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...]
Writing Comics with Kids
Writing comics is a great way to kids to work on both reading and writing skills. It's also a lot of fun! Kids get to practice working with the elements of a story--characters, setting, plot, conflict and conclusion--in a fun way. Not having to fill a blank page also helps motivate reluctant writers. Before beginning any prewriting I chose a comic template for each of my elementary school age kids from Printable Paper. There are a bunch of free … [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...]
Tic Tac Toe Busy Bag for Kids
I am a huge fan of busy bags! My kids think they are so much fun and I love knowing I already have activities prepped and ready to go--especially on a busy day! We always play Tic Tac Toe while we are waiting for our food at a restaurant so I knew this easy Tic Tac Toe busy bag would be a hit! Tic Tac Toe Busy Bag 10 rocks (I used 2 different colors, but you can always color them) One tree branch or trunk slice chalk The … [Read more...]
Fruit-sicles Healthy Fruit Popsicle Recipe
We have a new healthy snack obsession at our house--Fruit-sicles! These fruit popsicles are easy enough that the kids can make them and the perfect snack on a hot day. Frozen Fruit Popsicles fresh fruit (we use grapes, strawberries and bananas) Wooden skewers air tight container wax paper We have been eating frozen grapes in the summer for years and the kids love to stack them on skewers to make grape-sicles. A couple weeks ago we … [Read more...]
Easy Homemade Bubble Recipe for Kids
One of our favorite things to do outside is to blow bubbles! It's always fun, but it's especially nice to do in the shade on a hot day. This is one of our favorite homemade bubble recipes because it is so easy to make. Homemade Bubble Recipe 4 cups of water 1/2 cup of corn syrup 1/2- 2/3 cup of dish soap You want the water to be fairly warm. I heat it up in my kettle and well before it starts boiling I take it off and dump it into … [Read more...]
Homemade Tissue Paper Vase Craft
Homemade Mother's Day gifts are my favorite to give and receive! This year we made these cool tissue paper vases to give to the kids' grandmothers. They are easy enough for younger kids to make, but fancy enough that big kids will enjoy making them too--which makes them perfect for siblings to make together. DIY Vase Craft Supplies tissue paper glue water empty jar (we used pickle jars) paintbrush Pour glue into a bowl … [Read more...]
