Knock, knock. Who’s there?
Apple. Apple who?
Knock, knock. Who’s there?
Apple. Apple who?
Knock, knock. Who’s there?
Orange. Orange who?
Orange you glad I didn’t say apple!
Kids love knock, knock jokes and they also love stories. Many books for this age level contain both fantasy and dialogue. For this last apple activity before going on to fall, set an orange and an apple on the table and let them be the main characters in a told-outloud story. To start, the adult may need to be the voices for both. Here’s a get-started dialogue: “Hello, Apple.” “Hello, Orange.” “The most exciting adventure happened to me, today.” “Ooh, tell me about it.” “It all started when I rolled off the table and into a bag of books!” Continue on with details of the adventure. Your child can pretend to be one or both of the characters.
Fun? Yes. Learning? Yes, yes! Making up stories encourages using and manipulating language, creating meaning with dialogue, exercising the imagination and more. It prepares the brain connections needed for reading. to extend the activity, you may even write out the story and let your little one ‘read’ it to the family. Video it and send it to grandparents. What other adventures are lurking in your kitchen?