4 1/2 years old

Reading Buddy Pointer Craft

08:30

As part of our journey to prepare Ethan for starting school in September we are doing as many activities as we can to get him ready.  We're starting by talking about the school uniform that he'll be wearing and all of the things that he will learn at school.  That has inspired us to make these cute little reading buddies.


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What you'll need:
  • wooden people sticks (or thick card / foam sheets cut into a person shape)
  • markers
  • other craft materials (optional)
  • reading books


This is a super easy one to make because you can really do anything that you like to decorate it.  We started with these great little wooden people sticks, but you could make your own simple people shapes out of thick card or foam sheets as well.  I asked the kids to describe their school uniforms to me, Ethan and a few of his friends will have green tops and grey trousers and one of the girls will wear a red gingham dress to her school.  So they used markers to draw on their little people to look like themselves in their school uniforms, even drawing the school logo on them.



They could take the craft even further by adding different materials and accessories, but we decided to keep it simple and just focus on the design.  The kids really put the effort into making their little wooden people look just like them, with their eye and hair colour and the details of their school uniforms.

Once they were finished then their little reading buddies were ready to use and help them to learn to read.  For beginners the reading buddies can be used to point at letters on a wall chart and for those ready to start on books they can be used to follow along with the words in the story.  This is great for Ethan as he is starting to sound out letters and blend them together for words but it does take some time and he often loses his place, so now he just points with his reading buddy and knows where he is.

I can also use it when I'm reading stories to Ethan, this way without even realising it he's picking up on the words that he sees in the book and the words that he hears me saying.  It can also be used as a bookmark so that we know which page we've left off on.


It's a great reminder every time we read of the uniform that Ethan will be wearing to school in September and all of the fun that he's going to have at school learning to read and write and so many other things!

If you're looking for more tips on preparing kids for school then read this page about Starting School.

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4 comments

  1. What a cute craft project. Good luck with school in September!

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  2. That's a great idea, not only useful but good for getting him ready for school. I hope all goes well in September.

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  3. That is such a good idea, I am forever using my finger and that is no fun at all

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  4. This is perfect for any pre readers or early readers. I love the fact that they can make it and then enjoy using it

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