Early Literacy

Activity Guide Infants / Toddlers / Preschoolers

ages 0-4

Summer 2021

Welcome to our summer program!

The Every Child Ready to Read program provides 5 simple practices you

can do to help your child learn - and love - to read.

Every day you want to TALK, SING, READ, WRITE, and PLAY!

This guide is filled with activities to help you become your child’s very first teacher. Each of our 6

themed weeks provides you with literacy tips, song lyrics, book suggestions, fingerplays, rhymes,

and playful activities you can do right at home. These are the same great activities we share in

our Early Literacy Storytime programs at the Lower Macungie Library!

Need books to read to your child? Call the library to request a Book Bundle, filled with 5 themed

picture books. Or request a selection of our board books - perfect for tiny hands.

Want Prizes? Register as a Rubber Ducky Reader and receive a certificate and prize at the end of the summer!

You can also join our 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program as a fun way to ensure your child

is being read to regularly before starting school. Don’t forget to include your summer reading in

your count!

See the next page for more information!

Rubber Ducky

Readers

Summer 2021 Read & learn together

Ages 0-4

This summer, we invite you to READ, WRITE, TALK, SING, and PLAY

with your little one every day! The activities in this guide are

suggestions on how you can incorporate these important early literacy

practices into your daily activities.

You can do any of these activities in any order. We want this summer to

be fun and flexible for you!

To register as a Rubber Ducky Reader, simply visit the Kids’ area of our

website and complete the Google form to let us know what activities

you’ve been doing with your child. Registered participants will receive a

certificate and prize at the end of the summer. The final day to fill out the

Google form is Saturday, August 7, 2021.

Prizes will be awarded the week of August 16, 2021. Stay tuned for

details!

Be sure to check our online calendar for

the most up-to-date listing of library

programs and events. Plans may

change quickly due to Covid-19

restrictions or weather.

Follow us on Facebook for updates too!

Get started with your first 50 books now - and then keep reading! Record your reading on paper

and turn it in - or visit our website for an online form.

Week 1 - Pets Read

Some Pets by Angela DiTerlizzi

Pet Show by Ezra Keats

I Wanna Iguana by Karen Orloff

Ferret Fun by Karen Rostoker-Gruber

Henny, Penny, Lenny and Mike by Cynthia Rylant

I Won What? By Audrey Vernick

Talk If you had a pet _______ (dog, cat, bird,

fish, rabbit, iguana, snake, hamster), what

would you name it? Where would it sleep?

What would it eat? What sound would it

make? What color would it be?

Would you rather…

Fly or Slither?

Chirp or Hiss?

Hop or Crawl?

Meow or Bark?

Literacy Tip: This “Would You Rather…”

game is a great way to introduce new vocabulary words to your child.

sing

I Know a Cat (tune: “B-I-N-G-O”)

I know a cat with perky ears,

and Kitty is her name-o.

K-I-T-T-Y, K-I-T-T-Y, K-I-T-T-Y,

and Kitty is her name-o.

She makes a sound and it’s “Meow”,

and Kitty is her name-o.

K-I-T-T-Y, K-I-T-T-Y, K-I-T-T-Y,

and Kitty is her name-o.

Write Literacy Tip: Writing activities aren’t just about learning to write letters and numbers. Little hands

need to strengthen and learn how to hold writing utensils. Coloring pages are a fun way to introduce holding a crayon.

PLAY Play is an important part of your child’s development! It helps them learn about the world while feeling

safe. Try these playtime fun activities:

For babies - play peek-a-boo with a stuffed animal. Instead of saying “boo” make the animal’s sound. An-imal sounds help little ears learn the different sounds our letters make.

For toddlers & preschoolers - play pet store or veterinarian! Gather up your stuffed animals and lead your child in pretend play taking care of the animals.

