Activities from www.Lakeshorelearning.com.
Adjective Add On Writing Game
This creative activity gets kids thinking and writing descriptively! Write a relatively simple sentence on a piece of paper and have your child copy the sentence onto his own sheet of paper. Then challenge your child to add adjectives to the sentence to make it more descriptive. (For example, “The girl walked along the street” might become “The careless girl walked along the busy street” or “The little girl walked along the long, quiet street.”) Have your child read the revised sentence aloud, or have him draw a picture to go with the sentence. Then compare the sentences to see what a difference a few descriptive words can make!
Here are a few sentences to get you started:
My dog has fleas.
My brother ate his vegetables.
Look at that painting!
That goat ate all the corn in the field.
The car raced down the road.
The zookeeper fed the animals in the zoo.
She sang a song and danced in the rain.
My dad works in a building.
The boy pulled out his wand and cast a spell.
Variation: If your child is older, you can have him continue building a story around the sentence to create a whole paragraph.
Here are a few sentences to get you started:
My dog has fleas.
My brother ate his vegetables.
Look at that painting!
That goat ate all the corn in the field.
The car raced down the road.
The zookeeper fed the animals in the zoo.
She sang a song and danced in the rain.
My dad works in a building.
The boy pulled out his wand and cast a spell.
Variation: If your child is older, you can have him continue building a story around the sentence to create a whole paragraph.
Color and Create Super Sentences
Children practice using nouns, verbs and adjectives as they describe a country setting they color themselves! Simply provide your child with a copy of the Write-A-Sentence printable, and then let her color the picture at the top. Once your child is finished, help her use the word list to build Super Sentences about the scene.
All About Me Poem
Your child can use her own name to write an acrostic poem—describing herself!
- Have your child write her name vertically on a piece of paper.
- For each letter, ask your child to think of an adjective that describes herself. The adjective must start with a letter from her name. Here’s an example using the name Holly:
Happy
Outgoing
Loving
Lucky
Young - If your child needs help, brainstorm adjectives for each letter.
- You can also have your child write an acrostic poem using a friend’s name or the name of another family member—using adjectives to describe that person.
Interview with Family and Friends
Your child can build writing skills by thinking of fun questions to ask family and friends! First, help your child brainstorm a list of summer-themed questions to ask family or friends. Each question should have simple, straightforward answers.
For example:
Have your child write each question on a piece of paper, leaving space between each question to write people’s responses. Then, let your child poll family and friends, and tally up the responses!
For example:
- Do you like hot weather? (yes/no)
- Have you ever been to the beach? (yes/no)
- Do you like to play outside or inside when it is sunny? (outside/inside)
- Do you miss school during the summer? (yes/no)
- What is your favorite summer activity? (swimming/camping/picnics)
- What is your favorite ice cream flavor? (chocolate/strawberry/vanilla)
- What is your favorite book? (Give 3–4 choices of books.)
- What is your favorite game to play outside? (hide and seek/tag/hopscotch)
- What do you wear to protect yourself when you are outside? (sunscreen/hat/sunglasses/nothing)
Have your child write each question on a piece of paper, leaving space between each question to write people’s responses. Then, let your child poll family and friends, and tally up the responses!
Reading Scavenger Hunt
This fun-filled activity turns language practice into a scavenger hunt for words! Simply print out a copy of the Reading Scavenger Hunt sheet, fill in a skill that you want your child to practice, and then attach the sheet to a clipboard. Have your child search the house for words to write on the list. (Note: You can also have your child search for words in a book he is reading.) We’ve even listed some example skills to get you started—from parts of speech to vowel sounds!
Create a Summertime Journal
Kids can keep track of all their summer fun…in a cool keepsake journal that they make and decorate themselves!
You will need:
Directions
You will need:
- Peel & Stick Collage Books
- Crayons, markers or colored pencils
- Best-Buy School Glue
Directions
- Help your child follow the instructions in the Peel & Stick Collage Books to create a personalized journal.
- Encourage your child to record what he is doing during the summer. He can draw pictures, write notes or glue in photos of himself enjoying summertime activities.