BEAR Family Learning Activities

Be Excited About Reading - BEAR Book Learning Activities

Family Learning Activities that Develop Readers Ready for School

The Be Excited About Reading (BEAR) book activities were developed by the Goodling Institute as family learning activities. These activities are intended for parents and young children (3 to 5 years of age) to engage in together to help develop the child's literacy and school readiness skills.

Each activity contains a Before Reading activity, an opportunity to Read Together, and an After Reading activity.

• The Before Reading activity is a time for the parent and child to examine the book and talk about the picture on the cover, as well as other aspects of the book.
• The Reading Together time is an opportunity to read through the book, as well as ask open-ended questions and talk about what happens in the story.
• The After Reading activities or activities are a time to engage in activities based on the book such as reciting poems, making cookies, or acting out the story like a play!

Also included on the BEAR Activity sheet are a list of similar books that can be found at the local library.