The story behind it
By TurkeyMom · September 2012
Ages3–6 yrs
Prep17 min
Activity10 min
Leveleasy
MessLow
Works for1:1 · Small group
Cover a cereal box with colored paper, cut a slot in the top and fill it with simple CVC word cards. Kids pull out words and read them aloud whenever they like, and the words change every few days.
⚠️ Safety first
- Adult cuts the hole in the cereal box.
- Stickers are small and can be a choking hazard for kids who still mouth things, so supervise sticker decorating with younger children.
Before the kids arrive
- Cover a cereal box with colored paper and label it 'READING BOX'.
- Cut a hole in the top of the box.
- Write short c-v-c words on paper cards and put them in the box.
Steps
Cover an empty cereal box with colored paper.
Adult: cut a hole in the top of the box big enough for little hands.
Write short c-v-c words on paper cards and drop them into the box.
Let your child decorate the box with favorite stickers.
Set the Reading Box on the kids' table where it's always in sight.
Whenever they feel like it, kids pull out a word and read it aloud.
Cheer the right answers, and remind them it's OK to make mistakes.
Change the words in the box every few days.
Tips
- It has worked pretty well for us because she barely needs any prompts or reminders to go to the box, because IT IS RIGHT THERE.from the author
- Our Reading Box sits on the multipurpose kids' table (the art, writing, creating, Lego and play dough table) so it's part of everyday play.from the author
- My older one squeals with joy when she gets a word right. We are working on 'it is OK to make mistakes.'from the author
- Once every few days I change the words to keep it fresh.from the author
- This grew out of bedtime stories, when she started holding me off on short words so she could read them herself.from the author
Make it your own
- Fill the box with word-family sets, like the -an and -ool words in the photo.
What readers say
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