I’m so thrilled that you’re here!

This is the place to access some of my favorite resources for parents who are serious about raising readers easily and affordably in everyday life.

The resources listed on this page will help you get off to a strong start and remind you why your efforts to nurture, teach, and advocate for your child are critical to their success. Please bookmark this page so you can refer back to our book lists, activity guides, and worksheets whenever you need some rocket fuel for your child’s reading journey.

 

Elf Pen Pal Writing Paper

Turn your Elf on the Shelf (or homemade elfin friend) into a tool for social-emotional learning, family bonding, and literacy this Christmas! The secret is to make your elf a Yuletide pen pal for your kids. Read our Elf on the Shelf pen pal activity post, then print out this adorable elf-themed writing paper to get started.

Download the Elf Writing Paper

Christmas Bookmarks

These color-your-own bookmarks make a sweet little gift to encourage children to read and a fun holiday activity to do with them on Christmas eve or the big day.

Download the Christmas Bookmarks

Christmas Alphabet Flipbook

Make an adorable Christmas-themed flipbook to build your child’s vocabulary and help them learn to recognize, read, and spell new words. See the tutorial.

Download the Christmas Alphabet Flipbook

Read with Me Recipe: Christmas Ornaments

Sneak in some light reading practice as you follow a simple recipe to bake DIY ornaments with your child to keep or gift.

Download the Christmas Ornaments Recipe

Read with Me Recipe: Latke Potato Pancakes

Print out this simple recipe and then read it with your child as you prepare this classic Hanukkah dish together.

Download the Latke Potato Pancakes Recipe

Word Family Snowman Craft

Make a cute snow family to help your child learn simple rhyming words and beginning spelling patterns. Just print out the snowpeople templates and follow the directions on the printable. To learn more about teaching word families and see a more complete tutorial, visit our Snowman Craft blog post.

Download the Word Family Snowman Craft

Family Year in Review Coloring Worksheet

In the same way that the key to a great morning is a good night’s sleep, a little-known trick to start your new year off right is to spend some quality time reviewing the year before. Print this cute worksheet and coloring page that your child can fill out with highlights and reflections about the past year.

Download the Year in Review Worksheet

Family Year in Review Conversation Cards

In the same way that the key to a great morning is a good night’s sleep, a little-known trick to start your new year off right is to spend some quality time reviewing the year before. Print and cut out these conversation cards, then use the prompts to spark some family reflection about the past year.

Download the Year in Review Conversation Cards

Lion Puppet Template

Print this template and let your child color it to make a storytelling lion puppet out of a paper bag for Lunar New Year. Get detailed instructions and tips for using your puppet in our lion puppet tutorial.

Download the Lion Puppet Template

Conversation Hearts Activity

This Valentine’s Day-themed literacy activity helps kids practice letter sounds and learn to spell and read simple three-letter words. Just print out the template on colored paper and follow the steps in the Conversation Hearts Activity tutorial. Use the letters provided and/or write your own letters on the blank hearts.

Download the Conversation Hearts Activity

St. Patrick's Day Rainbow Reading

Help your child practice reading and spelling three-letter words with this cute St. Patrick’s Day activity. Read the full tutorial, then print and cut out this rainbow reading template to quickly make your own.

Download the Rainbow Reading Activity

St. Patrick's Day Rainbow Reading Activity Guide

This full-color guide walks you through how to make your own St. Patrick’s Day Rainbow Reading activity. Print it out to have the tutorial at hand as you craft your own Rainbow Reading game. Perfect for groups, from scout troops or clubs to crafting parties.

Download the St. Patrick's Day Activity Guide

Easter Bunny Puppet Template

Print this template and let your child color it in to make an Easter Bunny puppet using a paper bag. See this tutorial for how to make your puppet, plus tips for using it to build literacy skills.

Download the Easter Bunny Puppet Template

Read with Me Recipe: Easter Egg Bread

Print out this easy recipe and then read it with your child to help them practice the tricky EA spelling pattern while making a fun Easter-themed snack together. Read our Easter Egg Bread blog post to get tips for teaching as you cook.

Download the Easter Egg Bread Recipe

Earth Day Bookmark

Celebrate our planet and encourage your kids to read at the same time with this Earth Day bookmark.

Download the Earth Day Bookmark

Father’s Day Card

Celebrate Dad with a cute, personalized card. Print the PDF on two sides of the same 8.5”x11” paper, then fold in half to make a card with “Happy Father’s Day” on the front. Inside, your child can fill in answers to the prompts with words or drawings, then color in the whole thing. Tip: Use crayons or colored pencils to avoid bleeding through the paper, unless you print on cardstock.

Download the Father’s Day Card

Summer Activities Bucket List

Download this PDF for a checklist of fun summertime activities to keep your young one happy, entertained, and learning all summer long. The PDF includes descriptions, context, and tips for each activity. Print it out or just save it for easy reference when you need some inspiration.