For a free pretend play vet’s office printable, head to :

https://www.momdot.com/free-printable-vet-office-pretend-play-sheet/

Week 2 - Underwater Animals

Read I’m the Biggest Thing in the Ocean by Giles

Andreae

Mister Seahorse by Eric Carle

Rain Fish by Lois Ehlert

How to Put an Octopus to Bed by Sherri

Duskey Rinker

I’m a Shark by Bob Shea

A Whale in the Bathtub by Kylie Westaway

Talk Tips for Talking with young children:

Infants

Make eye contact when talking with your baby so your facial expressions are visible.

If your baby tries to imitate your sounds, repeat them.

Toddlers

Ask your child questions as you go about your day (example, “What shirt do you want to

wear?”)

Build on what your child says. If your child

says “ball,” you can follow up with “Yes, it’s your big yellow ball.”

Preschoolers

Encourage your child to use language to

articulate their needs.

sing

Write Literacy Tip: Pointing with one or two fingers helps to develop motor skills needed for writing. Have

your child color the “Under the Sea” picture, and then ask them to point to different sea creatures.

PLAY Put on some underwater tunes and move like different sea creatures! Swim like a fish, float like a jellyfish,

jump like a dolphin, and scuttle like a crab.

Need help coming up with movement ideas? Grab a free printable here:

https://toddlerapproved.com/2010/07/ocean-animal-movements.html

Week 3 - zoo animals

Read The View at the Zoo by Kathleen Long Bostrom

The Baby Beebee Bird by Diane Massie

Stop Snoring, Bernard by Zachariah O’Hara

Still a Gorilla by Kim Norman

Pinky Got Out! By Michael Portis

Hilda Must Be Dancing by Karma Wilson

Talk

Literacy Tip: Animal sounds are a great way to help your child hear the individual sounds

that make up our language. Demonstrate animal sounds to your child, and see if

they will imitate you.

sing

YOU CAN HEAR THE LIONS ROARING

(to the tune of “She’ll be Coming Round the Mountain”)

You can hear the lions roaring at the zoo (roar roar) 2X

You can hear the lions roaring 2X

You can hear the lions roaring at the zoo (roar roar)

You can hear monkeys chattering at the zoo…

You can hear the snakes hissing at the zoo…

You can hear the seals barking at the zoo...

Write Literacy Tip: Building with blocks works little hand muscles to get them ready to write. Get out

some age-appropriate blocks and help your child learn to stack and build (and, of course, knock them down!).

PLAY Take your block play a step further and build a block zoo! Add play animals, or take

inspiration from No Time for Flash Cards and let your child add drawings.

https://www.notimeforflashcards.com/2013/04/build-your-own-zoo-pretend-play.html

Week 4 - Birds Read

Robin’s Home by Jeannine Atkins

Hooray for Birds by Lucy Cousins

Birds by Kevin Henkes

A Mother for Choco by Keiko Kasza

Sylvie by Jennifer Gordon Sattler

Grumpy Bird by Jeremy Tankard

Talk

Literacy Tip: I Spy is a great way to get talking with your little one! Toddlers and Preschoolers can play

along with you as you prompt them to find shapes, colors, etc. Infants can listen to you as

you explain what you see to them (“Look at the red bird in the tree - that is a cardinal!”)

sing

Write Literacy Tip: Play dough is a fantastic way to gain pre-writing skills. Playing with dough works fine

motor skills and helps to strengthen little hands. Start by just letting your child feel and manipulate the dough. Show them how to roll the dough, flatten the dough, or shape the

dough into shapes or letters. This week, create a bird with play dough!

See more about this bird-themed play dough tray:

https://www.messylittlemonster.com/2020/05/

build-bird-nest-craft-playdough-activity.html

PLAY Sensory play is an essential part of your child’s brain development. By exploring sensory play, your child

creates new brain pathways, helps build memory/retention, and can help relieve anxiety.

We love this idea for creating an easy bird-themed sensory bin.:

https://modernpreschool.com/baby-bird-eats-worm-fine-motor-sensory/

Don’t feel pressured to buy items for your sensory bin - use what you can find at home and in nature.

