Elementary School

In this tab you can find activities, games, stories, and resources to engage your children according to different age levels. These resources can help your child get excited about reading and learning to read.

These activities are targeted for Elementary School ages.


Dyslexia Communication Tools for Schools

Our Center partnered with the Ohio Department of Education, Ohio families, and educators to develop sample communication tools and guidance for schools related to Ohio’s Dyslexia Laws. These resources are aligned with Ohio’s Dyslexia Guidebook for schools, and can be copied/adapted for local use.

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Dyslexia Resource Guide for Ohio Families 

What is dyslexia?
Dyslexia is one of the most common learning disabilities. People with dyslexia have many strengths, but have unexpected trouble learning to read. These difficulties are not related to a person’s intelligence or motivation. Children with dyslexia can learn to read. Families, early childhood teachers, or kindergarten teachers are often the first to notice children having difficulty with talking or learning at school. It is important to pay attention to potential signs that a child may have dyslexia. Children with dyslexia can show any mix of signs. While any one sign does not necessarily mean your child has dyslexia, it is important to talk with your child’s teachers if you have concerns.

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Unite for Literacy

At Unite for Literacy, we picture a world where all children have access to an abundance of books that celebrate their languages and cultures and cultivate a lifelong love of reading.

Unite for Literacy has developed the platform, publishing tools, and systems-based strategies that support our public and private sector partners to change the literacy landscape of their communities and optimize the future for all their young children. Our projects build home libraries and support families to develop a daily habit of reading, both of which are key factors in growing lifelong readers.

To accomplish our vision, the Unite for Literacy team brings together expertise from the fields of literacy education, business innovation, strategic planning, and early childhood development. Team members include;

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Sesame Workshop Games and Storybooks


Explore our Games and Storybooks. Help incorporate playful learning into your child’s early education through different kinds of games, storybooks, and interactives that will keep them curious, confident, and excited to explore more.

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Read Aloud Resources

ALL Ohio (Advancing Literacy Learning in Ohio) is a compilation of high-quality professional learning resources for Ohio’s P20 education system. ALL Ohio serves as a tool to strengthen educators’ knowledge and skills in evidence-based language and literacy practices grounded in the science of reading.


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Family Engagement Activities

Animal Walks are simple and fun exercises that invite children to use their imagination to
move their bodies to copy animals. They are an easy way to get a quick dose of gross motor
play into your child’s day. These tasks get kids moving and active and allow them to release
energy. Many of these movements develop core strength, balance, and agility which are
wonderful for helping children control their sensory needs. Gross motor skills are a big part
of children’s healthy development at all ages.

Learn more here.


Back To School

Fall is on its way, and it’s time for the school year to begin — and not just for kids, but for parents and teachers, too. Parents can help their young children become acclimated to the newness of school and ease their older kids back into familiar school-day routines. If you’re a teacher — whether a novice or an old pro — Reading Rockets has ideas and resources to help you get ready for the best school year yet.

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Why is it important to read over the summer?

  • Research shows that students can maintain or improve reading skills when they are out of school for the summer.
  • Access to books over the summer increases reading opportunities and enjoyment of books, and helps students be ready for next school year.
  • Students who read at least five books during the summer can maintain important literacy skills.

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Ohio’s Dyslexia Guidebook

Ohio’s Dyslexia Guidebook is available now. As required by Ohio law, Ohio’s Dyslexia Guidebook contains best practices and methods for universal screening, intervention and remediation for children with dyslexia or children displaying dyslexic characteristics and tendencies. Districts and schools should use the guidebook to access critical information for successful implementation of Ohio’s dyslexia support laws.

Read full article here


Resources for Families

At Reading Partners we know the learning doesn’t begin and end in the classroom. Research shows that family involvement is the number one predictor of early literacy success and future academic achievement. We encourage family members to read at home with their kids every day and stay involved in their children’s educational experience.

We want parents, guardians, and other relatives caring for children to become the best reading partners for their kids. Here are some resources to stay educated and informed about early literacy.

