I made this bright and colorful printable spelling game to use with my Six. Printable spelling game Directions for Use: 1) Print pages 2-3 of the download (page 1 is my Terms of Use) on white cardstock. 2) Mount the two pieces of paper on colorful construction paper. Tape in the back. Then cover with clear contact paper. OR... if you have access to a large laminator, mount the pieces on construction paper and run ... Read More
Summer fun activity – Create an outdoor kitchen!
We're working our way through the alphabet, and I include some sensory fun for each letter. Letter K had me stumped... kite, keys, kangaroo... KITCHEN! I gathered some old items from my pantry, a few bowls and spoons, and headed to the backyard to set up a summer fun activity. Truth: I'm not really a "fun" mom. It's never been my personality to just relax and enjoy life. In high school a ... Read More
Kite Printable: Count & Clip Cards #1-20
I love making count and clip cards - you know this if you've seen my Tulip, Ladybug, and Transportation themed cards. They're fun to make, easy to prepare, and useful to do -- counting and fine motor in one! We're learning about the letter K - and as it's summer here (after a long winter and a dreary spring), it seemed fitting to make a kite printable. I find a lot of free count and clip cards, but I have hard time ... Read More
Climb the Ladder spelling game
Whether you're a homeschooling parent, a classroom teacher looking for a buddy game to use in the classroom, or a parent who's helping your child get ready for the weekly test -- here's a game for you! A spelling game for any word list Climb the Ladder Spelling Game: 1. Read a spelling word from your child's list. She should write the word on the bottom rung of the ladder.2. If the word is incorrect, your child ... Read More
5 simple activities for 1 year olds
(This post contains affiliate links.) Confession time. I have been known to groan, "I am going crazy!" at certain moments during the day. Kind of loudly. I guess since I have a house full of little ones (6,4,3,1), the craziness is not a surprise. What I really need is something to keep a certain 1-year-old busy when all he wants to do is hang on my leg and cry big pitiful tears. When I'm trying to make ... Read More
Writing the Alphabet for Preschoolers: the letter W
There are so many ways to practice forming letters for preschoolers. Pencil and paper is just one way, and sometimes that's too challenging. Read on to find a dozen ways we made the letter W! The letter W is a tricky letter. The down-up-down-up motion can be hard to remember. In this list of ways that we wrote W, I'll progress from easy to hard. My kids love to use power magnets to complete ... Read More
Meaningful spelling activities
UPDATE: The original blog post at this link was about the word study approach to teaching spelling. While the act of sorting words can be useful, I no longer believe that Words Their Way should be a core spelling curriculum because it does not include enough explicit instruction. Stay tuned for a new series about teaching spelling in 2023! ... Read More
Water Math & Science Activities for Kids Ages 3-6
It's heating up, even in the Midwest -- so to go along with letter W, we pulled out some hands-on water math and science! Water Math & Science Activities Science: Sink or Float? This has got to be one of most common science experiments for little ones - and why not? They love it. I asked my Six to gather a bunch of objects that might float or sink. Since she had done this experiment in kindergarten during ... Read More
Word sort activities
The original blog post at this link was about the word study approach to teaching spelling. While the act of sorting words can be useful, I no longer believe that Words Their Way should be a core spelling curriculum because it does not include enough explicit instruction. Stay tuned for a new series about teaching spelling in 2023! ... Read More
Short i word family activity
Try this hands-on short i word family activity! (This post contains affiliate links.) I've written before about the importance of learning to read with word families. Over the past few months I've offered a set of printables for the short a word families. We're moving on! Here you'll find six free printable word family houses and wheels for short i. I've created these for my 4 1/2 year old, whose ... Read More