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Some of the most foundational skills in kindergarten and first grade include phonemic awareness, letter and sound recognition, and the main idea in a text. These are fun lessons to teach because most students are extremely eager to begin reading. They get so excited when they sound out short words and eventually string words together to form sentences. Here are some fun kindergarten and first grade literacy materials your kids will love.
Through a variety of fun activities, students will be reading in no time. Take a look at the fun resources I have for you to use in the classroom. Everything was created with kindergarten and first-grade students in mind. Enjoy!
Letters are the foundational part of reading and writing in kindergarten and first grade. If students don’t recognize the letters of the alphabet and the sounds they make, they will struggle to read.
Use these Highlight-a-Letter Worksheets to practice letter sounds and letter recognition. They can be laminated and used with dry erase markers or assigned for independent use in the classroom.
Plus, learn how I like to use them in the classroom by reading this Blog Post.
A super fun way to practice the alphabet and the sounds that letters make is to practice drawing images that start with each letter. Students might think they aren’t able to draw very well, but will be pleasantly surprised at what they can draw as they follow the directions on the page.
These Alphabet Directed Drawing Activities not only help students learn the letters of the alphabet and the sounds they make, but they practice following directions skills. Students will enjoy following the directions to draw a picture for each letter. When they are complete they will have 26 adorable pages or flashcards! There are options for differentiation.
Learn about more fun ways to teach the alphabet in this Blog Post.
The next step toward reading is identifying the beginning, middle, and ending sounds in words. This points students in the right direction to begin reading short vowel words. Once they are able to break apart the sounds in words, they are well on their way.
These Sound Discrimination Printables use picture images to help kids identify BME sounds. Print them onto colored paper and place them in word work centers for independent practice. They are also great tools to take home for extra practice.
Check out how I use these sound discrimination activities in the classroom by reading this Blog Post.
One of my favorite parts of literacy in kindergarten and first grade is practicing short vowel words. These are the first words that young students begin to read and once they start reading these, their reading sky-rockets! It’s so incredibly fun to watch.
These Short Vowel Materials are simple to place in student work centers for independent practice. The kids can work on them by themselves or with a partner. They are easy to laminate and use all year long (and year after year). The kids love them and so do I.
Included in this bundle are:
They are the perfect resources to practice short vowel words in kindergarten and first grade! Learn more about them in this Blog Post.
Once students begin understanding words and how they work in sentences, they are ready to begin reading. Part of reading is understanding what is happening in the text and how it relates to the real world. It’s great when students can read words, but even better when they are able to understand what is read, retell the story, and apply it to real-life scenarios.
These Main Idea and Key Detail Resources are a great way to introduce students to main idea and key details. As they read stories and pieces of text, they are able to jot down their thoughts and important parts to remember for later.
Learn how to use these fun resources and why main idea and key details are so important in this Blog Post. You’ll also find more exciting kindergarten and first grade literacy materials to use.
I hope that using a combination of these fun kindergarten and first grade literacy materials in the classroom helps your students read with confidence. My students always love these engaging activities so I know yours will too!
Abby is a former kindergarten and first grade teacher who channels her passion for education into creating engaging activities and resources for the kindergarten and first grade classroom. When not dreaming up or working on her next project, you’ll find her enjoying her family – most likely in her minivan on the way to a soccer field.
Help your students build their phonemic awareness with this simple segmenting activity. Get 25 FREE practice pages sent to your inbox today.
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