First grade learning games and activities

How you can help at home: These games and activities will help your first grader master important academic skills while having fun.

Looking for some fun ways to help your child learn important skills? Try some of these teacher-tested activities.

Create a Personalized Placemat

This activity will help your first grader build reading and writing skills.

Number Sense

This number-sense game played with dice helps your first grader build math concepts such as "greater than" and "less than."

Create a Noisemaker

This easy-to-create noisemaker makes amusing sounds. The activity reinforces observation, asking questions and experimentation - important skills in building scientific knowledge.

Map That House

By creating a map of your house, your first grader will build mapping skills and learn that a map is a representation of an area.

Create a Mummy

Making shawabtis, small mummy-like statues that were used in Egyptian tombs, helps children learn about Egyptian art and culture, while exercising their imagination.

Create a Family Memory Book

With the help of a word-processing program and a digital camera, your first grader can build computer skills and create a wonderful book about his family.

Feel the Music

First graders can use their natural interest in art and drawing to express how different music makes them feel.

Accordion Book Fun

By making her own book, your first grader will build reading and writing skills.

Keeping a Journal

First grade is not too early to start keeping a log of daily activities and observations. This practice builds writing skills.

Speed Spelling

This fun word-building activity will help your child master spelling skills.

Get Moving

When your child practices skipping, hopping, galloping and side-stepping, she'll be building coordination and endurance skills.

Make Your Own Wrapping Paper

Printmaking using fruits and vegetables is a fun art activity to try at home.

Make a Story Map

Have your child make a story map to sequence the beginning, middle and end of a story.

Shape Walk

Go outside with your child and look for shapes.

Does It Sink or Float?

In this activity your child makes predictions about what objects will sink or float, tests the objects and then classifies them.

The "Scents" of Smell

Have your child explore the sense of smell by having her guess different scents.

Letter Collage

In this activity your child explores letter sounds by making a collage.

Word Family Flip Book

Have your child create this fun flip book to practice reading.

Develop a Mental Image

Have your child make a mental image of a passage that has been read aloud.

Make a Pop-Up Book

In this activity your child makes a creative book to write a story in.

Food Fractions

Here's a clever and tasty way to review fractions with your child.

Make a Storytelling Board

In this activity your child acts out a story with a hand-made storyboard.

Living Things and Nonliving Objects

Have your child find living things and nonliving objects.

Describe an Object

In this activity your child writes about an object in detail.