Small Group Reading Activities for Kindergarten
Small group instruction can be such a powerful tool for helping young kindergarten students get more repetition with reading practice. In this post, Iโm going to share some of my favorite Small Group Reading Activities for Kindergarten that can help you keep that skill practice fresh and engaging!
12 Small Group Reading Activities
These activities are all easy to prep and can be used with small groups of various sizes. Whether you have two or six students at your table, youโll be able to use these activities to help students practice reading in an engaging way.
1. Word Family Books
These word family books are a great option for small groups! Each one focuses on a different phonics pattern, making it perfect for targeted small group instruction. You can go through each page of the book together as a group and then students can take the books home when theyโre finished. They love showing off their budding reading skills to their families!
2. Roll and Read
Roll and read activities are a fun way to help students get repetition with word reading. Students can each have their own list of words in front of them. Then each student can take a turn rolling a die. Once the die has been rolled, the group can read the corresponding row together or one student at a time. You can also turn it into a game like this Roll, Read and Cover activity.
3. Word Building
Word building activities can give students the chance to listen to the sounds they hear in words and determine which letters make those sounds. Once they have figured this out, they can build the words on a paper or task card. This printable activity is also perfect for adding some fine motor practice to your small group time!
4. Matching
As students continue to become more comfortable with word parts, a matching activity can help them review onset and rime! These task cards can be mixed up and arranged upside down on the table. Students can then take turns looking for task cards that complete a picture and form a word.
5. Spin a Word
This is another activity that helps students build words. Students can work in pairs, with one student spinning each of the spinners. Once they have built a word, they can decide if they made a real word or a nonsense word.
6. Pop! Game
This game is always a hit with kindergarten students! Each student has their own game board with different pictures on it. Students will take turns choosing a letter card from a bag or a pile on the table. They will try to build the words that go with the pictures on their game boards using the letter cards they draw.
7. I Have, Who Has?
This is another fun game for small group reading practice. Divide the cards among the students at your table. One student will start the game by asking โWho has ____?โ and another student will respond if they have a card that says โI have_______.โ After responding to the question, the student with that card will ask the โWho hasโ question at the bottom of that same card.
8. Sentence Reading
As students get more comfortable with word reading, itโs time for them to practice reading sentences during small group instruction. You can make this engaging with task cards! These sentence cards have corresponding pictures that you can use in different ways for small group reading practice. For example, you could give each student a picture card and then have them hold up their card when the group reads the sentence that matches their picture.
9. Decodable Readers
You can also use printable decodable readers for additional small group practice. Each reader focuses on a different phonics pattern, so you can choose the readers that target the sounds your students need to practice. These printable books can easily be sent home for additional reading practice. This can be so motivating for young kindergarten students!
10. Reading Fluency Passages
Students can also benefit from fluency practice during small group time. These decodable passages focus on a particular word family, which you can review together using the word reading activity at the top of the page. As students read the passages, you can monitor and provide feedback easily in the small group setting.
11. Reading Games
Small group time is perfect for playing a variety of reading games with your students. You can easily monitor and provide feedback as they play the game together as a group.ย
For example, the Donโt Let the Cat Out of the Bag game is always a favorite! Students will take turns choosing a word card from a bag. If they can read it, they move their game piece on the board the number of spaces they roll on a die. But they need to make sure they donโt let the cat out of the bag when theyโre choosing their cards!
12. Pocket Chart Activities
A pocket chart can also be a helpful tool for small group reading activities in kindergarten. Students can take turns choosing a picture card from a pile on the table, and then reading the word cards in a pocket chart to determine where the picture should go.
You can also arrange a variety of word cards in a pocket chart and then hide a star behind one of the word cards. Students can take turns guessing where the star is by reading words from the pocket chart. This simple activity is a fun way to help students get more practice with word reading!
Printable Reading Activities for Small Groups
All of the activities mentioned in this post (and MANY more) are included in one organized bundle of CVC activities for kindergarten. In addition to the small group activities featured in this post, youโll also find centers and worksheets that you can use throughout your daily learning routine.
Just click below to take a closer look at everything included in this bundle of CVC activities.
Small Group Reading Intervention CVC Words Activities Phonics Games & Centers
Save These Kindergarten Small Group Reading Activities
Be sure to save this post so you can come back to it later! Just add the pin below to your favorite kindergarten board on Pinterest. Youโll be able to quickly find these activities when youโre working on lesson plans for your small group instruction.
