How to Integrate Literacy into Everyday Life

How to Integrate Literacy into Everyday Life

• You are at the grocery store. Kids can help look at the list and read it to you. If they can’t read, you can help them match the words on the list with the boxes or packages.
• You can make index cards and place them on items around the house. In the kids area upstairs, we have had the doors, windows, walls and other various items labelled.
• When the girls are in church with us, I have pointed out the words on the screen. I saw it click with Abby one day, and she began connecting the song with the words. This really helped her with sight reading. They also have familiar songs with the lyrics on On Demand or YouTube. I’m sure there are apps you could find on your phone that do this – kind of karaoke style. When Abby was younger, I had Christmas carols typed out, and Abby had a sheet. For about 30 minutes on the car ride home, she was staring at that sheet of paper trying to connect the words of the songs she knew with the words on the paper.
• Point out signs. Have them try to find all of the signs that say “speed limit,” “yield” or “stop.”
• Have them figure out which bathroom is for women and which is for men.
• Have them try and spot candy bars by certain names while you are standing in line at the grocery store.
• Have them help look at recipes as you are making things together.
• Let them watch you write things down and read what you are writing.
• Put magnet words or sentences together on the refrigerator to have them try and figure out.
• Write them special messages – in lunch boxes, around the house or at the dinner table. They will really want to learn to decode these special notes from you. You might like my lunchbox acts of kindness printable.
• Read off the name of stores you go past. Play a game where they need to try and find the stores you name.
• Let them try and figure out what is on the menu at restaurants.
• Label bins around your house. Kids can put things away while learning words. Label makers are great for this. You can put labels on the inside or outside of bins, boxes and drawers. Why not put the word “pants” in the pant drawer someplace. You can have cups labelled inside the cabinet with a label maker. Boxes or bins can say “block,” “balls,” “glue” or “yarn.”