My activity I am making is called Story Ball.
The materials you will need:
- beach ball
- permanent marker
- first grade level book (or a story from your child's reading textbook)
- pencil
- lined paper
- Using the marker, grab the beach ball and write one of the following in each of the colored sections of the ball: "Setting?" "Favorite Part?" "What does this remind you of?" "Beginning?" "End?" and "Sight Words?"
- Once the ball is marked up play a game of catch, inside or outside (whatever suits your class). In the game of Story Ball, each time you toss your child the ball, he/she must answer the question written on the color which lands under his right hand. Where did the story take place? What happened in the beginning and in the end? What was his/her favorite part? Toss the ball back and forth, from student to student—the quicker, the better, since that makes answering in time more fun and silly. If your child can’t recall an event from the story give him/her some clues.
- The game continues until all the questions have been answered. If you’d like to extend the activity, ask your child to write down what he’s said aloud on paper, then illustrate it. This is another great way to help him recall the events of a story and understand what he’s read.