Play hopscotch with numbers, but also with letters, to get kids ready for reading.

This fill-in-the-blanks game is a little like Mad Libs, but for emerging writers. Get ready for some silly sentences!

Get your little traveler ready for a âround-the-world adventure! Kids will get a geography lesson, writing practice and a great appreciation for traveling.

Recruit a grandparent, pen pal, or far-off friend and get ready to engage your child in some old-fashioned communication, with a new twist.

Is your child learning to "sound it out"? This game will help him stretch his "decoding" skills so when he runs into new words, he's ready to take them on.

Use a digital camera and some simple drawing supplies to help your kindergartener make a personalized letter-sound book.

Send your child on a table of contents treasure hunt to help build basic research skills! Navigating a book is a skill that is sure to come in handy later on.

Does your child love pretend and need practice with letters and the sounds they make? Get cooking! This activity is fun and builds key reading skills, too.

Help your child practice his writing skills, while ensuring he'll get some mail to call his own, by making Family Mailboxes, a fun arts and crafts project.

Let your third grader newscaster practice presentation skills with this video "card" to celebrate Dad this Father's Day!

Save some money on the decorations with this simple birthday banner that your child can make himself!

Most of us are familiar with haiku, but the tanka is an even older form of Japanese poetry. Learn to write a tanka poem with this activity.

Show your second grader how to celebrate nature by turning some collected pencil shavings into miniature 3-D designs.

This writing activity to get your third grader to combine the fun of poetry with the excitement of celebrating a birthday.

Gourd painting is a fun fall activity that makes for perfect Thanksgiving decorations. Try gourd painting with your child for some seasonal fun this autumn.

Few places are as dense with words as a grocery store. The next time you find yourself trolling the aisles with an impatient kid, make it a reading adventure!

Build up those kindergarten letter-sound reading skills...and create a whimsical, practical craft at the same time.

Your child can enjoy the summer sun as she creates her own one-of-a-kind mural!

This reading comprehension activity teaches children reading in reverse: how would you teach an alien to use a zipper?

Make a photo book to provide a reassuring guide for your child's first days and weeks of school.

Help your children practice their presentation skills by helping them create their very own show called "The Daily News."

This version of the carnival game where you try to toss chips into a cup, to win a fabulous prize, gives kids a boost in early writing and reading.

Got the pre-writing blues? Try this simple five-finger technique to help your second grader develop a sequenced plan for her early compositions.

Guide your first grader through a map drawing project inspired by her favorite fairy tale. Its masked as a fun art activity, but it also packs learning punch!

Use real elastic to help your kindergartener learn to "stretch" and blend letters to read words.

This alphabet hunt is pure pirate-loving fun. And it gives kids practice in learning to recognize letters and sounds-- a key skill for reading readiness.

This game will help your child write with more attention to detail.

This homemade educational travel game will keep your young child entertained and learning reading, writing, shapes and colors. All you need is a tissue box!

This book-making activity is quick and easy, and it gives emerging readers insight into how a story's illustrations provide context clues.

"Crown" dad this Father's Day—and sneak in some letter-sound practice, too.