Week 5 - Farm Animals

Read Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown

Senor Pancho has a Rancho by

Rene Colato Lainez

Down by the Barn by Will Hilldenbrand

Punk Farm by Jarrett Krosoczka

Chicks and Salsa by Aaron Reynolds

Duck on a Tractor by David Shannon

Talk

Literacy Tip: Introduce your child to letters! Children need to learn 3 things about letters:

the names, the shapes, and the sounds. Point out letters you see on signs, in books,

and around the house.

PIG

HORSE

DUCK

sing

Down on Grandpa’s Farm

Down on Grandpa's farm there is a little brown dog.

This dog sounds a lot like this: Arff! Arff! This dog sounds a lot like this: Arff! Arff!

We're on our way; we're on our way, on our way to Grandpa's farm.

We're on our way; we're on our way, on our way to Grandpa's farm.

(Sing about other animals)

Write Literacy Tip: Grab some scissors and let’s start cutting! Learning to use scissors takes time and

practice, but it’s a great pre-writing, hand-strengthening activity. Little ones can use their finger to trace lines, while older children can practice cutting. These cutting practice sheets

are great, but you can also use recycled paper, junk mail, or magazines as a way to practice.

Print out free farm-themed

cutting sheets at:

https://

www.preschoolplayandlearn.com/

farm-scissor-practice/

PLAY Children love puppets! Using puppets allows children to use their imaginations, practice conversation, and

role play. It’s an easy way for adults to engage with children too!

With infants and toddlers, you can use the puppet to speak to the child, or to play a game of peek-a-boo. With preschoolers, encourage your child to put on their own puppet show for you.

You can use store-bought puppets, or make your own from a paper bag, sock, or paper.

Try these printable finger puppets:

https://www.highlights.com/sites/default/files/public/animal.puppet.printable.pdf

Week 6 - Creepy Crawlies

Read Hide and Snake by Keith Baker

Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin

The Story of Fish and Snail by Deborah

Freedman

My Buddy, Slug by Jarrett Krosoczka

Gotta Go! Gotta Go! By Sam Swope

An Interview with Harry the Tarantula by

Leigh Ann Tyson

Talk

Literacy Tip: You already know it’s important to talk with your child, but we will reinforce that with

this list of tips.

5 Great Ways to Talk With Your Child

1. Use “parentese” when speaking to infants. That means raise the pitch of your voice, over-enunciate, and draw out vowel sounds. Babies respond to the

higher pitch, and can hear the individual sounds better when they are drawn out.

2. Speak senses - Describing what your little one sees, hears, feels, tastes, or smells is a great way to start

building vocabulary words.

3. Grab a mirror! - Describe parts of the body while in

front of a mirror with your child. This helps build vocabulary and self-identification.

4. Parlez-vous baby? - If you speak more than one language, use both with your child. If you don’t speak another language, play recordings of native

speakers for your child to hear. Each language brings new and interesting sounds to little ears!

5. Talk-Talk-Talk! - The more you talk with your baby - about anything - the more they learn. So just talk!

sing

There was a little turtle who lived in a box.

He swam in a puddle,

he climbed on some rocks.

He snapped at a mosquito, he snapped at a flea,

he snapped at a minnow, and he snapped at me!

He caught the mosquito, he caught the flea,

the caught the minnow, but he didn’t catch me!

Write Literacy Tip: Tracing (with a finger or a pencil/crayon) is a great way to develop pre-writing skills

and learn letter shapes. Practice tracing “S” for snake now, and then think of other ways to incorporate tracing into your child’s day (tracing in a tray of salt or with shaving cream also

adds a great sensory element!).

PLAY Namaste. Let’s try some yoga!

Yoga is a great activity for children and adults to try together. And animal poses can be a lot of fun to do.

Try these yoga poses and more here:

https://www.namastekid.com/tool-type/kids-yoga-poses/