These sorting mats are wonderful for practice with rhyming words! When I asked my readers what they wanted to see next, a number of them asked for rhyming activities. And one reader in particular asked for a rhyming activity in the same format as my consonant sound sorting mats. Originally I hesitated to share those consonant sound sorting mats because they aren't exactly low-prep. But I've received lots of ... Read More
One to one correspondence counting mats (#1-20)
These free counting mats are perfect for teaching one to one correspondence! Are you teaching your toddler or preschooler to count? You may find that your child can count to 10 by rote without any trouble... but counting objects is another matter. It's normal for two-year-olds to be able to count groups of two. As they get closer to age three, they learn to count larger groups with accuracy. There are exceptions. ... Read More
Beginning, middle, and ending sound clip cards
Try this activity to help your child identify the beginning, middle, and ending sound in a particular word. In January, when I celebrated my blog's 3-year anniversary, I asked my readers what materials they'd like to see next. One repeated request was activities that focus on beginning, middle, and ending sounds within words. We already have quite a few beginning sound activities. We even have ... Read More
Phonological awareness games
Have you heard of phonological awareness? Here are 21 games to develop it! Have you seen the blog Growing Book by Book yet? It's a fabulous site for nurturing our youngest readers and writers! I'm so thankful that its author, Jodie, is here to share with us today while we enjoy our new baby. Be sure to visit her site for a wealth of literacy ideas! Here's Jodie... One of the best ways to help our young children ... Read More
Books about arctic animals
Check out our list of recommended books about arctic animals! I admit that our librarians often look at me a little strangely as I carry 40 books from the hold shelf to the checkout desk. But since I'm always on the hunt for the very best books for our themed book lists, we have to read them first! Save ... Read More
Roll & read games for ee words
Try these simple reading games for ee words! Have you seen our growing collection of reading games? I've shared over fifty free printables for silent e words, in addition to short vowel games, r-controlled vowel games, and other phonics patterns. Today I'm sharing my first free printable for "ee" words. These games are a fun adaptation of traditional flash cards. Your child can play these alone or with a ... Read More
10 Fun space activities for kids
Today I'm welcoming Katie, my talented blogging friend of Gift of Curiosity. Katie offers countless learning activities and printables for young children. My favorite are her science activities - she knows just how to challenge young children while making learning fun at the same time. Be sure to follow hop on over and follow Gift of Curiosity for learning ideas and free printables! Here's Katie... I’m Katie, and ... Read More
Books about penguins
If you're looking for books for a penguin theme, you're in the right place! My Three and I have been reading many, many winter books. In fact, we've already shared a list of books about snow, snowman books, and winter animals. But we enjoyed the penguin books the most! Even if you're not doing a penguin unit, you should look for some of these favorites at your library. I think they'll become your favorites, ... Read More
Worksheets for oo words
These worksheets are a great tool to check your students' understanding of oo words! My Five is a great reader, but when it comes to reading words in isolation, his phonics skills need some work. I've been putting together a variety of games and activities for simple phonics patterns. After working our way through the silent e words, we tackled "oo" words. We did a Froot Loop activity page. We ... Read More
Winter roll and color games
Roll and color games are a great way to reinforce basic math concepts. Get five freebies in this set! This week I'm sharing a set of five free games. My Four loved the variety in these games - and I loved seeing his math skills grow! Are you familiar with Roll & Color games? They're also called Roll & Cover, which is actually how we used these. You'll find five different games in the ... Read More