There are many skills that are learned in early childhood that are the foundation for skills that will be learned as they grow. Learning the alphabet, for example, often comes before letter recognition, learning how to put on a shoe comes before knowing how to tie the shoe, knowing how to count is typically learned before number recognition, and so on. Once those foundational skills have been learned and practiced, it opens the door for the next level of complexity to be learned.
There are many ways to teach these various skills and strategies. I’ve made a scavenger hunt game that you can play with your child or class as they are learning to recognize numbers. It’s quite simple— you cut out the squares with pictures, hide the pictures, then send a child on a hunt to find them. As they find each square, they can count how many pictures are on the square, then match and glue the picture square next to the corresponding written number.
If you want to reuse this activity, simply laminate the papers to protect them. You could put velcro dots on the back of each picture square and next to each written number. If you wanted multiple children to participate in this, you could assign them each a number, print off the worksheet on different colors of paper and have them find only their color, or encourage them to work with a partner to find each picture square.
This printable is free, but please only use for personal or classroom use. This is not intended for resale.
We can all agree that there are pros and cons to giving kids homework, and that it really should only be given if it’s meaningful. Reading, for example, is homework I’m never mad about. Building reading skills is crucial for life long success, and the more kids do it, the better they will be at it. Sending home a coloring page, however, doesn’t seem as meaningful to me. Fun? Sure. But a good use of precious after-school time? Not so much.
I saw a social media post the other day that got me thinking about things that aren’t assigned as homework, but maybe should be. Skills that are important for every day life, people skills, and problem solving skills. Grading them would be subjective, and participation and effort would matter more than the outcome, but what is learned/gained would set kids up for long term success beyond the walls of the classroom.
How would something like this be assigned and evaluated? I suppose it depends on the skill being practiced. Perhaps teachers can create a “menu” of possible skills for students to choose from. Maybe some teachers would want to assign everyone in the class the same task to work on. Some might even want to create “task groups” where small groups of students are all given a certain task and can help each other and cheer each other on. Evaluation might look like parents signing a log, pictures, written reflection, or some other tangible or observable result of the student’s practice.
What kinds of things would be assigned? I think this depends on your students’ needs and situations. Obviously, a high school teacher is going to assign some things that are geared more toward older kids, such as learning to balance a bank account, whereas a kindergarten teacher might assign something like learning to tie shoes.
Here’s a few ideas to get you started:
Learning to balance a bank account
Learning to make a phone call and set an appointment or order food— not everything has to be done through an app
Going to the store to make a purchase— selecting your items, conversing with a cashier, and sticking to a budget are great skills
Cooking a simple meal (with adult supervision)
Spending time outside— fresh air does wonders for both the body and mind
Doing a puzzle or playing a board game with at least one other person— teamwork, cooperation, and good sportsmanship are essential
Sitting down to eat a meal as a family— a great chance to have good conversations
Helping with household chores— those skills are needed!
Helping people
Learning how to write a letter, address an envelope, and send it in the mail
Go to the library, get a library card, and check out some books
Free play— giving kids unstructured play time is SO important for their imaginations
If possible, learning how to maintain a yard
Learning how to give and receive compliments
When it’s an appropriate age, learning to ask someone out on a date, face-to-face
Finding a good sleep routine
Screen-free time— it’s good for so many reasons
Spending time at a retirement or assisted living facility— the older generation can teach us so much
Meditation
Some might argue that parents should be incorporating these skills into their family’s routines and lives, but not all family situations allow for things like this, and unfortunately, not all parents are supportive and involved in their children’s lives.
And yes, teachers already do so much, using their days to teach core subjects. But I don’t know of a single teacher that wouldn’t mind devoting at least a little bit of time to helping their students build skills that will set them up for life long success.
Regardless of where you stand regarding these things being assigned as homework, I’m sure we can all agree that the rising generation needs support, guidance, and encouragement as they navigate life and learn essential skills.
