As Read Across America Day is coming closer, many teachers across the United States are looking for fun ways to incorporate the Dr. Seuss classics into their classes. Luckily, this isn’t hard to do!
There are so many great resources available to teachers at little to no cost. So, the real question is, what story should you start with? My thoughts are to start with Fox in Socks!
However, make sure to read many of the great Dr. Seuss stories for a week full of fun, learning, and laughs!
Why Read Fox in Socks?
As with many Dr. Seuss stories, Fox in Socks is not only fun to read but teaches children the art of rhyme, alliteration, and work sounds.
Get the book: here
Preschoolers and older kids will love watching you (their teacher) get tongue twisted. This tongue-twisting book is so much fun to read aloud with your kids, and it is even more fun to practice.
Further, the fun characters in the story, along with the consistent repetition of words, make this an excellent learning text as well as a fantastic kick-off to a Dr. Seuss theme week.
1. Wear Silly Socks!
When it comes to different Fox in Socks activities, you cannot go without a day of wearing silly socks! Read the story aloud with your class, but before you do, have all your kids take off their shoes to reveal those silly socks.
Wearing silly socks on Wacky Wednesday is a fun activity that takes virtually zero prep time!
Have Students Draw Silly Socks
There is no doubt that children (and adults) love to create and participate in crafts. Pair reading the story with allowing students to create their silly socks! You can click the link here to copy socks clipart, then paste it to a document. Viola! You have your set of free printables for your Fox in Socks activities.
2. Do Some Fun Tongue Twisters
I found this PDF printable pack of fun tongue twisters that you can read aloud with your students. You can even make this into a contest to see who can say their tongue twister the fastest! Tongue twisters are not only such much fun; they help students understand the concept of alliteration.
Have Students Make Their Own!
Kids love to share their own funny creations! Provide your students with simple instructions on creating their tongue twister, and see what they can come up with. Allow them to share their creativity with the class for more fun.
3. Do Memory Match Puzzles
Memory match puzzles are a fantastic way to build focus and cognitive functions. These hands-on activities are tremendous both in the classroom and homeschool environments. Practice doing these memory match puzzles as a class, then allow your students to work as a group. Make this a contest to see who can match all the pieces together the fastest!
4. Make Gooey Blue Goo!
This particular one certainly counts as a STEM activity! Tactile activities like this strike interest in science, especially for preschoolers.
You can’t read the Fox in Socks story and NOT make Gooey Blue Goo!
Besides, have you ever met a child that doesn’t like playing with something that makes a mess? There are tons of different recipes and resources on making slime or fluffy slime.
I like this quick video on YouTube that will show you and your students exactly how to make their own “gooey blue goo”!
5. Do a ”Quick Trick Brick Stack”
Here are another one of those hands-on activities that fit perfectly with your Fox in Socks themed day.
As you read, “First, I’ll make a quick trick brick stack. Then I’ll make a quick trick block stack”, allow your kids to work with giant legos, wooden blocks, or even Jenga game pieces.
You can easily make this a fun game by placing letters, words (vocabulary), patterns, or numbers on the blocks to make this a more in-depth learning activity.
This activity is excellent for preschool-aged children just learning how to recognize shapes, numbers, and letters.
6. Do a Word Scramble
Create a Fox in Socks word scramble with your kids. In particular, if you are teaching text-specific vocabulary, this is a beautiful and fun activity that will get students to take a closer look at their words. Plus, writing down the words will help solidify them. This particular activity is also great to send home for kids to do with their parents.
You Can Also Do a Word Search!
Personally, I am a huge fan of word searches. Fortunately, since Fox in Socks is such a popular Dr. Seuss story, there are a ton of free printables for this exact thing! I found one website that had several great options for word searches. The link given has varied difficulty levels, so you can choose which would be best for your class.
7. Read Green Eggs and Ham…then Make it!
Being an English teacher, anytime we read a story, I always pair it with another story. In this particular case, what better silly book to pair with Fox in Socks than Green Eggs and Ham?
One of my most memorable lessons as a child was reading this story and then making the eggs and ham green in class!
This activity takes a little more effort to prepare, but if I remember my Dr. Seuss-themed meal thirty years later, your kids will too!
Ingredients:
- At least a dozen eggs
- Ham! Simple slices of lunch meat will do!
- A griddle
- Spatula
- Bowls
- Disposable plates and forks
- Green food coloring
8. Have Students Create Story Cards
After reading your Fox in Socks story, have students write and illustrate their own silly stories! Make sure you give clear directions for each child to follow. This is a fantastic way to allow your students to show their creativity by writing and drawing pictures. Plus, this also allows beginning writers the opportunity to practice their print. When done with their cards, have each child read their story to the class.
9. Do Silly Mad Libs
Mad Libs is an amazing tool for reviewing essential parts of speech, such as nouns, verbs, and adjectives. Because Fox in Socks is such a silly story, why not use this tool to make more silly stories?
There are tons of free printables for this type of activity, and they range from beginning school to high school age. ReadBrightly is an excellent website for kids with free printables available for every grade level.
Final Thoughts on Fox in Socks Activities
With all of the many different Fox in Socks activities, there is no shortage of free and useful ideas! On this list is a genuine effort to provide you with some of the best ideas to explore for your own classes. These various crafts, puzzles, worksheets, and more will guarantee a special learning activity for each and every child that participates!
