & Sight Words

Try To Find

Books with rhyming words, games, or songs

What To Do

The first activities in the list below work well with younger children. As your child grows older, the later activities let him do more. But keep doing the first ones as long as he enjoys them.

Play rhyming games and sing rhyming songs with your child. Many include hand clapping, playing with balls, and playing in groups.

Read rhymes to your child. When reading a familiar one, stop before a rhyming word and encourage your child to fill in the rhyme. When he does, praise him.

Listen for rhymes in songs you know or hear on the radio, TV, at family or other gatherings, and sing them with your child.

Encourage your child to play rhyming games on a computer, if one is available.

Mystery pictures with a variety of themes magically appear as students follow directions for coloring graph paper squares. Students develop graphing skills while having fun.  Graph Paper Art

 

Eric Carle Provided in this resource are sample lesson plans, the author's picture and biography, book summaries, and lots of activities for the author's books. You'll also find culminating activities and an extensive bibliography.

Children around the world have fun with rhyming games and songs. Here are a few rhyming books to look for:

Shake It to the One That You Love the Best: Play Songs and Lullabies from Black Musical Traditions by Cheryl Warren Mattox;

Read-Aloud Rhymes for the Very Young by Jack Prelutsky

Diez deditos = 10 Little Fingers & Other Play Rhymes and Action Songs from Latin America by Jose-Luis Orozco

My Very First Mother Goose (My Very First Mother Goose) by Iona Opie.

Parent Pointer: Using wordless picture books can help improve children's language and spark their imagination.

  Using Picture Books in Middle School

Picture books are for everyone! They are short, interesting, and available on a wide range of topics. Use them with middle school students to teach a variety of concepts across the curriculum. The graphic organizers and other resources in this book will help you use picture books to: introduce new concepts in a non-threatening environment teach difficult topics assess students' understanding of concepts

Full-Color Literacy Activities: Rhyming & Sight Words

Wow! Full-color, ready-to-use art PLUS activities that are based on the latest research on literacy. Just cut out the pieces needed to create great-looking learning centers or fun-filled games. Follow the step-by-step directions, and watch the learning take place! 176 full-color pages.

Poetry Writing

Guide students through the process of writing poetry. Inspire them with creative project ideas. Use templates and frames to help them get started. Share their results in ways that promote pride and a sense of accomplishment.

PICTURE BOOKS

The Very Hungry Caterpillar board book

If You Give a Pig a Party (If You Give...)

Diary of a Spider

Walter, the Farting Dog (Walter the Farting Dog)

Wiggle

 The Polar Express

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (Aladdin Picture Books)

 
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