Download Summer Activities Bucket List

Summer Conversation Cards

Print on 8.5”x11” paper (preferably cardstock, but any will do) and cut the cards apart. Use them to spark conversation with your child on the go, at the table, or anytime you need some entertainment and bonding.

Download Summer Conversation Cards

Road Trip Activity Book

Keep the kids entertained on car trips long or short with this family activity book. Just download and print it double-sided, then fold to make a booklet. If you can’t print double-sided, don’t worry—you can print it normally, cut the papers in half, and staple the booklet together. Then grab some crayons, plus a book or clipboard for a mobile desk, and have some family fun! Note that a grownup (or older sibling) will need to help younger children read certain pages.

Download the Road Trip Activity Book

Read with Me Recipe: Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Print out this fall kid-approved recipe and then read it with your child as you prepare a simple, frustration-free dish together.

Download the Roasted Pumpkin Seeds Recipe

SpOOky Spelling Game

Help your child learn and practice the tricky “OO” spelling pattern with a cute Halloween-themed ghosts and pumpkins activity. Just print this template and cut out the shapes. Then work with your child to form the letters into words, from BOO and MOO to BOOM, MOON, and even BROOM. Read our Spooky Spelling Game blog post for more instructions and tips.

Download the SpOOky Spelling Game

Turkey Letter Matching Game

This DIY turkey letter-matching game will help teach your child to match corresponding upper- and lowercase letters. See the tutorial.

Download the Turkey Letter Matching Game

Pumpkin Vowel Clip Cards

Introduce vowels and their sounds to your child with this autumn-themed printable consists of ten seasonal word cards with missing vowel letters and five pumpkin-shaped vowel cards. See the tutorial.

Download the Pumpkin Vowel Clip Cards

Reading Bingo

Challenge your little one to read more! Print out this bingo card with fun challenges to complete, from “read in a fort” to “try a new book.” You can tackle the challenges together, as you read aloud to them, or independent readers can complete them alone. Bonus: Offer simple rewards for each row or column completed, such a special outing together, a fancy sticker, or something else (tangible or intangible) your child values.

Download Reading Bingo

Halloween Alphabet Spinner

This word spinner of Halloween-related words and illustrations from A to Z helps kids match sounds to letters. It’s like a more interactive ABC book. Just print it out and then follow the tutorial.

Download the Halloween Alphabet Spinner

DIY ABC Book

Kids can write & illustrate their own ABC book! Print the pages using two-sided printing, preferably on sturdy white paper, then fold the stack in half to form a booklet. Help your child fill in the blanks with words and drawings for each letter sound. (Note: For more accurate learning, we suggest a word that ends with X.) Encourage your child to trace each letter inside the outline to practice its shape. (For a multi-use activity, laminate the pages, then cut apart & attach using a hole punch & string.)

Download the DIY ABC Book

Storytelling Cards

Creative storytelling is a classic activity that offers great screen-free fun. It’s also a powerful tool to build key skills that underpin literacy, from vocabulary and comprehension to imagination and fluency. Storytelling cards serve as prompts to help you invent a story on the fly and captivate your little listener. Then be sure to turn things around, and encourage your child to improvise their own story from the cards. Just print these cards onto 4”x 6” index cards (or on cardstock and cut them out). Then turn them over, mix them up, deal them out, and invent a story around what comes up. Get more tips in the “How to Play” section at the bottom of our DIY Story Cards post.

Download the Storytelling Cards

Nursery Rhyme Coloring Book

Nursery rhymes are a time-honored way of engaging small kids that builds their language skills. Each page in this collection of coloring sheets features a different classic rhyme. Print them on 8.5”x11” paper, then read the rhymes together and let your child color the pages. You can staple the pages together to form a book, or hang them on the wall or fridge as a reminder to recite rhymes with your child. 

Download Nursery Rhyme Book

Picture & Writing Journal

This PDF contains three journal pages to inspire budding writers. First is a blank page with space for children to write and illustrated a story. The second and third pages have illustrations already printed on them to spark storytelling, followed by space for kids to write stories about the pictures.

Download the Picture & Writing Journal

Alphabet Board Game

Board games teach children fine motor skills, taking turns, patience, and problem solving, and they can even help improve academic skills. But, most importantly, they’re fun! Use this tutorial to make a personalized board game that reinforces alphabetic knowledge and gives you a unique opportunity to bond.

Download the Alphabet Board Game

Menu Template

Young kids love pretend play, and they love doing real-life, grown-up things, too. Encourage your child to practice writing the fun way by creating a menu for a real or make-believe meal. Just print one of these adorable menu templates and let them do the rest—including coloring the border! (Read our post on planning a sweet Mother’s Day brunch for more tips.)

Download the Menu Template

Learning Tools Checklist

Get a short list of ridiculously simple, insanely cheap, super fun, must-have items to get preschoolers ready for reading in a clickable PDF checklist. The download also includes specific ideas on how to use each to infuse your child’s days with more learning fun. Save it on your phone and check off items at the store, or print it out and post in your play space.

