Whether you are a parent, caregiver, cool aunt, or grandpops, these high-fun, high-impact activities will boost your preschooler or soon-to-be-kindergartner’s confidence and skills. 

Developed by expert early childhood educators, this Recipe for Readiness card collection considers how busy you are—and how young children deserve summertime delight. There is no dull skill-and-drill in the mix here—only engaging, focused experiences that you can fit into any day. With these activities, you can support development in the following key areas: 

• Listening and speaking  
• Learning to hear the sounds that make up words 
• Text or letter book familiarity 
• Alphabet knowledge and word-to-sound connections 
• Communication through writing and drawing 

Remember to...

Model: All people learn by seeing something demonstrated, doing it together with help, and practicing it independently until confident. Just like talking, walking, and riding a bicycle, the same is true for learning to read and write! 

Make time: 60–90 minutes throughout the day, depending on the child’s stamina. 

Download the full Recipe Card to use with your children at home.

The Learning Benefit of Listening and Speaking

Developing children’s capacity to listen to others expands their vocabulary. And on the flip side, listening to an adult read aloud or guide an activity invites them to use words—which expands their oral language, an important forerunner to reading well.  

Engaging in any conversation is great for young learners; the following are some super nourishing concepts to bolster: 

• Steps of daily routines 
• Concepts: color, size, time, opposites, and shapes 
• Going places 
• Following directions (cooking together, making things, playing with blocks) 
• Thinking out loud 
• Asking/answering questions 

Listening and Speaking Activities to Try

Explore Books 

Spend time with books each day, interspersing this throughout the day and at bedtime. Enjoy browsing, reading, and talking about books. 

Make a weekly trip to the library!

Select an exciting variety of fiction/nonfiction, fairy tales & folk tales, nursery rhymes & poetry books, and delightfully thematic ABC books. Have fun and follow your child’s interests. 

Our Wonderful Words! 

Call attention to an interesting word from a story, poem, or conversation. 

Keep a list of Wonderful Words on your refrigerator!  

Notice when anyone in your family uses the words and celebrate! 

Some Favorite Listening and Speaking Resources

Books: 

The Library Book by Tom Chapin &  Michael Mark 

Reading Makes You Feel Good by Todd Parr 

Mr. Panda (book series) by Steve Antony 

Goodnight Gorilla*  by Peggy Rathmann 

Have You Seen My Duckling?* by Nancy Tufuri 

Label Books by Richard Scarry & Wonder House 

Songs and Chants:

"Going on a Bear Hunt" 

"Wheels on the Bus" 

"If You’re Happy and You Know It…"

"Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear"

Poems and Rhymes Anthologies: 

Sing a Song of Popcorn: Every Child’s Book of Poems 

I’m Small and Other Verses by Lillian Moore 

* wordless book (great for imagination & conversation)