Every-bunny loves to read!
This spring, I’m joining LeapFrog® to share some creative and playful ways to make learning to read a magical part of your family’s Easter celebration. As a former preschool teacher and now a mom of three, one of my favorite ways to keep learning engaging and fun is to incorporate it into holiday traditions!
My youngest, Josie, is 4 years old and at the very start of her reading journey. There’s nothing quite like seeing a new reader’s excitement when they recognize a letter or sound out a new word. LeapFrog®’s interactive and educational toys have played a huge role in Josie’s learning process! These toys have helped to spark her interest, build her confidence, and nurture a love of storytelling and exploration.
Below, I’m sharing some of our favorite at-home activities and how we incorporate our favorite LeapFrog® toys. These ideas are sure to make learning to read egg-stra special and fun for your little ones this Easter!
1. Create a Cozy Easter Book Nook
One of my favorite traditions for each holiday is setting up a cozy, holiday-themed reading corner and filling it with soft pillows, blankets, and holiday books. This inviting space encourages your child to relax, explore books independently, or share storytime with you. Add a small basket with favorite books, like the LeapFrog® LeapReader® Learn-to-Read 10-Book Mega Pack™. I love that this pack grows with Josie through her entire learning journey, from hearing the story read aloud to exploring word-by-word using the stylus in ‘Say It’ or ‘Sound It’ modes.
2. Read with a Bunny Buddy
Encourage kids to read to their stuffed animals or to their LeapFrog® My Pal Scout & Violet Smarty Paws™, which can respond with fun phrases and music. This activity builds reading confidence in a low-pressure, interactive way. After reading, come up with questions and have Scout and Violet pretend to “ask” your child about the story, like, “What color was the bunny?”. This activity strengthens reading comprehension and makes reading interactive and fun!
3. Alphabet Egg Hunt
Set up a learn-to-read egg hunt by hiding letters around your home. When your little one finds an egg, they can use the LeapFrog® LeapStart® Learning Success Bundle™ to identify the letter using the stylus on the included Adventures in Learning’s Alphabet Jamboree page. They will hear words and sounds associated with their letter, helping them to discover the connection between letters and sounds.
4. Easter Phonics Hop
Make an active phonics game using the LeapFrog® Get Ready for Phonics™ Spin & Learn. Write different phonics sounds (letters or blends) that are found on the toy on paper signs and place them on the floor. Then, play a fun Easter song, like the “Bunny Hop,” and have your child hop from sign to sign. When the music stops, they can identify the sound written on the sign they’re standing on by matching it to the corresponding button on the Spin & Learn toy to hear it aloud. Start with a few simple sounds and gradually introduce more so they can flip through multiple pages on the Get Ready for Phonics™ Spin & Learn as they advance. This playful activity combines movement with sound recognition, helping reinforce early phonics skills in an engaging, active way!
5. Word Family Eggs
Create interactive “word family eggs” to practice reading simple CVC (consonant, vowel, consonant) words by using a permanent marker to write different beginning consonants on one half of a plastic egg and a common word family ending on the other half. For example, to make an egg for the -AT word family, write letters like C, B, M, R, H, S, P, and F on the top half, and write -AT on the bottom half. Kids can twist the egg halves to line up different letters, forming words like CAT, BAT, MAT, RAT, HAT, SAT, PAT, and FAT as they spin the two halves of the egg. Make eggs for other word families like -an, -it, -op, -ot, -en, etc. and their various beginning consonants.
We love pairing this activity with the LeapFrog® Mr. Pencil’s® Scribble, Write & Read™. In the ‘reading’ and ‘spelling’ modes, Mr. Pencil helps Josie sound out words and reinforces the word families she’s learning with the eggs, making it even more engaging and educational!
6. Child Author
Encourage creativity, vocabulary, and comprehension by making up Easter-themed stories using the LeapFrog® Learning Friends® 100 Words Book™. Have your child select a few words from the book and then create a story about Easter using those words. You may want to help guide the story structure by leading them through a beginning, middle, and end. Write down the story as they tell it to you and then they can draw pictures to illustrate their story. They’ll love to “read” it back with you. For some extra fun, switch to the book’s ‘sound’ mode to add even more dimension and excitement to their story!
Whether your little one is just beginning to recognize letters or already flipping through their favorite stories, make learning feel egg-stra special by incorporating these playful reading activities into your Easter celebrations!
Jessica Grant highlights a joyful and creative childhood, motherhood, and home through her Instagram @jessicagrant14 and blog, JessicaEtCetera.com. With a background in preschool education and now a mom to 3 young children, Jessica enjoys sharing all kinds of fun including crafts, DIY, and learning through play with the goal of creating a magical and memorable childhood!
