Literacy is an important skill that is necessary for all subjects of interests, whether it’s play, reading, or interpersonal communication. With our every-day circumstances and interactions relying on literacy, National Reading Month in March sheds light on the importance of enabling young students to advance their literacy skills outside of traditional methods like reading books. Places like museums and parks could be fun locations to practice their literacy skills in unique ways, and there are other ways to introduce non-traditional learning practices that you can share with families. To get you started, here are some activities and resources available that you can share with families or do in class:

1. Trading Card Creator ( Trading Card Creator | Read Write Think) – The Trading Card Creator is an online tool that is able to upload, save, and send the student’s Cards to their friends and family. Students have the option of choosing to reveal their knowledge of an important person, place, or object or creating their own characters. This activity could be used with students within elementary grades or lower middle school, with the subject becoming more abstract with grade progression.
2. Family Timelines ( Creating Family Timelines: Graphing Family Memories and Significant Events | Read Write Think) – In this activity, students participate in the exploration of their family members and historical events that interest them. They embark on a journey of discovery with themselves, their classmates, and their families through interviews, a graphic timeline, as well as any illustrations they might do in order to show transitional elements. This activity is targeted for 3rd – 5th grade, and more information could be found in the instructional plan that comes alongside it.
3. Nature Bingo ( Explore the Outdoors with Nature Bingo (massaudubon.org)) – Families and students explore the outdoors while making visible connections with Nature Bingo! With a variety of cards representing different seasons and themes (birds, bugs, environment), there is a plethora of options that could engage the students! Nature Bingo can also be done in a classroom.
4. Wonderopolis: “Wonders of the Day” (Where the Wonders of Learning Never Cease | Wonderopolis) – Engage students with a “Wonder of the Day”, a daily/weekly question that challenges them to think about answers of questions rarely asked – for example, “why do cats purr?”. The questions can be about a variety of subjects like environmental issues or the judicial system, and you also have the chance to input your students’ questions.
5. Reading Rocket’s “Reading Adventure Packs”(Reading Adventure Packs for Families | Reading Rockets) – This activity can incorporate both students and their families with the multitude of books, mini-activities, and other personalization available. Students can choose from a fiction or non-fiction book paired with activities based on their theme. Some of the mini-activities incorporate real-world circumstances or hands-on interaction to connect with their book.

Are you familiar with other ways to incorporate family literacy in the classroom? Let us know by emailing [email protected].

Blog Image Citation: “Children in Library”. Photograph. Tuscarawas County, Ohio. From Ohio Memory, Tuscarawas County Public Library History. https://ohiomemory.org/digital/collection/p16007coll109/id/43/rec/14 (accessed January 20, 2023).