Education resources for parents and teachers
Looking for a fun way to mix multiplication and problem solving? Try this! When I told my third grader that it was time for him to a multiplication activity with me, he groaned. "But Mom, I don't like multiplication." "Well, let's just give this activity a try." Before long, he was giggling and asking to complete the full activity. What could possibly make multiplication so much fun? A monster lab! This game ... Read More
Are your learners having trouble with CVCE words? Try these free clip cards for extra reading practice! If you have learners that have trouble distinguishing between CVC and CVCe words, this printable is for you. What are CVC and CVCE words? CVC words are consonant-short vowel-consonant. Examples: cat, box, rod, wig CVCe words are consonant-vowel-consonant-silent e. Examples: rake, tube, like, poke How to use the ... Read More
Looking for a fun vocabulary builder for young learners? Try these I SPY picture mats! On a recent trip to the field museum, my three-year-old looked through the glass at a rhinoceros. "Is that a unicorn?" he asked. Later, when looking at a display of pumpkin seeds, a zucchini, and pumpkin pie, my husband asked him what was behind the glass. "Peanuts, a cucumber, and pizza!" My husband looked at me and noted, "I ... Read More
Looking for a meaningful vocabulary game to help your learners master those words? Try this editable activity! Have you seen my series about how to teach vocabulary? It starts with a post about 10 mistakes to avoid. From there, I give ideas for teaching vocabulary to primary and intermediate learners. I also provide free vocabulary journals and more! Check out the free vocabulary series here if you haven't seen it ... Read More
Are your learners mixing up b and d? Try one of these tricks to end b d confusion! I recently shared a newsletter with tips for helping kids with b and d letter reversals. Many of my readers e-mailed back with even more ideas. I've put them together in this blog post. Use these ideas to clear up that b d confusion! Then grab the free posters in the download at the end of the post. How to help kids stop mixing up b ... Read More
Teach your spellers about the FLOSS rule with this free game! Have you heard of the FLOSS rule? It's one that we often teach beginning spellers. The floss rule says that we double the final consonant when three conditions are met: It's called the FLOSS rule because most words that follow this pattern end in f, l, or s. Examples of words that follow the FLOSS rule: There are also a few words ... Read More
Looking for some strong picture books to read aloud to your learners? Choose from this list of books for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day! Today I'm sharing a collection of strong picture books to read aloud - perfect for learning about Martin Luther King, Jr. and the civil rights movement in America. My Daddy, Martin Luther King, Jr., by Martin Luther King III My kids really enjoyed listening to this book about Martin ... Read More
Those pesky subject-verb agreement rules can trip us up! Use these games to help kids master them. Are you a grammar nerd? I was one of those weird kids who actually liked diagramming sentences in high school. But even for a grammar nerd like me, subject-verb agreement rules can be tricky. So I decided to create a set of games to reinforce them. To set up the game, you need the following: Game board (print in ... Read More
On the hunt for teen number activities? Try these BINGO games. They come in four different variations! What is it about those tricky teen numbers? My Four (almost five) has struggled to consistently remember her teen numbers. In the last few months, we've done a few simple activities to help her remember them. Simple (no printer ink required) games to practice the teen numbers Idea #1 One thing we've done is to ... Read More
Looking for children's picture books about Christmas? Here are 27 of them! Looking for fun seasonal books to read to your learners? In this post I share over 20 Christmas-themed books for young listeners. If you're looking for Christmas books with a Christian theme, zoom to the second half of the post. Turkey Claus, by Wendi Silvano This is an adorably funny story of a turkey who wants to escape being cooked and ... Read More
