Dr. Suess's book "Fox in Socks" is a whimsical collection of tongue twisters that is meant to be read aloud. Kids love the silly situations and rhythmic flow of the words, and the colorful pictures add to the fun of reading this book aloud. Whether you're preparing activities for the home or for the classroom, there are countless ways to enrich the "Fox in Socks'' experience for your young learner(s).
Here are the top 40 activities for teaching and enriching the classic picture book "Fox in Socks," organized by types of activities.
Activities for Developing Reading Skills
1. Read-Aloud
Reading aloud with young readers -- especially those who are still developing their phonemic awareness -- is a great way to encourage reading skills. It also builds bonds and creates positive reading experiences for your students, which can prompt a lifelong love of reading.
Learn more: University of Iowa
2. Video Read-Aloud
If the popular tongue twisters in "Fox in Socks" are a bit too much for you, you can do a video read-aloud. This is also a great way to introduce students to the topic and the book before they come to class: simply assign the video as homework the night before, and start the class with suitable activities such as a discussion about students’ favorite aspects of the book.
Learn more: Reading Pioneers Academy
3. "Fox in Socks" Rap
Check out this exciting video that features "Fox in Socks" with a sick beat! It will have your students moving and grooving, and it can help with the pacing and fluency of their reading, too. Play the video first thing in the morning circle time to wake the students up, or use it as a way to pull them out of an afternoon slump.
Learn more: Dr. Seuss
4. Finding Rhyming Words
The most notable feature of "Fox in Socks" is its rhymes. As a warm-up activity, present students with everyday objects. Students should name each object, and then find several words that rhyme with it. For example, show them a mug and elicit words like “hug” or “rug.”
Learn more: Reading Rockets
5. Guess the Next Word
The rhymes are also a great way to help students build their prediction skills. Leave off the last word of each sentence, and see if your young reader can guess it. As needed, remind them of the word it should rhyme with to enhance the phonemic training.
Learn more: Comic Phonics
6. Picture Clues
Another way that kids can bolster their prediction skills is by looking at pictures. On many of the pages of "Fox in Socks", there are clues in the illustrations that can help young readers with unknown words or unfamiliar syntax in the tongue twisters. Encourage students to look at the pictures to help build up that tolerance to unfamiliarity while reading.
7. What Does the Sock Say?
Ask students to imagine that they are the blue socks on the Fox. Where have they gone? What have they seen? How do they feel? This is a great way to get students to put themselves into the story, and it can help young readers build empathy as well.
Learn more: Rainforest Learning Center
8. What Does the Sock Say?
Think of your favorite tongue twister that challenged you when you were young, or maybe some that still challenge you today! Introduce these to your students, and have them come up with some ideas for tongue twisters of their own. You can even give an award for the most original tongue twister at the end of the writing activity!
Learn more: Fatherly
9. Alliteration Everywhere!
Focusing on the concept of alliteration is another important way to promote phonemic awareness in young readers. Have your students find words that start with the same letter in the illustrations or in the classroom.
Learn more: Seattle Pi
10. Minimal Pairs
This isn’t about pairs of socks! Choose two words that sound similar, with just one sound or letter different (such as “luck” and “lake”). Present the students with the words, and make sure that they can differentiate the minimal pairs. This will translate into their reading comprehension skills.
Crafty Activities
11. Origami Fox
Use this tutorial and make super cute origami foxes with your students. You can use red paper to match the fox in the book, or you can encourage students to choose their own favorite colors. Just make sure that you complete the tutorial and understand all of the steps before you lead the class in the project!
Learn more: Hello Origami
12. Handprint Foxes
Your kiddos can make adorable fox art with their own personal touch: literally! You just need some paint, paper, and markers to make this simple project come together. Be sure to have wet wipes on hand so that cleanup is a breeze.
Learn more: Kids Craft Room
13. Paper Plate Foxes
Paper plates are the backbone of this fox-themed craft. You can opt for either white or colored plates. The cutting and pasting in this activity are great for developing fine motor skills, and the craft is flexible and customizable. Cut eye holes and add a bit of string to make a fun mask!
Learn more: Glued to my Crafts Blog
14. Sew Like Sue
Easy cardboard sewing projects are a great way to bring “Fox and Socks” to life and to practice fine motor skills. You don't have to be a sewing expert to make something cute with some cardboard and yarn. With a fox sewing pattern from the internet, this activity requires very few sewing skills. Plus, students will have a unique sewing keepsake to take home and admire.
Learn more: Pinterest
15. Luke Luck's Pet Duck
This paper bag puppet is an easy paper bag craft for little ones who love to cut and paste. It’s also fun to hear Luke Luck’s duck explain all of the lakes he likes to lick!
Learn more: Pinterest
16. Build a Tweetle Beetle Battle Bottle
This simple craft relies on some upcycled materials, including plastic bottles. Simply fill the bottle with crepe paper (or natural material that you find outdoors) and add a couple of toy beetles. Now you’re ready for an epic tweetle beetle bottle battle!
Learn more: Madin Crafts
17. Fox in Socks Tangram
Use this printable pattern to make a tangram puzzle. Can you make a fox? A box? Some clocks? Have fun making new shapes with this traditional puzzle set!
Learn more: JDaniel4's Mom
18. Make a Fox Sock
Tell students to draw their favorite characters or scenes from "Fox in Socks" on this pair of mismatched socks. Then, have students try to find a “match” from their classmates: someone else who drew the same favorite character or scene.
Learn more: Twinkl
19. Make a Fox Puppet
Use these printable instructions to make an adorable fox puppet. Then, read the story aloud with the paper bag craft puppet as the narrator!
