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Activity: Adjectives abound

Materials:
Pen, paper, a few of your child's favorite books
Time:
30 minutes
Skills:
Grammar, vocabulary, subject knowledge

Celebrate the magical world of adjectives with your child by doing this activity in the car, at the dinner table or as a party game. A piece of paper, a pencil or pen and a few of your child's favourite books are all you need.

Pull out several books that you have read before with your child. Ask him to use words to describe the story to you. The Wizard of Oz might be "exciting" or "scary," while The Stinky Cheese Man might be "funny" or "silly."

List the adjectives on a piece of paper. Do this for several favourite books. Discuss with your child the words he chose to describe the books. The words he selects may provide you with insights into your child’s reading preferences. Does he prefer funny stories to scary ones? Exciting stories to fanciful ones?

Talk about other types of books that might be interesting to your child. Encourage your child to choose books that will offer a wide range of reading experiences. The more your child reads, the more likely it will be that those adjectives will keep changing.

As your child becomes more proficient with adjectives, try playing this game without writing anything down. Then try playing it with other topics, such as foods, activities or movies.