Download Learning Tools Checklist

Ice Cream Activity

This playful reading activity helps children practice building sentences. Just print and cut out the scoops and cones, then  let your child create sentences by piling one scoop on top of another above one of the cones. Gently help them add words until they have a full sentence. You can also write your own words on the blank scoops! (Read the post for more tips.)

Download the Ice Cream Activity

Family Reading Journal

Create a sweet record of what your kids love to read with this free printable reading journal. Inside, you’ll find a cover ready for coloring and journal pages with room to jot down your reflections, note favorite quotes, and rate each book.

Download the Family Reading Journal

Read with Me Recipe: Carrot Hummus

Read and prepare this healthy recipe with your child to help them practice reading (and spelling) words with double consonants. Tip: Print the recipe and then help them find all the double-consonant words in it, then demonstrate how to read them. Get more tips in the carrot hummus blog post.

Download the Carrot Hummus Recipe

Read with Me Recipe: Cool Fruit Smoothie

Print out this sweet recipe to help your child practice reading the OO spelling pattern. Read our Fruit Smoothie post for tips on teaching as you make the recipe together.

Download the Cool Fruit Smoothie Recipe

Read with Me Recipe: Three-Bean Salad

Read and prepare this healthy recipe with your child to help them practice the TH spelling pattern. Tip: Demonstrate the TH sounds in the and three, and explain that those sounds are made by T and H together. Then print the recipe and invite your child to circle all the words with TH they can find.

Download the Three-Bean Salad Recipe

Read with Me Recipe: Stuffed Shell Pasta

Read and make this recipe with your child to help them practice the SH spelling pattern while making a tasty pasta dish together. Read the recipe’s blog post to get tips for teaching as you cook.

Download the Stuffed Shell Pasta Recipe

Read with Me Recipe: Yogurt Bark

Print out this simple recipe and then read it with your child to help them learn how to read Y as a consonant while making a healthy treat together. Read our yogurt bark blog post to get tips for teaching about the letter Y as you cook.

Download the Yogurt Bark Recipe

Read with Me Recipe: Cake in a Cup

Print out this easy recipe and then read it with your child to help them practice the silent E spelling pattern while making a sweet treat together. Read our Cake in a Cup blog post to get tips for teaching silent E as you cook.

Download the Cake in a Cup Recipe

Read with Me Recipe: Cheese and Chicken Pasta

Print out this yummy recipe that’s designed to help kids practice the CH spelling pattern as you prepare a simple, tasty dish together. Read our Cheese & Chicken Pasta post to get tips for teaching as you cook.

Download the Cheese and Chicken Pasta Recipe

Wheel-of-Phonics

Every app and workbook alike asks kids to draw a line from a picture to the letter it begins with. This literacy activity is everywhere for a reason—it works. Our fun, interactive upgrade to this classic activity puts the letters at the center of a wheel that kids can clip corresponding pictures to.

Download the Wheel-of-Phonics

Conversation Starters & TALK Graphic

Simply talking with babies and kids of all ages is crucial for building their brains and setting them up to thrive as readers, thinkers, and doers. This printable has a handy graphic about ways to add more conversation into days with kids, plus a set of conversation-starting questions to get you going.

Download the Conversation Starters & TALK Graphic

DIY Letters Activity

Even before kids have the motor skills to write, you can start teaching them how to form letters by giving them laminated letter-part cutouts to assemble into letters. Drawing their attention to elements like curves and lines, and where those end and meet, helps them distinguish among the 52 upper- and lowercase letters.

Download the DIY Letters Activity

Printable Bookplates

Let your child personalize their library—or make a book gift extra special—with these printable bookplates that kids can color in themselves. Just print them directly onto 4”x6” labels and stick into the front of the book, or print on regular paper, then cut them out and paste them in. (You can also scale before printing to adapt the bookplates to your book size.) Tip: Let your child color the bookplate before sticking it in, to avoid overflow color around the edges.

Download the Printable Bookplates

Alphabet Tracing Activity

Tracing the shapes of the letters is a gentle introduction to writing them freehand. Our printable has a page for each uppercase letter, a page for each lowercase letter, and a page for each letter with both uppercase and lowercase side by side. Print just part, or the whole thing; the black-and-white pages are low-ink for easy printing. We recommend putting the pages in a presentation book with plastic sleeves or laminating them, so you can wipe off the writing and use them again as often as you like.

Download the Alphabet Tracing Activity

Reading Inspiration Posters

Download five high-resolution posters perfect for decorating a playroom, bedroom, or classroom. They’re sure to spur on the bookworms in your life!

Download the Reading Inspiration Posters

Inspirational Bookmarks

Celebrate the power of reading with 10 free printable bookmarks, each featuring a parent-author reflecting on the fresh perspectives, fond memories, and cherished connections they gained through family reading.

Download the Inspirational Bookmarks

Alphabet Bingo

Help your child practice letters and letter sounds while exploring your neighborhood together with this free printable download that includes four bingo sheet designs.

Download the Alphabet Bingo