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Read-Aloud Activities

Read-Aloud Activities to Keep Little Hands Busy


As the mom of three – THREE – active boys, I struggle with keeping my kids busy (but attentive) during a read-aloud. Most of our read-alouds are picture books, which means that they are short and sweet and have pictures as built-in distractors. But I’m trying to incorporate more chapter books into our schooling (especially as part of our history curriculum), both for the learning opportunities and the pure joy of sharing a story together.

Read-Aloud Activities

Diving into a good book should be fun, right? So why does the experience so often devolve into wrestling and fights and chaos? I’ve found that the remedy is to keep little hands busy during a chapter book read-aloud. So I’ve collected a list of 34 activities for us to try, which I’ve put into a handy-dandy printable that I’m making available to you, too! Print it out and keep it with your read-alouds so that you’re prepared with ideas for chaos-quelling activities.

Read-Aloud Activities

I’ve categorized the activities by age – activities appropriate for pre-school/ lower elementary, upper elementary, and a few activities that are fun for everyone. You might find an activity, like mazes, on both the Older Kids and Younger Kids lists (see below). But if you click on each link, you’ll find that the links send you to different activity books that are age-appropriate for each level.

Read-Aloud Activities

Read-Aloud Activities for Younger Kids

(This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase using the links. See my disclosure  for more information.)

Read-Aloud Activities for Older Kids

Fun for everyone!

*Use a craft tray to keep mess to a minimum.

Read-Aloud Activities

You’ll also find activities to avoid because they’re too loud or promote too much movement. It’s no fun reading to an audience of 0 when your kids chase a paper airplane out of the room!

Are you ready to make read-aloud time a little more manageable? Click on the image below to download your copy of read-aloud activity ideas today!

Read-Aloud Activities

1 thought on “Read-Aloud Activities to Keep Little Hands Busy”

  1. Pingback: FREE Printable: How to Keep Kids Busy During Read-Alouds | Free Homeschool Deals ©

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