Create dictionaries that illustrate basic words. This project will help to familiarize early literacy learners with basic words. On individual pieces of paper, write basic words; for example, colors, animal names, shapes or parts of the body. Review the words written on the papers and provide students with magazines. Instruct students to look through the magazines and have them cut out images that illustrate the words on the pages. Instruct them to glue the images they have cut out onto the proper page. For instance, they should cut out and glue an image of a cat onto a paper that has "cat" written on it. Assemble the pages and use a stapler to bind them. Students can use their dictionaries to practice reading these basic words.
Use rainbow writing as a means of practicing writing. Write a letter, a name or a word on a piece of paper. Discuss what is written on the paper; ask students if they can identify the letter or read the word. If they have difficulty, offer help. Have students trace the letter or word with their fingers and then provide them with different colored crayons, colored pencils or finger paint. Instruct children to select a color and trace over the graphemes written on the page. Have them use another color to trace the graphemes again. Repeat the process until the letter or word printed on the page is colored like a rainbow. Each time students trace the letters, they become more familiar with writing the letters.
In this early literacy activity, students illustrate their favorite part of a story. Read a story aloud to students. After reading the story, provide them with paper and crayons. Ask them to reflect on the story, choose a favorite part and draw a picture that illustrates this part of the story. After drawing their pictures, have students write a brief description underneath the image. Invite students to share their work.
Early literacy learners demonstrate letter-sound recognition with this activity. Set out a variety of items or pictures that begin with specific letters. On index cards, write the letter the items start with and set them out on a flat surface. Ask students to name the letters and the sounds that they make. Instruct students to sort through the objects or pictures and have them place the items on the card that illustrates the letters they begin with. For example, a picture of a frog should be placed on the letter "F" and a toy truck should be placed on the letter "T."