If you have a preschooler or a kindergartner chances are you've heard the terms phonics, phonemic awareness and decoding before. What do they really mean? This week as part of our Get Ready for K Through PLAY series I'm going to explain! Some of my longtime readers (thank you!) may know that I have my Master's in Reading and am a trained Reading Specialist, but you don't need a background in education to figure this out. I promise. All you need is … [Read more...]
Kindergarten Active Math Games
Preschoolers and kindergartners love to move! Instead of trying to get them to sit still all the time I am a big fan of letting them move and learn. This week in our Get Ready for K Through PLAY! series I am sharing some fun Kindergarten active math games for kids! Kindergarten Math Games: Number Line Run. Help kids recognize numbers and number order with this fun and simple sidewalk chalk game. Math Hunt. Search around the house for the … [Read more...]
Teach Independent Skills for Kindergarten
Kids need independent skills to navigate the Kindergarten classroom. Being able to take care of yourself at school makes a child feel more confident and leads to success. Last year I shared the 3 Independent Skills Your Child Needs for Kindergarten and this year I'm going to share a fun way to practice them--with an obstacle course! Independent Skills Practice Game backpack lunch box with drink cup and other containers folder or … [Read more...]
Get Ready for Kindergarten by Playing School
Getting ready for kindergarten is both exciting and overwhelming for kids and parents! To make the transition easier for everyone we are bringing back our Get Ready for K Through Play series. During this weekly summer series we will be sharing simple, hands on learning activities that will help your child develop the kindergarten readiness skills they need in a FUN and playful way. We’re kicking things off this week with social and emotional … [Read more...]
Number Splash Number Identification Activity
Identifying the numbers from 11-20 can be tricky for kids--especially when they are not on a calendar or number line. We got out some water balloons and played Number Splash to make the practice more active and fun! Number Identification Game: sidewalk chalk water balloons kids who are ready for some math fun! Before I called my preschooler out to play I drew ten circles with chalk on the driveway. I wrote the numbers in the circles … [Read more...]
Letter Tracing with Cars
Learning the proper strokes for handwriting formation can take time, but is very important. Once a bad habit is acquired it can be hard to correct. If you ask a kindergarten teacher how many times they remind kids to start at the top when writing I bet the answer would be a very high number! Tracing letters is a good way to practice proper formation and avoid trouble with handwriting. Instead of tracing letters with a pencil we decided to use a … [Read more...]
15 Fun Ways to Practice Handwriting
Handwriting is a skill that requires a lot of practice. It can also be kind of, well, kind of boring. To make handwriting more exciting for your preschooler or kindergartner you can incorporate some play! Fun Handwriting Practice Write with sidewalk chalk. Try dirt writing--don't worry it's not as messy as it sounds. Use an unsharpened pencil to write in shaving cream on the table. Do cave drawings with butcher paper. … [Read more...]
Window Painting Handwriting Practice
One easy way to make handwriting practice fun is to make it big! Painting big letters with window paint on the windows is a great way to get kids excited about working on letter formation. The only thing I needed to prep for this activity was to mix up some window paint and put something down on the floor under the window. This would be great to do outside on your windows or glass door too. Here's the recipe---> Easy Window Paint Recipe We … [Read more...]
