Literacy Center Activities

Some of the ideas below have been compiled from various websites and are credited in the resources section at the bottom of this page.

Yes, I change out the items according to the students interests and ability levels.  The ideas listed below are just some of those I use for literacy centers.  Check out the resources section at the very bottom for many more great ideas.

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Tree and Magnetic Letters

After you have read the story Chicka Chicka Boom Boom to your class numerous times place this magnetic tree in your ABC center along with magnetic letters and your kids will have a blast placing the letters of their names, their friends names, or sight words on the tree.  The magnetic letters are stored in a nuts and bolts box.  You can find these at Wal Mart or Target, they are very inexpensive and well worth the investment.  Each drawer is labeled with a letter sticker so the children know where to put the letters.

Directions for making Chicka Chicka Tree: 

Materials:  Two coffee cans of the same size, packing tape, wood grain contact paper, florist foam, Exacto knife, fake fern plants. 

Tape the two coffee cans together, one on top of the other.  Wrap the wood grain contact paper around the coffee cans.  Take the lid off the coffee can on top and stuff with florist foam making sure that the foam reaches the very top of the can, then replace the lid.  Using the Exacto knife make slits in the lid and push the fern plants down into the slits until they are secure in the florist foam. 

Letter Unifix Cubes

Materials: unifix cubes, Sharpie marker, blank cards

A member of my TA group recommended this fantastic idea!  It's similar to the expensive Reading Rods, only much cheaper.  I already had a surplus of unifix cubes, just take a Sharpie and write letters on them and you have an instant center. 

Kindergarten:  In Kindergarten I provide students with rings of sight words and they have to make the words from their cards using the cubes.  (scroll down to the Altoid picture below to see sight word rings)

Pre-K: In Pre-K I have students make their names using the unifix cubes. 

Tactile Letters

Materials: sandpaper, die-cut machine, glue, cardstock

The letters on the top are sandpaper letters and I purchased the plastic yellow letters with raised bumps from the teacher store.  Students who are having difficulty recognizing letters often benefit from tactile activities such as these.  I had the students, see the letter, touch the letter, and say the letters name and sound in pairs.  They can also select letters to make "letter rubbings" by placing a blank sheet of paper over top of the letter and rubbing a peeled crayon on the paper. 

Pipe Cleaner Letters

Materials: cardstock, pipe cleaners.

I printed letters on cardstock and laminated.  Using brightly colored pipe cleaners students had to bend and twist their pipe cleaners to match the letters shapes.  This provides struggling learners with another fun and tactile experience with letter identification.   When they finish I encourage them to touch the letters as the pipe cleaners have a unique texture. 

Bang Games

Materials: blank cards, mini-Pringles cans, frosting cans, or other similar type cans, sharpie marker, clip art.

This game is a class favorite, they beg constantly to play it!  Program blank cards with words such as color words, number words, or basic sight words.  I made several different versions of the game for different ability levels.   Bang games can also be adjusted for Pre-K students using only letters, colors, numbers, or shapes. 

Bang Game instructions:

Link to instructions on-line

I modified the traditional "Bang" game so I could make a game for several different skills.  The "Pop" game has clip-art of a tub of popcorn, the "Jump" game has a picture of a child jumping, and the "Wiggle" game has a picture of a bookworm.   Students sit at a table or in a circle on the floor and pass the can around.  When it is the child's turn he or she selects a card from the can and "reads" what it says.  If somebody pulls the "Pop" card everybody gets up and pretends to pop like popcorn.  The "Jump" game requires everybody to get up and jump and the "Wiggle" game requires them to wiggle like wiggle worms. 

Altoid Tin Sight Words

Materials: Altoid tins (or other similar metal tin), magnetic letters, sight word rings

Kindergarten: Using the sight word rings students spell two and three letter sight words in Altoid tins.  I didn't think this activity would be a big hit; boy was I WRONG!  They fight over the tins daily and love to close the tins and ask their friends to read the words when they open them quickly- a take on flash cards.  To make the sight word rings I just used small squares of cardstock and wrote our sight words on them, hole punched, and attached to a ring. 

*Idea from Teacher's Corner*

Pre-K: This activity can be adapted for Pre-K students by providing them with a larger tin (such as a lunch box) and having them spell their names inside. 

ABC Dough Stampers

Materials: playdough, Lakeshore ABC dough stampers, sight word cards on rings.

Kindergarten:  Using the sight word rings students stamp sight words in playdough.  This is one of their very favorite activities.

Pre-K:  Pre-K students can stamp their names in playdough using the ABC dough stampers. 

Clothesline

Materials: string or yarn, dowels, mini-clothespins, sentence strips, envelopes, plaster of paris, yogurt cups (or other similar plastic container)

Pour plaster of paris into two yogurt cups, put one dowel in the middle of each cup and let dry.  Next, attach string or yarn between the two dowels to create your clothesline.  You can have your students use their names or sight words for this activity depending on their grade level/ages.  Write each student's name on a sentence strip and cut apart, put in an envelope and write his or her name on the front.  Students select a name from the pile of envelopes and attach the letters to the clothesline using the clothespins.  This is also a great fine motor activity. 

ABC Arc

Materials: ABC arc copies, magnetic letters

Copy the ABC arcs and laminate.  Students place magnetic letters on the arcs correctly.  This promotes not only letter recognition, but abc sequence and matching. 

Highlighters

Materials: Highlighter markers- any color, Xerox copies of a page from Ranger Rick or other age appropriate book or magazine, clipboards

This idea is very simple yet lots of fun, what kid doesn't like to use highlighter markers?  Xerox a page from a kids magazine or book.  I use old kids magazines like Ranger Rick that relate to our theme. 

Kindergarten: Students take one sheet, put it on their clipboard, and use a highlighter to highlight any words they can read. 

Pre-K: Students take one sheet, put it on their clipboard and use a highlighter to highlight any letters they can recognize.

*from K-Crew

Oreo Words Book

Materials: cardstock, markers, Oreo clip-art, sticky dots, Oreo cookies

Write the letters of two letter words on colorful sticky dots.  Two letter words are referred to as "Oreo words" because they have two parts like an Oreo cookie.  If you pass out real Oreo cookies on the first day of your introduction to two letter words your students will always remember what an "Oreo Word" is, mine sure did, it was a HUGE HIT!!  Pull the Oreos apart and lick each side as you say the letters, for example; "M (lick right side), "Y" (lick other side) "spells my!" (clap hands together when you say my). 

*from Dr. Jean

ABC Pasting Pieces

Materials: ABC pasting pieces, paper, glue

Pasting pieces are small, colorful squares of paper with letters printed on them.  You can buy them in giant bags of 2000 pieces from Oriental Trading for only $7.95 per bag (search for Alphabet Mosaic Pieces- the link was to big to fit here).  Place the pieces in a tub or bucket and have students search for the letters of their name or letters in sight words depending on their age and grade. 

Read & Write Around the Room

Materials: Pointer, paper, clipboards, pencils/pens

Place clipboards, fancy pens or pencils, pointers, and paper in a center and demonstrate how to use these items to go around the room "searching" for certain letters or words.  This activity is always a huge hit with any class, but be sure to model, model, model how to use the tools properly.