PRE-K GOAL SETTING CHART My kindergarten incentive kit has been such a hit, I went ahead and created one for my Pre-K friends . We all know as teachers that the standards drive our instruction, but getting our students excited to master these skills is half the battle. Some ki
Visual discrimination is an important skill for children to develop to assist with reading, writing and math skills.
This free Alphabet Magnet Beginning Sounds Activity is great for Pre-K, Kindergarten, or early 1st graders who are working on letter sounds!
Practice initial sounds with this fun, hands-on Beginning Sounds Game with a fun winter theme for kindergarteners.
Download free Dolch sight words worksheets for pre-k or pre-primer. Learn to recognise sight words.
Here are my best tips, hints, and advice for teaching phonemic awareness with the Michael Heggerty Phonemic Awareness Curriculum, which is an amazing resource for Pre-K, Kindergarten, and primary teachers. Once you know how to use it, it takes NO … Continue reading →
Hello All, Today we had so much fun with our sight word from my freebie Snowflake Slap . First I laid out all of the snowflakes on the carpe...
Each printable sight words list combines Dolch sight words and Fry's high frequency word lists. Print five different sight word lists for Pre-K and up.
Want to seem like an excellent math teacher? Play the substitution game. It is worth 1000 worksheets. It's never boring and it's different every time.
Visual discrimination is an important skill for children to develop to assist with reading, writing and math skills.
Here are 12 research-based books every pre-k or kindergarten teacher should read to become a better teacher. Add these titles to your professional library.
Learn how to make moon rocks for your preschoolers to smash and develop fine motor skills; for preschool, pre-k, and kindergarten.
Teach your four-year-old more than ABCs and 123's. Make sure they are ready for kindergarten by teaching them these 8 essential life skills!
Use these shape play dough mats to help preschoolers and kindergarteners learn how to make 2D shapes and recognize shapes in everyday objects
How do you encourage positive student behavior in your classroom? I have tried too many behavior systems to count - clip charts, flipping cards, behavior contracts… you name it and I have tried it. What I have found over the years is that no matter what, students genuinely want to do well and
Learning to read is such a fun and special time: it's a valuable skill, and sparking an early love of reading can make it become a lifelong passion. In order
Ten frames - what are they?! This post will tell you what a ten frame is, why they're so valuable, and give ideas for how to practise them.
Here are 10 tips for homeschooling kinesthetic learners, or methods such as using kinesthetic homeschool curriculum.
Here are 12 research-based books every pre-k or kindergarten teacher should read to become a better teacher. Add these titles to your professional library.
I thought it was time to share some alphabet activities for preschoolers. Alphabet activities and How Wee Learn definitely seem to go hand in hand! I have shared with you oodles of letter activities before AND a (rather lengthy) post about why I don't actually suggest teaching letters in ABC order. But I have not
Learning to read is such a fun and special time: it's a valuable skill, and sparking an early love of reading can make it become a lifelong passion. In order
Well, what indeed? He got rubbed out of history as being no longer desirable or fashionable to the modern world. And who rubbed him out? His supposed best "comrade", the Socialist Left - that's who! The Left began by extolling the virtues of the ordinary, working man but all the while they were planning his extinction. And whenever Marxists took control of the government they literally "rubbed out" millions of ordinary working men and their families by mass slaughter. So much for the great champions of the working class! In reality, Marxism has ever been the darling of the lazy, stupid, prostituted, ne'er-do-well or egoistic members of the middle and upper classes who wanted to pose as salon revolutionaries and champagne Bolsheviks for their chic, rich friends and to climb up the greasy pole by the cheat's quick route rather than by hard work. But it has ever been the ordinary working man who has had to pay for these revolutionary poseurs and hypocrites - often with his very life. Now that Marxism and its base and murderous materialism is discredited (despite decades of utter adulation and base grovelling from the media and academics of the free world!) has the working man been restored to his rightful place? Nope. Seedy, hedonistic, self-worshipping, atheistic, anti-life Capitalism has swept in to replace the gross materialism of atheistic Marxism with another equally gross materialism. In each case their only god is self and material goods. In each of these loathsome creeds, one's neighbour is merely there to be exploited, used, cheated, defrauded or, if he gets in the way, terminated. Each creed has one other thing in common. They have successfully abolished the good, old working man and replaced him with something entirely modern, entirely ugly and often grotesque and degraded. Phoney, modern "working class" frauds include screaming, rock-ape billionaires like Bruce Springsteen. Working class? Who's he kidding! The working man has often either been transmogrified into a caricature of himself, "sexed up" to look like some fatuous "pop" star, or forced into a job far more tedious, dreary and soul-destroying than any factory, coal-mine or ship-yard ever was. If that fails, he ends up in the Young Offenders' Institute or prison. This is apparently called "progressive". And, of course, if he is white, male and European, he is positively despised by the institutions of modern society whose political correctness has become a new form of neo-Fascism. But when a war comes and the government needs someone to fight it, to whom do they go? Yep, the ordinary, working man, again. Old Tommy gets pushed to centre stage again. And when the war's over, he's forgotten again. Or, if the government is New Labour, he doesn't even get remembered