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Where to Find Free Audiobooks and Digital Text-to-Speech Books for Your Child

At a Glance

  • Audiobooks and digital text-to-speech books can be a good way to help kids with reading issues.
  • You can get these books for free from libraries, schools, and online sources like Bookshare.
  • Talk to your school and local library about what’s available for your child.

Read full article here.


How to Teach Kids With Dyslexia to Read

Child Mind Institute – Children are diagnosed with dyslexia when they fall behind their peers in learning to read, usually during their first few years in school. The cause isn’t a lack of intelligence, it’s a failure to develop a particular skill: decoding written language. Some kids with dyslexia figure out ways to compensate for their poor reading skills, and their struggles aren’t recognized until they are older, when the demand for reading and synthesizing a lot of material becomes too difficult for them to work around.

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Promoting Literacy

with dinnertime storytelling, family conversation, and books about food. Regular family dinner may be a more powerful vocabulary-builder for young kids than reading.

Read the full article here.


Unite for Literacy

Unite for Literacy projects build home libraries and support families to develop a daily habit of reading, both of which are key factors in growing lifelong readers. Read together and listen to books of your choice in a variety of languages.

Start Reading Today!


How Parents Can Instill Reading

Boy and Girl reading book.

How Parents Can Instill Reading. Parents often ask how they can help their children learn to read; and it’s no wonder that they’re interested in this essential skill. Reading plays an important role in later school success.  Parents often ask how they can help their children learn to read; and it’s no wonder that they’re interested in this essential skill. Reading plays an important role in later school success. 

Reading full article here.



Learning About Your Child’s Reading Development

Learning to read is difficult. While spoken language develops in most cases naturally, reading requires explicitsystematic instruction.

This page from The National Center on Improving Literacy, describes typical reading development from emergent through fluent reading. Sometimes we have concerns. This article offers a quick overview of the skills to look for and what to do if the child in your life seems to not be acquiring the skills.



The Development of Phonological Skills

Basic listening skills and “word awareness” are critical precursors to phonological awareness. Learn the milestones for acquiring phonological skills. This page helps parents to understand the importance of developmental phonological skills through easy to understand definitions. There is also a table which notes the age where 80 to 90 percent of typical students have achieved each phonological skill.


Defining Dyslexia

Dyslexia is a brain-based learning disability that specifically impairs a person’s ability to read. For individuals with dyslexia, specific portions of the brain typically associated with important reading processes may not function in the same ways that they do in individuals without dyslexia. Individuals with dyslexia often have difficulty with phonological processing, spelling, or rapid visual-verbal responding. Importantly, dyslexia is related to reading difficulties, not difficulties that arise from intellectual functioning.

  • Defining Dyslexia
    Dyslexia affects about one in every five individuals, making it the most commonly diagnosed learning disability. Dyslexia affects the brain areas associated with detection and processing of sounds and their corresponding letters. These letter-sound linkages are fundamental to reading. When these brain regions do not function efficiently to make these connections, reading development is affected.

Defining Dyslexia


Family and Community Toolbox

The purpose of the Family and Community Toolbox is to provide resources in order to build upon the natural learning opportunities that occur within a child’s daily routine in the home and community. The resources contained in this toolbox provide encouragement to families and caregivers in supporting the early language and literacy development of children in their care.

Family and Community Toolbox


Getting Involved with your child’s learning.

The information in this guide will give you a sample of some of the things your child will need to know and be able to do in reading for kindergarten. The guide also has helpful practice problems, tips and activities you can do with your child to help him or her achieve the new standards.

A Standards Guide for Families (Language Arts)


Parent Guide to Helping Your Child Learn to Read for Preschool through Grade Three

Success in school starts with reading.  When children become good readers in the early grades, they are more likely to become better learners throughout their school years and beyond. Learning to read is hard work for children.

Put Reading First – Parent Guide


Ohio Department of Education- Parents

Active, involved parents are an essential resource for Ohio’s schools in making the most of every child’s educational experience, from pre-kindergarten all the way through high school. This page has information you can use to help guide your child’s education.

My Child is in…Preschool, Kindergarten, Elementary School, etc.