As we near August, many teachers around the country are holding on to every last second of summer break that is left. They’re soaking in a couple of extra pool days, intentionally not setting their alarms, and are enjoying the freedom of making mid-morning appointments or lunch dates with friends. They’ve got the date of their first contract day in the back of their mind, and are subconsciously aware that it’s coming up quickly. Some may be looking forward to their first day back with excitement, some with nervousness, and others with a mixture of the two. Others, however, may be dreading the day, not quite ready to trade their freedom for cell phone policing and grading. Depending on the year, I’ve experienced both feelings— both the agony and the ecstasy.
Teachers and other school staff aren’t the only ones in this boat; Students are also feeling the end of summer. They are squeezing in last minute family trips, summer camps, late nights, and late mornings. They are enjoying the endless flow of snacks and popsicles and are living their best lives next to the pool. For most kids, summer is bliss, careless and free. As summer starts to come to an end, they are filled with anxiousness as they wait for class schedules and teacher assignments to be posted. They’re hoping that their best friend is in their class, and that they get the “cool” teacher that everyone wants. It’s a double-edged sword, because they know that along with this excitement of a new year comes the idea of a more structured schedule, homework, and less freedom. Some kids are anxiously awaiting the first day of school because school is their safe place— a place of comfort, happiness, stability, and lack of hunger. For some, summer is the worst few months of the year, and is a time of uncertainty and fear. Other kids may feel anxiousness because school is hard for them and they just don’t want to have that frustration again.
Parents are also stuck in this dichotomous state of anticipation and dread. For many working parents, summer becomes a time of high stress, as they have to find child care, arrange schedules, and manage the guilt that can come from being a working parent. For stay-at-home parents, summer time can mean chaos. Schedules are thrown off, food seems to be flying off the pantry shelves (how are they STILL hungry??), and there is a constant chorus of noise coming from all corners of the house. The house is never clean, and they find themselves saying, “Please shut the door!” approximately 1,352 times a day. Parents are usually exhausted by this point in the summer, and are excited to have more structured days and to have the house stay clean for more than the eight hours the kids are asleep. On the other side of the spectrum, parents are also finding themselves breathing in the last days of summer, watching their kids enjoy childhood. They are feeling nostalgic, and are hoping they’ve created summer memories that will last a lifetime. They are rushing to create last minute moments of happiness as they savor these fleeting moments with their children.
I find it interesting how something like the start of school can stir so many feelings in people. I guess that’s how it is with change. And while I understand why there is such a wide range of emotions surrounding school, I also hope people know what a privilege it is to be able to attend school and learn. The freedom to be able to sit in a classroom is incredible. Teachers work hard to plan and carry out lessons that are meaningful and engaging, and are doing their best to make school a safe place for their students.
So, yes, the end of summer can be sad, and the start of school can feel daunting. But it’s also a time to start the new year with a positive attitude and excitement for what’s to come. It’s a time to cherish the memories you made during the summer while also looking forward to making new memories as the school year starts. So as we prepare to send summer out in style, let’s also welcome the school year with open arms, ready to experience whatever is in store for us!
I was 29 years old when I started taking piano lessons. I had always wanted to learn how to play the piano, but it was never in the budget when I was little (and we didn’t have a piano). Fast forward 20 years, and I was now a grown adult with a career. The attendance secretary at the school where I was teaching taught lessons from her home, and offered to add me on as a student. I was hesitant— what if I was too “old” to learn? What if I completely messed up and had to keep going to work and face this coworker? I finally got a big dose of courage and took her up on her offer. I had access to a piano for practicing, had the time, and had the money to do it— there really was no reason not to try.
So there I was, standing at her door with my “Adult Level 1” piano book in hand, heart pounding, mind racing, ready to start a new adventure. It was a little intimidating at first. I did mess up. My “old” brain did take a little longer to pick up the concepts. But you know what? Slowly but surely, I started to get the hang of it. I practiced every day after work. If I messed up, I tried again. I did my best to make the most of this new opportunity. I was proud of the progress I made, and even found myself making my fiancé listen to me on our nightly phone calls. I felt like a little girl, so excited to share my new talents.
