Early Literacy in Everyday Places: The Mud

Spring rain showers provide lots of great chances for kids to play in the mud. Use these early literacy activities to supplement your messy play time.

• Write in the mud with a stick. Help your child practice recognizing letters, sight words, or his name by writing in the mud with a stick and asking the child to name what you have written, or challenge your child to write certain letters or words in the mud on his own and see how many he knows.
• Act out the story of Mrs. Wishy Washy. Pretend to be the cow, duck, and pig who play in the mud, then get washed off  by Mrs. Wishy Washy.  This would be an especially great activity for multiple children to enjoy together. (You can also easily do this one inside if you'd rather avoid a muddy mess.)
• Sing a worm song. While they dig and splash in the mud, kids can sing fun songs like Herman the Worm and Nobody Likes Me.
• Make a mud pie. Encourage kids to use mud, leaves, grass, flowers, and anything else found outdoors to build the perfect mud pie. Have them name their ingredients and narrate the process to enhance their creativity and narrative skills.

For more outdoor early literacy fun, check out these ideas for activities to enjoy at the park.