There's no better time of year to enjoy a delicious Chicago-style hot dog than summer! They are a feast for your senses. You can see the yellow mustard on top. You can hear the sizzle of the hot dogs on the grill. You can smell the spicy sport peppers. You can feel the soft poppyseed bun in your hands. And you can taste the delicious, flavorful first bite!
No one loves a hot dog more than kids! You can use hot dogs to practice lots of skills that will help your young child get ready to learn to read.
- Ask your child to think of words that rhyme with "hot" or "dog." Rhyming and playing with words like this supports your child's phonological awareness.
- Have a pretend hot dog stand! Play with taking orders, building hot dogs and taking payment--play is how young children make sense of the world around them.
- Talk about your favorite hot dog toppings. Have your child ask other family members or friends what they like on their hot dog. Can you think of what would be the weirdest hot dog topping?
- A hot dog is made up of basic shapes. Try drawing or tracing the lines of a hot dog and filling in your favorite toppings. Drawing and making shapes are helpful pre-writing skills! You can also pick up a hot dog coloring sheet at your neighborhood Chicago Public Library branch or print out a copy in English or Spanish.
- Try singing a hot dog song or saying a hot dog rhyme:
Five Hot Dogs (to the tune of Five Little Speckled Frogs)
Five hot dogs in their buns
Cooking out in the sun
Getting nice and brown and hot!
One took a little jump,
And went down with a plump!
Then there were four Chicago dogs. (sizzle sizzle)
Four hot dogs in their buns
Cooking out in the sun
Getting nice and brown and hot!
One took a little jump,
And went down with a plump!
Then there were three Chicago dogs. (sizzle sizzle)
Three hot dogs in their buns
Cooking out in the sun
Getting nice and brown and hot!
One took a little jump,
And went down with a plump!
Then there were two Chicago dogs. (sizzle sizzle)
Two hot dogs in their buns
Cooking out in the sun
Getting nice and brown and hot!
One took a little jump,
And went down with a plump!
Then there was one Chicago dog. (sizzle sizzle)
One hot dog in its bun
Cooking out in the sun
Getting nice and brown and hot!
One took a little jump,
And went down with a plump!
Now there are no Chicago dogs. (Yum yum)
Activities like these will help your young child build the skills they need to begin understanding reading and writing. Developing early literacy skills like these makes it easier for children to read once they start school. Learn more about supporting your child's early literacy.
Read
Reading books together is one of the best ways to support these skills! Keep the hot dog fun going with these titles:
He may not be able to drive the bus, but will he have more success when The Pigeon Finds A Hot Dog!?
Did you ever wonder where the hot dog comes from? Wonder no more when you read hot Hot Dog!: The History Of America's Favorite Sausage.
One of the best places to enjoy a hot dog is at a baseball game, even though they may not be mentioned like cracker jacks and peanuts in the song take me Take Me Out to the Ball Game!
The words "hot dog" can also mean that a four-legged furry friend is hot! Meet one very hot Hot Dog in this 2023 Caldecott Medal winner.
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