Primary Delight

Make decoding practice fun with the 5 easy activities in this post. We’ve all heard the phrase “drill and kill” – and most of us have sat through lessons with so much repeated practice that we were bored to tears. And we’ve probably taught a few phonics lessons that have felt like “drill and kill.” We also know that just because you teach something once it doesn’t mean the students learned it. It’s hard to find the fine balance between […]

As a reading specialist, I’m often asked how to teach sounding out CVC words in kindergarten.  Many students pick up this skill seemingly effortlessly. It’s truly a wonder to behold! One day they are learning letters, then all of a sudden they are reading simple texts, using what they’ve learned about letters to solve words. But some kids need more intentional support in sounding out words. I’ll share some of my favorite techniques in this post. But first, let’s address […]

I remember when I first learned about phonemic awareness in kindergarten.  It was early in my career and I had read an article in The Reading Teacher about the importance of phonemic awareness skills for early readers. I couldn’t wait to try some of the activities in the arcticle. Many of the tasks were set up like games or playful activities, which got my students hooked! I quickly learned that teaching phonemic awareness skills can be quick, simple and fun […]

Readers’ Theater is fun for students, while also secretly building reading fluency. Try it today with a free readers’ theater script. Readers’ Theater scripts are one of my favorite reading texts in first grade! The kids have so much fun reading and feel so successful. They ask to read the texts again and again – even in their free time. It makes my teacher heart happy! As a bonus, Readers’ Theater is a great way to practice reading fluency. But […]

If you are looking for fun reading activities for kindergarten, look no farther. Your kids will love the activities in this post! It’s just after lunch. I’m sitting in my chair, pointing to each of the words on the phonics chart. The children drone out the answers as I point. My head bobs and I start to wonder, “Is it nap time yet?” (To be honest, right after lunch is not my energetic time under the best of circumstances!) After […]