Learn more: Glued to my Crafts Blog
Hands-On Activities
21. Bricks and Blocks
Look at how those bricks and blocks are stacked so high! Try to stack some bricks, blocks, or other household items the same way. How high can you stack them? Can you stack them higher than Fox and Knox?
20. Dress Up Like Your Favorite Character
Have your kiddos choose their favorite character from “Fox in Socks.” Then, encourage them to find items around the house to dress up like that character. Then, each student should recite or read the relevant page(s) aloud for their favorite character. You can use this homemade Fox costume for inspiration!
Learn more: Hello Wonderful
22. Crazy Socks
Celebrate "Fox in Socks" by wearing your own crazy colorful socks. You can all take off your shoes and have a sock parade throughout the house or classroom. Who has the funniest socks? Who has the most colorful socks? Does anyone have blue socks like the Fox?
Learn more: First Grade Roars
23. Knox in Box
This game is just like Simon Says. Each student gets a box, and you call out commands with the phrase “Fox Says.” You can direct students to be inside, outside, on top of, to the left or right of, or behind the box. You can also add silly commands that involve jumping, dancing, or shouting.
Learn more: The Genius of Play
24. Watch Out for Clocks
“Clocks” rhymes with “fox” and “socks”! Look out for clocks all over the house and throughout the day. Every time your child sees a clock, help them practice telling the time.
Learn more: Khan Academy
25. Be a Big Pig Band
Grab a broom and boom around the classroom, house, or neighborhood. Practice marching fast and slow, and having fun changing the tempo and volume of your big pig band music. Don’t forget to bang and boom!
Learn more: Hooked on Phonics
26. Visit Luke Luck and His Duck
Pop over to the local park to feed the ducks. Can you remember what Luke Luck’s duck likes?
Learn more: Frisco Library
27. Enjoy Three Cheese Trees
Using cheese cubes and toothpicks, make three “cheese trees” to enjoy together as a snack. It pairs well with veggies and crackers, and it makes for a healthy, book-inspired repast.
Learn more: Pinterest
28. Tweetle Beetle Noodles
Enjoy a lunch of buttery noodles while you think about the Tweetle Beetle Poodle Noodle Battle. These are the best poodle noodles, so it's no wonder that they're included in the most epic Tweetle Beetle Battles. It’s an easy recipe, so you could even make it together with your students in class!
Learn more: Simply Recipes
Online Activities
29. Read From a Device
You can use this paperless version of Dr. Suess’s classic book “Fox in Socks'' to bring some technology into the mix. Make sure to take some time to check out the colorful illustrations in this virtual reading activity!
Learn more: Flip HTML 5
30. Matching Fox’s Clothes
This game includes clothing-related vocabulary cards, as well as vocabulary activities for items around the house. It’s a great segue into spelling and identification exercises.
Learn more: Live Worksheets
31. What Does the Fox Say?
This fun music video will get kids interested in foxes and all that they really have to say. It’s another fun one to do aloud together, and it helps train and reinforces animal sounds for preschool and kindergarten kids.
Learn more: Discovery plus Norge
32. Help Mr. Knox in Seussville
This online game is a fun way to review the characters and conflicts in “Fox in Socks.” Players have to help Mr. Knox as he navigates and stacks so many boxes. There are also lots of other fun games and resources on this site that are especially helpful for flipped learning or individual study time.
Learn more: Seuss Ville
Printable Materials and Other Worksheets
33. "Fox in Socks" Word Search
Use this super cute word search to reinforce the spellings and pronunciations of all the rhyming words and minimal pairs from "Fox in Socks". You can make its completion a competition, or you can assign it as homework. It's a super flexible activity.
Learn more: Homeschool Share
34. "Fox in Socks" Printable Worksheet
This worksheet is designed for young readers to complete outside the classroom, probably with some help from a grownup. Encourage students to make the assignment as colorful as they want, and remind them that they are free to take some liberties with the color scheme, just like Dr. Suess does in his own illustrations.
Learn more: Ryan Goodwin (TPT)
35. Reading Fluency Page
This printable features a reduced version of some of the tongue twisters in “Fox in Socks.” It’s designed to help practice rhyming words and minimal pairs at increasing speeds so that students can get good practice with sight words and fluency while reading aloud.
Learn more: Sarah Mahaffey
36. Matching Socks Rhymes
This quick worksheet activity helps students identify and spell rhyming words from Fox in Socks. It’s useful for young readers, and it helps to develop phonemic awareness throughout the whole unit.
Learn more: Pinterest
37. Long or Short Vowel Worksheet
This printable worksheet focuses on the vowel sounds in "Fox in Socks". Have your students color the words with long vowel sounds red and the words with short vowel sounds blue.
Learn more: School With Sever (TPT)
38. Word Work Worksheet
This printable activity helps kids differentiate “real” words from the made-up words that Dr. Suess is so famous for. It’s a great way to solidify existing vocabulary and expound on the learners’ schema.
Learn more: Pinterest
39. Worksheet Packet for Fox in Socks
In this printable activity packet, you’ll find worksheets and prompts that focus on rhyme recognition and production. There’s also an activity for students to write their own tongue twisters to perform and share with the class!
Learn more: Pinterest
40. More Fun With Rhyming Words
Use this worksheet to help reinforce the rhyming words throughout "Fox in Socks". It’s also a great way to practice reading minimal pairs. For even more practice, have students practice at home with their families, or in pairs or small groups during downtime in the classroom.
Learn more: Holly Gerlach (TPT)
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