December 2026 (PDF)

Daily literacy-building activities to share with your child.
DECEMBER 2026
W W W . P L A . O R G
S U N D A Y
M O N D A Y
T U E S D A Y
W E D N E S D A Y
T H U R S D A Y
F R I D A Y
S A T U R D A Y
	 1	
WRITING
Make a winter card to send 
to someone special. Who 
will you send it to? Use a 
stamp and post the card in 
a mailbox.
	 2	
PLAYING
Make an indoor tent with 
blankets and furniture. 
Cuddle together and read 
favorite books.
	 3	
TALKING
Plan a real or imagined party 
together and make a list of 
everything you’ll need and 
everything you will do at the 
party.
	 4	
SINGING
Change the way you sing a 
familiar song. Sing it faster 
or slower. Change up the 
words.
	 5	
COUNTING
Weigh your child and and  
write it here: ________ 
Compare it to January and 
June.
	 6	
READING
Read books about different 
holidays and  
how people  
celebrate 
them.
	 7	
WRITING
Wrap and unwrap blocks 
with tin foil. This helps 
strengthen writing muscles 
and manual dexterity.
	 8	
PLAYING
Pretend to be an animal that 
likes cold weather. Who will 
you be?
	 9	
TALKING
Talk about your feelings. 
What made you happy 
today?
	 10	
SINGING
Sing “The Frost Song.”
(Words are on the back. 
)
	 11	 COUNTING
Measure your child’s height 
and write it here: ________ 
Compare it to January and 
June.
	 12	 READING
Read stories and then talk 
about them. Ask, ‘What was 
your favorite part of the 
story?’ or ‘Which character 
did you like best?’
	 13	
WRITING
Use words or drawings to 
label objects and create 
signs for different areas of 
the house.
	 14	 PLAYING
Trace a variety of different 
objects on a piece of paper. 
	 15	
TALKING
At mealtimes, talk about the 
food that you are preparing, 
what tools you are using, 
how you are making it, and 
how it will taste.
	 16	
SINGING
Recite “Three Little Kittens.”
(Words are  
on the  
back. 
)
	 17	 COUNTING
Make a high tower with 
blocks. How many blocks did 
you use?
	 18	 READING
Be a reading role model. 
Let your child see you 
reading a book, magazine, or 
newspaper.
	 19	
WRITING
Create a Menu: Discuss what 
you’ll have for dinner (or any 
meal). Help your child write 
and draw a menu.
	 20	 PLAYING
Use play dough to  
make a  
snowman. 
	 21	
TALKING
Encourage family members 
to share stories about their 
day during dinner or before 
bedtime.
	 22	 SINGING
Sing “Cold and Snowy 
Morning”
(Words are on the back. 
)
23	COUNTING
Name three things you have 
to wear in winter.
	 24	 READING
After reading a book, use 
puppets, toys, or stuffed 
animals to act out the story.
	 25	 WRITING
With your child, 
make a book of 
words and drawings 
of things they are 
interested in.
	 26	 PLAYING
Go for a short walk after 
dark. What do you see? What 
does it feel like outside?
	 27	 TALKING
Talk about favorite things 
that happened in the past 
year.
	 28	 SINGING
Sing nonsense words to a 
familiar tune. Sha la la. Doo 
bee doo bee doo bee doo 
wop bop, etc.
29	 COUNTING
Work together to put a  
stack of children’s books 
in order from largest to 
smallest.
	 30	 READING
Read a book of nursery 
rhymes. The library can help 
you find one.
	 31	
WRITING
Write a list of things to do 
in 2027.

Check out these books at the library. If they are not available,  
ask the librarian for a recommendation.
Books to Read 
this Month
FOR READERS AGES 0–3
I’m a Little Snowman
by Hannah Eliot
Hooray for Birds
by Lucy Cousins
FOR 
READERS 
AGES 3+
Listen
by Gabi Snyder
Acorn Was  
a Little Wild
by Jen Arena
THE FROST SONG
Sing to the tune of  
“The Farmer in the Dell”
The frost is in the air. 
The frost is in the air. 
It's wintertime, it's wintertime, 
The frost is in the air.
The frost tells me it’s cold. 
The frost tells me it’s cold. 
It’s wintertime, it’s wintertime, 
The frost tells me it’s cold.
SING OTHER VERSES IN WHICH THE 
FROST IS “ON THE ROOF,” “ON THE 
WINDOWS,” AND “ON THE GROUND”
COLD AND SNOWY MORNING 
Sing to the tune of “Here We Go Round  
the Mulberry Bush”
This is the way we put on our 
mittens
Put on our mittens
Put on our mittens
This is the way we put on our 
mittens 
On a cold and snowy morning
This the way we put on our 
coats
Put on our coats
Put on our coats
This is the way we put on our 
coats
On a cold and snowy morning
This is way we put on our hats
Put on our hats
Put on our hats
This is the way we put on our 
hats
On a cold and snowy morning
This is the way we shovel the 
snow 
Shovel the snow
Shovel the snow
This the way we shovel the 
snow
On a cold and snowy morning
This is the way we build a 
snowman
Build a snowman
Build a snowman
This is the way we build a 
snowman
On a cold and snowy morning.
Your library helps children get ready to read.
•	 The library has many materials and ideas you can use to talk, sing, read, write, play, 
and count with your child. It doesn’t matter if your child is four days old or four 
years old, we have books, music, programs, and services to help your child develop 
language and prereading skills.
•	 We have books to read together, music to borrow, places where you can write, 
places to play and learn, and programs for all ages.
THE THREE LITTLE 
KITTENS
The three little kittens, they lost 
their mittens,
And they began to cry,
“Oh, mother dear, we sadly fear, 
That we have lost our mittens.”
“You lost your mittens?
You poor little kittens.
Well, let us have some pie.
Meow, Meow, Meow
Let us have some pie.”