Learning sight words is one component for learning to read. The best way to improve reading these high-frequency words is with lots of practice. Having the ability to recognize sight words quickly helps children feel more comfortable reading and gives them the confidence to read beginning reader books. Sight words are words that are frequently used and they appear on almost every page of text. These are also words that can’t necessarily be sounded out, so they need to be memorized. For … [Read more...]
Laundry Letters I-Spy Printables
The game of I Spy is a favorite game for my youngest son. Anytime we're waiting in a restaurant or at an appointment, we play I Spy to pass the time. Today I'm sharing a printable I Spy activity. It's an easy activity to set up because you just print it and play! This I Spy game focuses on finding vowels. This great for preschoolers or kindergarteners to work on. Simply look for the number of letters the picture has and write the number in the corresponding box. You could print … [Read more...]
Color Mixing Activity
Teaching kids how to mix colors is a lot of fun! We've done plenty of activities, but the color mixing activity I'm sharing with you today is our newest favorite one! It's so easy and fun for kids! Here's what you need for this color mixing activity: 1 jar foam shaving cream droppers or pipettes red, yellow and blue food coloring Alka-Seltzer tablets The only thing you need to prepare ahead is the colored water. Fill a small jar with water and add in several drops of … [Read more...]
Life Cycle of Snowflakes Booklet
It's snowing like crazy today! In fact, the boys didn't have school today because of the snow. Watching the snow fall had got me thinking about the life cycle of snowflakes. I put together a booklet to teach little ones how a snowflake is formed. It's really quite cool! First, let me recommend the book we love to read. It has so many great facts about snowflakes! It's called The Story of Snow by Mark Cassino. The facts in this book inspired me to write this printable booklet for … [Read more...]
Arctic Animals Alphabet Puzzle
Winter is the perfect time to learn about arctic animals! I know my boys are always interested to learn about animals and these animals are quite interesting! I've put together an arctic animals alphabet puzzle. This is a great way for kids to work on recognizing alphabet letter and putting them in order. Here's what you need: Arctic Animals Puzzle card stock paper wide craft sticks glue scissors Print the puzzle on card stock paper. Then cut each alphabet letter apart. … [Read more...]
Melting Snowman Craft
We're having unseasonably warm temperatures this winter, which inspired me to create this melting snowman craft. I mean, if we did have any snow right now, this is what would a snowman would look like! This craft is so cute and easy to make! We used our homemade puffy paint recipe, which dries puffy and makes this craft look unique! Here's what you need: 1.5 cups of shaving cream (The best kind is Barbasol - off brands make the puffy paint not work as well) 1/2 cup Elmer's white … [Read more...]
Hibernation Activities for Preschoolers
The winter season is the perfect time for children to learn about hibernation. Kids are naturally curious and they like to know what animals do during the winter months. Since my kids ask a lot of questions, we've done several activities to teach them about hibernation. The kids had fun and we learned a lot! First off, we talked about what hibernation means and which animals hibernate. I created a small emergent reader book for them to read. I made two versions. One is very simple and … [Read more...]
Winter Alphabet Handwriting Packet
Learning how to write alphabet letters is an important skill developed during the early childhood years. Before handwriting is introduced, there should be a lot of practice with fine motor skills. Fine motor skills are the actions that are performed in the small muscles in the hands, fingers and wrists. Your child practices using fine motor skills when they are playing with play dough, using tweezers, lacing, stringing beads, and more. Once a child is ready to learn how to write, it's … [Read more...]
Christmas Alphabet Puzzles
It's time for me to share my Christmas alphabet puzzles! I've had requests to make these, since my other puzzles have been a hit with children! These puzzles are so simple to make. All you need is the printable, wide popsicle sticks, and glue. I created two Christmas puzzles. One is the manger scene with baby Jesus and the other is Santa Claus with his sleigh and presents. The manger scene uses lowercase letters and the Santa scene uses uppercase letters. Both are fun to … [Read more...]
Create a Turkey – Thanksgiving Activity
Thanksgiving is in just one week! I know that the day is filled with lots of preparations for the big meal, so the last thing on your mind is finding ways to keep your little ones busy. Am I right?! Today I have the perfect idea that is so simple to set up. I call it an invitation to create a turkey! Here's what you need for this activity: paper (I use white butcher paper) turkey cookie cutter marker things to decorate: feathers, jewels, pom poms, googly eyes, writing … [Read more...]