while he is actually fighting the war! Instead, he is forced to make do with out of date equipment, poor conditions and weapons and a black bag and a few quid for his wife and family back home, if he is killed! Note well, ladies and gentlemen! Note well. This is a supposedly "Labour" government that is doing this to our boys at the front. "Labour"? Who are they kidding? They would not know a labouring man if he rose up before their very eyes and punched them on the nose! Kipling, as ever, understood it well: Tommy By Rudyard Kipling, 1892 I went into a public- 'ouse to get a pint o' beer, The publican 'e up an sez, "We serve no red-coats here." The girls behind the bar they laughed an' giggled fit to die, I outs into the street again an' to myself sez I: O it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy go away"; But it's "Thank you, Mister Atkins," when the band begins to play- The band begins to play, my boys, the band begins to play, O it's "Thank you Mr Atkins," when the band begins to play. I went into a theatre as sober as could be, They gave a drunk civilian room, but 'adn't none for me; They sent me to the gallery or round the music-'alls, But when it comes to fighting', Lord! They'll shove me in the stalls! For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy wait outside"; But it's "Special train for Atkins," when the trooper's on the tide- The troopship's on the tide, my boys, the troopship's on the tide, O it's "Special train for Atkins," when the trooper's on the tide. Yes, makin' mock o' uniforms that guard you while you sleep Is cheaper than them uniforms, an' they're starvation cheap; An' hustlin' drunken soldiers when they're goin' large a bit Is five times better business than paradin' in full kit. Then it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy 'ow's yer soul?" But it's "Thin red line of 'eroes" when the drums begin to roll- The drums begin to roll, my boys, the drums begin to roll, O it's " Thin red line of 'eroes," when the drums begin to roll. We aren't no thin red 'eroes, nor we aren't no blackguards too, But single men in barricks, most remarkable like you; An' if sometimes our conduck isn't all your fancy paints, Why single men in barricks don't grow into plaster saints; While it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy fall be'ind," But it's "Please to walk in front, sir," when there's trouble in the wind- There's trouble in the wind, my boys, there's trouble in the wind, O it's "Please to walk in front, sir," when there's trouble in the wind. You talk o' better food for us, an' schools, an' fires, an' all: We'll wait for extry rations if you treat us rational. Don't mess about the cook-room slops, but prove it to our face The Widow's Uniform is not the soldier-man's disgrace. For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Chuck 'im out, the brute!" But it's "Saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot; An' it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' anything you please; An' Tommy ain't a bloomin' fool - you bet that Tommy sees! It was the Duke of Wellington who coined the popular nickname Thomas (or Tommy) Atkins, for the ordinary soldier. In the early 19th century, whilst Commander-in-Chief, he was asked to come up with a 'typical' soldier's name. Thinking back to his first campaign in the Low Countries in the 1790s he remembered a badly wounded, but stoical, soldier he had encountered - Sergeant Thomas Atkins - who had said in answer to an enquiry about his condition "All in a day's work, sir". So the name stuck as the sobriquet of the best sort of ordinary British soldier or "Tom". Still, not all is black. There seems to be something of an interest abroad in restoring the old idea of training for a trade, instead of pretending that all young men and women must become University students. There is talk of widening the scope of opportunity for what used to be called apprenticeships to a trade. A tradesmen these days can earn good money and can go into business on his own account. The self-employed tradesman is (or ought to be) the backbone of society and certainly was so during the Christian era in western society. He is the foundation of what Edmund Burke called his "little platoons" so essential for any successful and healthy society. Indeed, in the Middle Ages a very well organised and structured system of Trade Guilds and Livery Companies existed which fulfilled a whole range of functions including: Training apprentices and journeymen (from the French journee i.e. a day worker) for each trade Regulating the standards of the trade to ensure that cheats, swindlers, crooks and thieves were weeded out and bad practices were not allowed Determining the standards and criteria for the awarding of the rank of Master or Master Craftsman Maintaining a provident fund for sick and disabled tradesmen of the Guild and their families Maintaining a Guild chapel or church and chaplains to provide for the spiritual needs of members and their families and to pray for their dead Maintaining funds for poor scholars and gifted sons of the poor to be trained for the sacred ministry Maintaining a general fund for the poor and indigent and their families Maintaining and regulating the government, customs, rules and traditions of the Guild Electing senior members of the Guild to the municipal government of the City or Town This system was attacked and undermined by the rapacious "new men" of the Reformation who, already rich, wished to become richer and so invented the beginnings of modern Capitalism that went on to deprive the working man of his rightful and Christian heritage. Now, once again, Tommy Atkins is derided and abused by those who think they don't need him any more. Come back, Tommy, your country needs you now more than ever. "When the guns begin to shoot" The supposedly bigoted, ignorant and racist "Tommy" rescues his Indian cavalry comrade whilst being shot at by rebel Egyptians during the Battle of Tel El-Kebir in 1882. Worthless Feminists and Socialist trendies now call our Tommy a DWEM - "dead white European male" and dismiss him out of hand. They would have no freedom to do so were it not for the very Tommy Atkins whom they so shamefully deride. ...
