Find a cozy spot outside on a cloudy day to read this book. Sit down and bring your child’s attention to the clouds in the sky. For example: 

“Look at the clouds in the sky. The wind is causing the clouds to move or drift across the sky. Can you think of something else that can drift in the sky?” (leaves, balloons, feathers)

Introduce the title of the book, the name of the author and the illustrator. As you read the title let your finger “drift” along the words to demonstrate reading left to right. 

Oral Language

With each illustration, ask your child when he might have had an experience with the shape seen in the illustration. Allow your child time to think and expand the answer to the question.  

Beginning Writing

Create your own cloud book. Provide chalk and bright blue construction paper. Ask your child to look up at the clouds in the sky and think about the shapes he sees. Encourage your child to draw a cloud shape on the paper and tell you about it.

Letter Knowledge

Use sidewalk chalk on a concrete surface and write your child’s name in cloud shaped letters. Say the letters that you wrote and have your child “drift” from one letter to the next as you say the letter name.

Phonological Awareness

Create a cloud snack. Cut a paper plate into a cloudy shape. Provide a selection of snacks that begin with the sound of /k/, such as carrots, cucumbers, cauliflower, corn, cookies or cake. Talk about what you are eating, say the words together and remind your child how they all begin with the same sound.

Discover more age-appropriate pre-reading activities for two-year-olds and browse more engaging books.