I took lessons for several months before I got married and moved to another state. I didn’t have access to lessons or a piano while we were living away, and then soon after we moved back, we started having kids, so my skills faded, and eventually became a memory. Fast forward eleven years, and I was casually scrolling FaceBook, when I saw a post from a neighbor— they had been given a new piano and were giving away their old one for free! My heart lit up. I immediately commented that we would take it. We rearranged our living room, recruited some neighbors to help us move it, and are now the proud owners of a beautiful piano. My husband can play pretty well, and it has been so nice having piano music fill our house.
I didn’t touch it for a few weeks. I loved hearing the music, but knew my skills were rusty and would need some serious work. One day when all my kids were out playing with friends and my husband was at work, I pulled out my old piano book and started to remind myself how to play. The music was slow and choppy, but I was playing! I was reading the notes and making music! It was amazing! My fingers and my brain moved in unison as muscle memory took over and it started to come back to me.
Now, I don’t want you thinking that I was suddenly playing all sorts of complicated music, because I wasn’t. But I was amazed at how my brain pulled out what it knew and started to use it again. It was proof to me that once you learn something, your mind retains it. Sure, it may be tucked way back in the deep corners of your brain, but it’s there, and as you start to tug on the memory or skill, it slowly works it way toward the front.
If you’re like me and have a skill you learned long ago but have since stopped using, try it again! Tug on that memory and start to spark muscle memory. Dust off the piano, violin, wood working tools, skateboard, paint brushes, or whatever else it may be and give it a go. I bet you’ll be surprised with the way things start to come back to you. And if you have a skill you’ve always wanted to learn, but haven’t had the chance to for whatever reason, do it! If you have the resources, take the leap and try something new! You don’t have to be an expert at it, but trying is so much better than living with the regret of not trying.
So go ahead, prove to the world that you can teach an old dog new tricks!
In my last post, I shared a couple of printable worksheets/activities that you could use to teach your kids or students about Independence Day. Since not all kiddos are interested in worksheet-style learning, I’m back with a few more ideas! Teaching kids about the history of our nation is so important. It’s important for them to understand how our country was founded and to know about the incredibly brave men and women who fought (and still do fight) and worked so hard to establish America.
Teaching kids about history doesn’t have to be boring. It’s easy to incorporate play and games into their learning. Below are a few ideas you can try!
Patriotic Sensory Bin
Using any sensory bin base you’d like (my favorites are rice or beans), you can add small patriotic themed items. Ideas include small flags, red, white, and blue gems/stars/pom-poms, small pictures of national monuments or presidents, and so forth. Bury the items in the sensory base, and let your kids get to work exploring and finding fun treasures!
Patriotic Matching
Print off two copies of several pictures of our national symbols, monuments, presidents, Founding Fathers, etc. Glue them on to paper squares and play memory. Whenever a match is made, take a minute to talk about why the object or person in the picture is important to America’s history.
If memory style matching isn’t something your child likes, you can place one set of pictures on the table or wall, then hide the other set of pictures around the house or room. Again, as matches are found, talk about each picture.
Independence Day Trivia
This is a great activity for older kids. Write down several questions (and answers) about the history, places, and people of our nation. Divide kids into teams and have an Independence Day Trivia Face-Off. If the person whose turn it is can answer the question without their team’s help, two points are awarded to that team. If they need the team’s help, one point is awarded for a correct answer. If the first team is unable to answer correctly, the second team gets a chance, earning one point for a correct answer. You could place a small flag in the center of the table, and the first person to grab it gets the first chance to answer the question.
Tally the points as you go, and the winners get a red, white, and blue rocket popsicle!
Historical Story-Telling
Assign each child a story from our nation’s history. Give them a few minutes to prepare, then have them re-tell the story in their own words. Another version of this would be to have them write and illustrate a children’s book telling the story they have been assigned.
American Role Play
Rather than having them verbally re-tell a story or event, have children reenact an important event. Provide props and costumes if available!
A Star-Spangled Sing-A-Long
Teach kids the words to our national anthem and have them sing along. Be sure to explain what all the words mean, the history behind why the song was written, how it became our national anthem, and even a little bit about the man who wrote it!
Patriotic Crafting
There are endless options here— have kids create a flag out of various materials, use different methods to paint “fireworks”, or create a mosaic of the flag, a monument, or person. Never underestimate the power of construction paper, scissors, and a glue stick!
