Try These Indoor Literacy Activities This Winter

With bone-chilling winter weather, kids spend more time indoors—and likely use some of that time to play computer games and watch TV. That’s fine—to a point.

But, the average child spends four hours per day—28 per week!—on TV, DVDs and computer games, says Jim Trelease, author of “The Read-Aloud Handbook." Research shows that up to 10 such hours a week have no impact on grades, but above that, they begin to decline.

With that in mind, here are some ideas for using more indoor time to improve literacy:

 Celebrate summer – Have an indoor picnic … indulge in ice cream or ice pops … read summer-themed books … and even wear swimsuits. It may be the middle of winter outside, but it can be the middle of summer inside.

 Hold a read-a-thon – Ask your children to select a book or two. Find a comfortable spot for everyone to gather. Serve an all-round favorite snack. Read aloud together for as long as you like, with older kids taking their turns to read, too.

 Write letters – Teach the lost art of letter writing. Let the kids design their own stationery. Ask them to write a letter or two to a grandparent or friend. Or, write letters to each other, “mailing” them to each other’s rooms.

 Write a story together – Do this orally, or write it down as well to preserve it. Have someone start by offering the first sentence of the story. Go around and around, with each person adding a sentence. The group creativity may surprise you.

 Play reporter – Take 5-10 minutes to interview each other, taking notes and reporting back to the group. Aim for a scoop—try to uncover something not known by everyone.

For even more ideas on wintertime literacy, see “Top 10 Family Reading and Writing Ideas for the Winter Holidays” from Reading Rockets.

Use some creativity this winter because “there’s snow better time to read!”

“Literacy is for life” is a public awareness campaign of the Pennsylvania Department of Education, aiming to improve literacy for Pennsylvania children from infancy through grade 12.