Spending time to set up literacy centers in kindergarten truly helps build a solid literacy foundation. Literacy centers allow students to practice reading and writing skill at their own pace because they are easily differentiated. There are many options of how to run and set up literacy centers and I typically had 8 centers that I ran in my classroom. Today, I’m sharing my four favorite literacy centers in kindergarten that are both easy to set up and impactful for students.
The Book Making Center is one of my absolute favorites because it gets students excited about both reading and writing. There are a few different ways you can run this center.
Once students have made their book, I always liked to have them read the book to 3 friends and have their friend sign their name on the back. You can see a sample of that here on the back of my alphabet books. If there is not designated spot, I just had my kids sign their name on the last page.
The Writing Center is super simple to set up and keep going! Kids love to be able to write letters, short stories and publish them, or complete a writing craft! The center lends itself to kids working on their own skill-level. Some kids may need a prompt to their ideas churning, while others blast off to write!
The writing center is a great place to introduce a writing craft that ties into a recent seasonal read-aloud or topic. I loved to use these as a form of assessment. You could have kids start their writing in the center, then confer with you, and finish their writing craft during their next time at the center.
I love incorporating activities like my Scarecrow Writing Craft, which you can find here. It’s the perfect blend of creativity and writing, all in one fun project!
Pocket charts are one of my favorite classroom tools to have! They are a hands-on way for students to practice so many concepts. Sometimes I used them whole group, but I truly loved having a whole center devoted to the pocket chart.
Most of the time, in this center, students would practice phonics and word work. One of the activities I love to incorporate here is a phonics sort using words from our shared reading poems or word work activities.
This center allows students to manipulate words, practice sorting by phonics patterns, and reinforce their learning from other literacy lessons.
Another fun idea for the Pocket Chart Center is using word sorts. For example, students can sort the words by initial sound, phonics pattern, or syllable count. It’s a great way to bring your phonics instruction to life! You can find lots of word work activities and pocket chart sorts in my Kindergarten Word Work Activities and 1st Grade Word Work Activities.
You may be wondering why I called it both Big Book or Poem Center, but that’s because sometimes kids would use the big book we used for shared reading, and other times they would use the poem we read for shared reading. This center helps in building fluency and print concepts. They also are great for developing an early love for reading.
*August Shared Reading poems are pictured above.
Each week we would use a big book or seasonal poem to practice various reading skills together. After we were done, the following week, it would go to the center. Kids knew the routine and followed it when they were there. They LOVED playing “teacher”, too! These poems and big books would allow students to reread familiar texts, growing their confidence and fluency.
You can check out my Shared Reading Poems here for an engaging, seasonal addition to your Poem Center!
Storage Tip: Use a large basket to store the big books, and would hole punch the poems on chart paper so they could flip through them like a big book that flipped at the top.
Literacy centers in kindergarten are an effective way to build foundational reading and writing skills. If you are looking for tips on how to easily organize your centers, check out THIS BLOG POST. By incorporating centers like Book Making, the Writing Center, the Pocket Chart Center, and the Big Book or Poem Center, you’ll create an engaging classroom environment that meets your little readers and writers where they are. Don’t forget to check out my teacher-loved resources to make your kindergarten centers a piece of cake to implement!
Want to use the latest research to boost your readers during small groups? This FREE guide is packed with engaging ideas to help them grow!
I’m a K-1 teacher who is passionate about making lessons your students love and that are easy to implement for teachers. Helping teachers like you navigate their way through their literacy block brings me great joy. I am a lifelong learner who loves staying on top of current literacy learning and practices. Here, you’ll find the tools you need to move your K-2 students forward!
