Is your student in upper elementary grades or older?  Does he or she sometimes forget to read the directions?  You and I both know how important that can be, and we also can think of numerous times when we’ve had trouble because of not reading directions.  Here’s a fun activity that might help your student learn the same lesson without the headache of messing up something important!

Type up a list of directions.  These should be things that your student will find slightly challenging, such as finding the area of the paper, adding up all the numerals in your phone number and dividing by 11, or listing all of the prime numbers smaller than 100.  Include a few slightly embarrassing instructions, too, like ‘Sing your favorite song,’ or ‘Say the alphabet outloud and backwards.’  Make the first instruction on the page ‘write your name on the top right corner of the paper.”  Be sure you have enough instructions to use the back of the paper.

Now that you have a list of things to do, go back and make the second instruction ‘Read all of these directions before you do anything else.’  Make the very last instruction say, “Now go back and do only numbers ___, ___, and ____.”  Make the numbers of directions to be done match up with easy instructions on the rest of the activity.

If your student neglects the direction to read before doing anything, he or she will find a lot of work to be done.  You’ll be able to tell who is following directions by listening for the silly out loud tasks you’ve embedded in the list.  And your student will soon realize the value of following directions!!

Have fun with this exercise.

• Monkey See Monkey Do

Put players into teams of two.  Give each person two pieces of paper and pencils or markers.  Have each player secretly draw a design (make it as complicated as you like!), and then get out the blank paper.  Players take turns giving verbal directions to their partner to duplicate the secret design they’ve drawn.

• A Monster on the Board!

You’ll need a large chart paper, white board or even chalk board for this one.  Colored markers are also a plus.  Gather the group and have the students give directions to draw a monster.  The most specific and descriptive their instructions, the closer your drawing will come to their mental picture!  For example, the kids might tell you the monster needs long, curly hair.  As you work on your creation, point out all of the adjectives flying around, and maybe even keep a running list beside the picture.

• Robots

Pair players up.  One player can pretend to be a robot that is controlled completely by verbal instructions.  The other player gets to give the directions.  Set some tasks for the teams to accomplish, like picking up a piece of paper, but remind everyone that the robots can do NOTHING that is not in the directions.   For example, if the controller says to bend down, the robot must bend down in place even if the paper is out of reach.  No fair taking unrequested steps!!

These are just a few diversions that rely on clear communications.  What other creative activities can you share?  Please leave your favorites in the comment box below.

• Cut the numbers apart and have your child build math equations
• Cut the days of the week apart and put them in order
• Cut the month names out and put them in order
• Tell or write stories about the pictures
• Put the numbers in order
• Find the numbers you need to count by 2’s (or 3’s or 4’s…) to 30
• Do some calendar calculations-how many days between Christmas and Easter?  How many weeks is that?  How many months?
• Which month has the highest numbered Tuesday?

You get the picture.  Now it’s your turn-what creative educational idea can you share with us that uses an old calendar??

Take reading for example.  A new reader is bound to make mistakes, but the way that you correct these is probably the most important way that you can encourage your student.  Provide extra support to a struggling reader by reading in unison.  Offer beginning sounds or reminders about letter clusters (OU says /ou/ like ‘out’).  Instead of saying “That’s wrong,” try “oops!”  And remember that not every error needs corrected all of the time.  I limit my corrections on oral reading to mistakes that will interfere with the students’ comprehension.

Math is another example.  Much better to say, “Try another way,” or “can you think of a different possibility?” than “Wrong answer.”  I mark homework by starring correct responses, and leaving the incorrect unmarked.

Use the ’sandwich method’ of corrections, too.  Start with a compliment, put the correction in the middle, and end with another compliment.

All of these things will help your child build a positive attitude about learning.  What strategies have worked for you?  Please leave a story in the comments section!~

Meanwhile, I do have other blogs I’m keeping up with regularly.  Check out the Learning Nook or the Job Training Readiness Centeror Teaching Reading to get the latest crazy holiday ideas, fun stuff to do with kids,or some great ideas to help your job situation.

And remember that you can email me at reading (at) allinfoaboutreading.info.

I hope you’ll visit soon!!

Sandy

And parents, consider printing off this web address and the sample newsletter.  Tell your child’s teacher about it!!

Get your free sample issue just by heading over to Free Sample: Parents’ Guide to Reading Newsletter!

Spread the words out around the floor of your play area.  You’ll want several feet of space between each word.  Now, call out a word and have your child run to find it.  Call another word and let your child run to the new word.  Keep going as long as excitement is there, and your active child will be practicing vital reading skills while burning up some energy and getting exercise!

The most common way to run a photo scavenger hunt is to make a list of items to find and photograph.  This opens up many new doors, since you can add things to your list that aren’t ‘collectible’ in the usual sense of the word.  Send your child out to find buildings, plants, trees, animals and more.  If you’re working indoors, try furniture or patterns. 

Add some academic flair to your scavenger hunts by sending players out to find items that begin with specific letters, have three syllables in their names, or end with special sounds.  Make some math action by looking for items that have specific sizes or weights.

Finally, try this variant: let players photograph a certain number of items, and have them write descriptions or clues to each without naming the item.  Opponents must try to match the clues with the correct pictures.

Have a fun time!

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(c) 2009  Sandy Fleming

Write a set of directions laden with misspellings, to the point that it is difficult to decipher what is wanted of the reader.  Make sure to type it up so that your child doesn’t know where the directions came from.  Give it to your student and ask him or her to follow the directions to receive a reward or treat.  Undoubtedly, the child will complain loudly when they can’t figure out the correct responses!  Listen to his or her complaints and discuss what they think of the person who wrote the text.  What opinion of the writer can they form?  Have them make judgments about the writer’s skill, intelligence, attention to detail and so forth.  Most people get quite frustrated and will berate the writer for ignorance or carelessness. 

You now have ample ammunition to convince your child of the importance of his or her own spelling-in his or her own words!

Make a trail game board inside of a file folder for easy storage.  Draw the path, divide it up into spaces, and put messages on a few of them.  Make a start and a finish space, and decorate your game.  Color the spaces and use pictures, clip art or stickers to create a theme for the game, and you’re all set.

Next, make a set of cards that will help your child practice something.  These could be sight words to read, math facts to answer, or even questions over the latest social studies or science unit.  Before rolling the dice or spinning the spinner (you can borrow these from other games or get blank ones at a teacher supply store), each player must respond correctly to a card from the deck.  First player to the end wins!

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(c) 2009 Sandy Fleming