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 Drawing & Writing Messages

At home, we can prepare children for drawing and writing at school with fun, meaningful experiences with paper and pencils. It’s all about inviting them to use crayons, pencils, markers, and chalk to make pictures, lines, letters, and words.  

Drawing & Writing Activities to Try

Writing & Drawing Fun

- Use sidewalk chalk for drawing/writing.

- Trace large, highlighted letters on paper. 

- Make letters or words in sand tray or salt tray. 

- Write letters in a pudding tray with your finger.

- Make bookmarks: Cut cardstock into long rectangles. Decorate with pictures & words to use with books. 

Making & Labeling Pictures

Provide unlined paper, crayons, pencils, and washable markers.  

Encourage the child to draw a picture. Then, have them tell you about it and acknowledge how good it is.  

Show them how to write their name to “sign” their picture 

Show/guide children to label parts of the picture, such as sun, house, tree, cat, Mom, Dad, etc. 

Tell a Tiny Story 

Drawing and coloring are often easier for children than writing. Yet children love to tell a story, so invite them to tell you what they want to write about (their pet, favorite food, or anything) and help them decide on a simple sentence (My cat likes sun). Then have them draw and color it! Finally, guide them to write that sentence.  

Note: Depending on the child’s ability, they should write as much as they can independently, even a short sentence if they are ready: “I like my dog.”

Some Favorite Drawing & Writing Resources

Books: 

Chalk* by Bill Thomson 

Ralph Tells a Story by Abby Hanlon 

The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds 

Songs and Chants:

"Drawing Shapes" by Pinkfong Songs (YouTube) 

Poems and Rhymes: 

"Things" by Eloise Greenfield

"M Was Once a Little Mouse" by Edward Lear 

Note: *Wordless books tell a story through their pictures—great for conversation and imagination. Have fun together!