Whatever you decide to do, remember to keep it age appropriate, make it fun and engaging, and let kids use their imaginations! The material and skills learned are the most important part of activities like these, so there isn’t one “perfect” way to get things done. Relax, have fun, and remember that messes can be cleaned up!
Independence Day is such a fun holiday. Beyond the parades, fireworks, and BBQs, there’s so much history behind the day. Most kids aren’t in school at this point of the summer, so it gives parents an incredible opportunity to teach their children a bit about the history of our nation and the sacrifices and work it took to build our country. No matter your political views, I think we can all acknowledge just how incredible it was what our Founding Fathers did!
Whether you’re staying home this Fourth of July or traveling to be with family and friends, you can use these free printable activities to both keep your kids busy and teach them a little bit about our nation’s birthday!
** These printables are FREE, but please only use them for personal or classroom use. Do not resell, re-post, or claim as your own. **
We decided to surprise our kids with a trip to San Diego last week. We’ve been planning the trip for six months, and had the hardest time keeping it a surprise! We decided to drive rather than fly because we are a family of seven— five kids (four still in a car seat or booster), and two adults. Plane tickets for seven, plus a rental car large enough to fit all of us would have blown our entire trip budget in one fell swoop. The drive, however, was twelve hours one way— and that’s without bathroom breaks or lunch stops. Ugh.
In an effort to keep us all sane during our drive, and to try reduce the amount of screen time, I spent the months and weeks leading up to our trip planning, designing, and putting together activities for my kids to do in the car.
I needed the activities to meet a few criteria: they needed to be adaptable and entertaining for ages 4-9, able to be done without my help, not messy, and somewhat educational. I didn’t want slime in my car. Play-doh wasn’t an option, either, and neither were puzzles. I knew they wouldn’t want to color for the entire drive. I started with Pinterest as a spring board, and went from there. I found a few ideas there, and changed them to fit my needs and budget. I spent some time using Canva to design the games and activities, and purchased a couple off of Etsy. I sent them to my favorite print shop to be printed, then spent some time cutting, laminating, and assembling the activity bags (I used mesh zipper pouches I found on Amazon). Most of the supplies came from Amazon or the dollar store, making the activities very affordable. Since I know we aren’t the only family road tripping this summer, I thought I’d share my ideas!
I downloaded and printed some free coloring pages from various websites. I also printed off my summer I-Spy pages— you can find those here.
I made sure each of my kids had their own set of Crayon Twistable colored pencils. I chose these for a couple of reasons: they don’t need a pencil sharpener, they color well, and they don’t melt or break easily like crayons do.
Now, for the activities that took a little more prep work and time:
Link Pattern Task Cards– Each kid was given their own set of task cards and plastic links. The goal was to use their links to copy the patterns on the cards. They also had a lot of fun making their own patterns, necklaces, bracelets, and chains.
Block Pattern Task Cards– I created a set of 20 task cards. I bought some plain 1” wooden tiles and some 1” square stickers on Amazon. I put a sticker on one side of each tile and a small magnet on the back until I had enough squares for each of my kids to have six of each color. I put a 4×6” adhesive magnet on the inside of the lid of a pencil box. The objective was to use the wooden tiles to recreate the patterns and designs on the task cards. Again, they had fun following the pre-made patterns as well as creating their own.
Popsicle Stick Hair Tie Matching– Using large popsicle/craft sticks, I colored random stripes of colors on each stick. My kids then took small hair ties and put them on the corresponding color on the stick. It was a simple activity that took very little prep.
Lacing Cards– I chose several images I knew my children would like, sized them to be around 4-5”, and punched holes around the image. Using a shoelace (or any kind of string would work), they laced the string through the holes. This is an excellent fine motor skill!
My kids enjoyed the activities, and their attention was held for good amounts of time. As a bonus, they also did some of the activities at our rental condo when we had down time. The activities will also be added to our quiet bag rotation, so I know they will be used frequently. Any of these activities would also be an excellent addition to any classroom for quiet time activities and/or enrichment time.
So, yes, they were a lot of work, but it was a labor of love, and our sanity was (mostly) saved!
