There is something pretty special about a child sharing a book with a grandparent or another special person.
They might snuggle up in a favorite chair, choose a book they both love, use silly voices for the characters, stop to look at the pictures, or talk about their favorite part when the story is finished.
And while all of that makes for a sweet reading experience, it can also become an opportunity for some really meaningful K–2 literacy learning!
That was my goal when I updated my How to Read to a Grandma and Grandpa resource.
Rather than simply adding more activities, I wanted to give teachers a way to use this familiar topic to teach comprehension, vocabulary, fluency, informational reading, sequencing, writing, speaking and listening, and even a little math.
So I organized the learning around two lesson options:
Lesson 1 — How to Read to a Grandma and Grandpa
Lesson 2 — How to Read to Someone Special
Teachers can choose the lesson that works best for their students—or teach both and extend the learning across two days!
❤️ Lesson 1: Begin with the Joy of Reading Together
Before diving into comprehension skills, begin with something children already understand—their own experiences with books.
Who do they enjoy reading with?
Where is their favorite place to read?
What kinds of books or topics do they enjoy?
Would they rather read fiction or nonfiction?
A Circle, Color, Write & Draw morning opener gives children a chance to think about these questions before the lesson even begins.
For younger learners, this doesn’t need to be an independent worksheet. Read the prompts aloud, let children circle their choices, draw their ideas, and talk with a partner.
Right away, you’re building speaking, listening, personal connections, and literacy vocabulary.
📖 Turn the Read-Aloud into Meaningful Comprehension
Next, introduce the suggested How to Read to a Grandma or Grandpa read-aloud.
Before reading, spend a little time with the cover.
What do students notice?
What do they think the book might teach them?
What might they need if they were going to read with a grandma, grandpa, or someone special?
The title itself provides an interesting clue.
This book might teach us HOW to do something!
As you read, encourage children to listen for the different ideas that make reading together special.
They might notice things such as:
choosing a book • finding a cozy place • using a fun reading voice • looking at pictures • turning pages • reading together • talking about the story
The goal isn’t to stop on every page and turn the read-aloud into a quiz.
Let children enjoy the story!
Then return to those important ideas afterward for discussion, recall, sequencing, and comprehension.
🎭 Don’t Forget About Reading with Expression!
One of the most fun parts of reading aloud to someone else is deciding how the words should sound.
Should you use a soft voice?
A silly voice?
A scary voice?
A loud voice?
A normal reading voice?
Students can experiment with expression using the Practice Your Voices fluency activity. They roll a die and read a simple sentence using the corresponding voice.
And suddenly fluency practice doesn’t feel very much like practice at all!
It’s also a simple way to help young readers discover that the way we use our voices can change how a story sounds and feels.
Lesson 2: Move from a Story to Informational Reading
The second lesson takes the learning in a different direction.
Instead of simply returning to the read-aloud and completing more activities about it, students become informational readers.
Begin by introducing a simple question:
What is a how-to text?
For young children, I like to keep the answer very clear:
A how-to text teaches us how to do something.
A simple anchor chart introduces four important features:
Goal — What are we learning to do?
Steps — What do we do?
Order — What comes first, next, then, and last?
Details — What helps us complete each step?
Now students have a purpose for reading.
They aren’t just reading the words.
They’re reading to figure out how to do something.
🥰 How Do You Read with Someone Special?
Students can then read the included informational mini-reader, How to Read to Someone Special.
The text walks children through five easy-to-understand steps:
First — Choose a Book
Next — Find a Cozy Place
Then — Choose Your Voice
After That — Read Together
Finally — Talk & Share
I especially like this progression because the topic is familiar enough for young learners to understand, but the text structure introduces some pretty important literacy concepts.
Children are learning to recognize sequence words, identify important details, follow steps in order, and determine the purpose of an informational text.
For Kindergarten, the mini-reader can become an interactive read-aloud.
With first- and second-graders, children can read along and even underline or highlight sequence words and important information.
Same text. Different levels of support.
🔢 Put Those Steps in Order!
Once students have read the mini-reader, bring out the sequencing cards.
Mix up the five steps and challenge students to put them back in order.
Then have a little fun with it!
Switch two cards.
“Something isn’t right! Can you fix it?”
Once the sequence is correct, students can use the cards to orally retell the procedure:
First…
Next…
Then…
After that…
Finally…
This gives children important oral-language practice before asking them to complete a comprehension or writing activity independently.
✏️ Move Naturally from Reading into Writing
Once children understand how a how-to text works, they’re ready to try some procedural writing of their own.
Students can think about reading with someone special and plan what they would do.
Who would they read with?
What would they read?
Where would they get cozy?
What kind of reading voice might they use?
What would they do when the book was finished?
The included writing organizer helps students structure their ideas using First, Next, and Then before moving to a final writing page.
And, of course, the expectations can change depending on your learners.
Kindergartners might draw and tell.
First-graders might draw, label, and write simple sentences.
Second-graders can use sequence words and complete sentences to create a more developed how-to piece.
📊 Sneak in a Little Math, Too!
I love when a literacy topic naturally leads into another subject area.
Ask students:
Would you rather READ TO someone or have someone READ TO YOU?
Now you have a class survey!
Students can vote, collect data, tally responses, and compare the results.
Which choice has more?
Which has fewer?
How many students chose each one?
How many more students chose one choice than the other?
It’s a simple math connection that still feels completely connected to the reading theme.
🍎 Make the Resource Work for YOUR Classroom
One of the most important things about this update is that these activities are not meant to become a giant checklist.
You don’t need to teach every vocabulary word.
You don’t need to complete every comprehension page.
And you definitely don’t need to squeeze every activity into one day!
That’s why I included two one-page teacher lesson guides.
Choose one lesson—or teach both.
Choose one comprehension activity that fits your learners.
Use vocabulary and word work during centers or small groups.
Save an additional writing activity for another day.
Use the math connection when it fits your schedule.
Differentiate the same activity by allowing younger children to respond orally or with pictures while older students read and write more independently.
The resource is there to give you options.
That’s what makes it a teacher tool rather than simply a collection of worksheets.
❤️ Because Reading Together Is About More Than Reading
At the center of all of these activities is one very simple idea:
Books are meant to be shared.
Whether a child is reading with a grandma, grandpa, parent, sibling, teacher, friend, or another special person, sharing a book gives children an opportunity to talk, listen, laugh, wonder, and connect.
And when we pair those experiences with purposeful literacy instruction, we can turn a familiar topic into meaningful learning.
Choose a Book • Get Cozy • Read • Talk • Enjoy!
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