Hands-on Language Arts

Language Arts is one subject that people start out with lots of hands-on learning activities until kids learn the alphabet, but after that, activities are a bit harder to come by. Naturally, I also have listed several hands-on alphabet activities, but I have tried to include other hands-on literacy ideas.

Learning the Alphabet and Letter Sounds

Most activities that practice the alphabet with letter names can also be used to practice letter sounds.

These include sensory activities like our Alphabet Search Sensory Bin or this Mine for Gold Letters activity.

Or concentrate on a specific letter and sound in your sensory bin like these:
 A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z

Maybe your kids crave movement like Race the Alphabet or a gross motor ABC Hop.

You can also get some exercise by taking your letter learning outside with an Alphabet Walk!

An Alphabet of Community Helper would fit in well with a Letter of the Week study.

Kids will love looking through Alphabet Pop-Up Books!

And kids can practice learning the vowels with our Round up the Vowels activity.

Learning to Read Sight Words

Learning Sight Words can be a challenge as it is all memorization,  but fun activities definitely help the process.

Try Squishing the Sight Words or Feeding a Turkey Sight Words. Those get kids giggling while they learn.

You can also Build a Word-a-Pillar with up to 200+ common sight words. Or just use a few and build it again and again.

A Sight Word Treasure Hunt is also sure to entertain little learners.

Learning to Read with Phonics

After kids know their letter sounds, they can start forms CVC words, and Word Families on Paint Chips are a colorful way to practice.

Starting Sound Snapping is an active way to learn beginning sounds and blends.

We even Re-Made a Board Game for Reading Practice.

Rhyming Practice

Get active Practice Rhyming on the Sidewalk.

Our you can get more artsy and Rhyme with Easter Eggs.

You can read why rhyming is important here.

Learning Punctuation

Introduce punctuation with a super fun book as well as a game and snack with our New and Daring Way to Practice Punctuation.

Handwriting Practice

Letter and Number Formation Poems are not a creative hands-on learning activity, but they are a fun way to remember how to make letters.

Use a light table and highlighters to Encourage Handwriting.

Learning to form cursive letters is one thing, but learning to read them is another. Get hands on Cursive Recognition Practice with Duplo Blocks.

Other Ways to Encourage Literacy

Though not hands-on, Reading Aloud is a great way to increase literacy in kids. Here are some great reasons to read larger more complicated books to little kids!

Once kids start reading be sure to include plenty of encouragement! We have used these 5 Ways to Encourage Reading.