❤️ How to Incorporate Play in Your Small Groups for Reading
Small group instruction for reading is a powerful way to target specific skills that whole-group lessons might have missed. 📚
It’s also the perfect opportunity to sprinkle in playful activities that strengthen your lesson and make reading time something kids can’t wait for!
🌟 Why Add Play to Small Groups?
Small groups create an intimate setting where students can take risks, be creative, and explore concepts in fun, hands-on ways.
Adding play:
Reinforces skills in a memorable way
Boosts engagement (kids actually want to participate!)
Encourages collaboration and discussion
🎨 Playful Activities for Your Reading Groups
✏️ Drawing B/M/E
Give kids a sticky note to draw the beginning, middle, and end of a story.
Line them up in order and discuss what happened.
🧸 Retelling with Puppets
Pass out finger puppets and take turns retelling the story.
It’s a simple way to check comprehension while keeping things fun.
🔠 Word-Building with Magnetic Letters
Practice spelling CVC words by playing a modified game of hangman using magnetic letters.
Students love the hands-on element!
🎲 Matching and Sorting Games
Play matching games like letter-to-sound or picture sorting by beginning sound.
This is a great group opener that gets everyone talking and thinking.
💡 Teacher Tip
While these activities can be done whole-group, small group time gives you the chance to differentiate the play for each student’s needs.
Remember: small group instruction shouldn’t just be about checking boxes — it’s about adding joy and rigor to your teaching!
✨ Your Next Step
Try one of these activities during your next small group reading time and see how it changes the vibe!
👋🏾 Grab my FREE one-pager: [3 Playful Small Group Activities] and get started this week.
