Creating a picture dictionary combines kids' love of making scrapbooks with the process of learning how to write new words. Instead of using a dictionary that lists Aardvark, Billionaire, and Catalog, kids can create a personal lexicon that is tailored to their own experience. (Shouldn't every dictionary have entries for Grandma, cookies, and Oreo the dog?)

To begin, help your child set up a three-ring binder with loose-leaf pages in it labeled A, B, C, and so on. Using scissors, she can cut out pictures from magazines, old photographs, or grocery store flyers. Have her glue each picture onto the appropriate dictionary page (an umbrella on the U page, for instance), adding more loose-leaf pages as needed. If she can't find a picture of a word she wants to include, she simply can draw a picture of it directly on the page. After she adds an item, help her write the name below the drawing. If she wants to make her book more like a dictionary, she can write a brief description or explanation for each item. You may find that your child has created six pages of As before she glues anything to the Q page, but that is just how the alphabet is, so don't worry about evenly filling the book.