As a crime-fighting super hero, WordGirl has certainly faced her share of challenges. From conquering Miss Power and her super strength to defeating Dr. Two Brains and his superior intellect, WordGirl has never allowed anything to stand in her way. To help children learn about overcoming obstacles, introduce them to WordGirl’s new Word of the Week: Challenge.
Children face all kinds of challenges when growing up, whether at school or at home. Help your children learn more about these challenges and discuss strategies for overcoming them. . Then, try these learning activities to help your children put them to practice using their new vocabulary word!
Activity 1: Read about characters who face challenges. There is no better way to teach your children about challenges and overcoming them than with a good book. You can find a perfect book for any age, including these edgy books for your pre-teens or these books that will inspire courage in your younger reader. Read a book along with your children and ask them what challenges the characters faced and how they overcame them. Also, ask your children to put themselves in the place of the characters and how they would have handled these situations.
Activity 2: Write about a personal challenge. Encourage your children to further explore this Word of the Week by writing about their own personal challenges. Give your children the following writing prompt: “What was a challenge you faced in your life and how did you overcome it?” Encourage your children to be as descriptive as possible and include their feelings about the challenge. Write about your own challenge, too, and then plan a time for the whole family to share what they’ve written.
Activity 3: Set a reading challenge. It’s the last week of Scholastic’s Summer Challenge, but there is still time to log some extra minutes. Have your children set a reading goal of the final week and challenge them to meet it. Help them set a reading schedule to support them in meeting their goals. Also, be a good reading role model and spend time reading with your children this week to help them reach their goal.
Activity 4: Build an obstacle course. With the start of the school year fast approaching, enjoy the end of summer break outside with your children by building a challenging (!) obstacle course. Have your children crawl under lawn chairs, jump through sprinklers, and then run through a homemade finish line banner. Teach your children that challenges can come in all shapes and sizes with this fun homemade activity.