Make learning sight words FUN with over 51 clever and free Sight Word Activities and Games for kids of all ages to improve reading skills.
Top 12 Pre-K Educational Apps for Kindle & Android reviews included - a MUST for any parent who wants their child to learn while using technology for play.
Having a quick assessment literacy assessment for pre-k and kindergarten students can help guide your instruction throughout the school year.
Color by number free printables for all holidays are here! Summer, Spring, Winter, Fall, Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas pages and more.
Science and art combine in this amazing and simple rainbow experiment. The kids will love to make, explore and paint rainbows,
Have you ever had a class that just tried your patience day after day? Have you ever felt like you could walk away from teaching forever tom...
Instead of frustrating a kid learning to read, these easy books are actually EASY, and will boost reading confidence!
Make practicing reading FUN with over 50 Free Emergent Readers! Simply download printable and have fun reading with Kindergarten, pre k, and grade 1 kids!
Forty ideas to inspire you!
Fun spring movement games that build gross motor skills in fun and playful ways for your preschool or pre-k students.
Printable first grade spelling words with 32 weekly spelling lists. Spelling lists are based on word families and cover 320 words including 174 FRY words.
A Jar Full of Feelings is a visual sensory regulation activity to help children recognize and respond appropriately to their feelings.
FREE sight word recognition activity for kids to read sight words while feeding bones to the dog. Fun and motivational literacy game for pre-k, kindergarten and first grade kids.
Introducing our new Phonics Coloring Worksheets for Word Families, which give kids practice finding & reading words with common phonics...
I love the practical tips in this series for helping struggling readers - great strategies for working on comprehension and more! Helpful for kids in first grade, second, third, fourth, and higher. #strugglingreaders #teachingreading #comprehension #firstgrade #secondgrade #thirdgrade #fourthgrade
From developing fine motor skills, letter and number recognition, sight words, sorting, sequencing, reading, and math, these task boxes for autism tasks will help develop important life skills and beyond!
Simple or Basic Addition worksheets for your younger students. These free addition worksheets cover sums up to 10. With a large font and large answer area these worksheets are perfect for your kindergarten students.
Helping develop your child's speech through play. We're always told not to compare children. They're all different and all do things in their own way, in their own time. In fact, a favourite quote of mine is, "Not all children are ready to learn the same thing at the same time in the same way." - Kathy Walker However, even knowing and understanding all of this, when my son did not start to communicate verbally in a similar way to how his older sister had, I admit that I felt quite concerned. I'd done everything the same. He'd been read to since birth (a lot), talked to and chatted with constantly. We made sounds, did rhymes, sung songs and played together. But, unlike his sister, he did not choose to naturally communicate verbally and would refuse to mimic sounds or try new words. His non-verbal communication was spot on and he was always able to get across what he wanted (which was encouraging) but oral language was not something that came easily to him. My child is showing a delay in their speech development. Where do I start? Being a teacher, I was aware that early intervention is very important when it comes to children and learning difficulties, so despite all the advice I was getting from people to, "Just wait, it'll happen," I needed to do something about it myself and ensure that I was giving him the best start that I could. My son was about 19-20 months old when I first sought out external advice. Many people will say that it's too early to really start getting concerned before 2 years old, but you know your own child better than anyone. If you're concerned for any reason, it's better to seek out assistance than possibly stressing out unnecessarily for months and months. When concerned about your child's speech development the first people to speak to are your child's doctor and maternal health nurse. Through them, they can organise and refer you for any specialists and tests. We started by getting an assessment of where his development was at, as well as organising for a hearing test. This is usually a good starting point. From there, doctors and professionals are able to see if there are any particular issues that might be delaying speech and start to rule things out. As his hearing was fine, the next step for us was being referred to a Speech Pathologist. Many speech pathologists are private practice here in Australia and can be quite pricey if your child needs regular sessions. There are ways to get into government subsidised classes so talk to your GP or Maternal Health Nurse about how and where you can sign up for them. There is often a waiting list though and the spots will often go to children in higher need (such as older children). We went to a few sessions with a private Speech Pathologist and after observing, listening and discussing the best ways to help my son develop his oral language, I was confident that I could take over and continue to help him myself at home without the added cost of a weekly therapy bill. 10 tips to help your child develop their speech through play at home It was clear from the speech pathology sessions I attended, that my son was on the verge of talking but that helping him form those words was going to take a bit more of a concentrated effort than his older sister required. Having the speech pathologist confirm my original beliefs that learning through play was always going to be the best way was encouraging, and gaining the understanding of how I could go about better approaching this play time with him, in order to best help develop his speech, was also something of great value. The main points that I learnt about trying to encourage speech development through play are: 1) For your child to develop their speech, they have to practice. It can be tricky getting reluctant speakers to talk, so engaging them in meaningful play and activities where they are naturally encouraged to participate in talking, is essential. 2) One-on-one play time is very important. Make regular times (at least once daily for a minimum of 10-15 minutes) to sit down with your child, without other distractions and engage with them. (This can be tricky with other siblings around but it's important that they have this uninterrupted time with you) 3) Look at your child's interests and try to engage them with these interests. Eg. If they are really into animals, plan your one-on-one play times to involve playing with animals. If they are always very active and struggle to sit still, try to play together in a way that allows them to move whilst still encouraging them to talk. 4) When speaking to your child during these one-on-one play times, use clear, short sentences that are directly related to the play. Eg. While playing with your animals, move the cow and say "the COW says MOO. mooooo" When the cow is knocked over, "Oops, the COW FELL DOWN." When you jump the cow over a fence, "the COW JUMPED OVER the FENCE." You don't have to speak like this to your child all the time, just during your one-on-one play times. Focus the language on useful words that will help your child communicate better. Prepositions such as, "on, in, out, off, up" etc. verbs such as "drink, eat, jump, play, read." and nouns, eg. "Mum, Dad, hand, foot, cup" etc. 5) Give your child a chance to respond. Often it will take children longer to process your question or what is being spoken about and for them to think of an appropriate response and say it. It's easy for adults and other children to jump in with the answer after a couple of seconds when it seems as though the child is not going to respond, but you need to allow a good 10 seconds or more for them to attempt to answer verbally. 6) Find new and engaging ways to play with them that allow you opportunities to practice other words. Eg. Blowing bubbles with them will allow you to practice the language that will come naturally with that activity, such as, "more," "bubbles," and "blow." Playing with cars can encourage language such as, "go," "stop," "drive," "brrrrrroooom," and "beep beep." (Here are 10 ideas you could try) 7) If your child has particular sounds that they are struggling with, eg. saying "wewy" instead of "very," try and find ways to play that will naturally include that language. Eg. Build a tower together. A tower that is VERY, VERY tall! Use that time to say and practice the language as much as possible. 8) Repeat what your child says, clearly and correctly so that they can hear how it should sound and reinforce the language that goes with the action. Eg. If your child indicates you to blow more bubbles by saying, "mor," you can say, "More. More bubbles?" and wait for their response. Trying to engage them in conversation and take it further is important. Your child might now nod, or say "yes," or say "more" again. You could then say, "Yes, yes you can have more bubbles." 9) Praise your child for their efforts. Positive reinforcement can work wonders on children so be sure to acknowledge their efforts at communicating verbally and encourage them to continue. 10) Be patient. Try to remember the message at the top of this post, that all children learn at their own pace. Your child's development may seem slower than others but so long as it's improving, you should get there. Who knows, it may suddenly click for them and you won't be able to stop them talking. Just remember to give them time and not to expect things to suddenly change in an instant. Your child might be reluctant to your one-on-one play times at first or not be able to stay focused for a very long period of time, but so long as you keep persisting with it, you should see results. Please remember that if you are feeling concerned at all about your child's development, if their development stalls or especially if their development starts going backwards, you should seek out advice from experts in these areas. Some children will require or greatly benefit from a joint effort from a specialist and parents so it's important that any concerns you have are addressed and you know the best way to go about it with your child. For practical activity ideas, along with the key vocabulary that you might focus on with each activity, see our 10 activities for helping develop speech post. For more info and ideas on helping your child develop their language through play, check out these great sites: Playing with Words 365 Two Daloo Play to Talk Trust Me I'm a Mom Happy playing, Debs :) Look where else we are. Are you following along? :)
Have you ever had a class that just tried your patience day after day? Have you ever felt like you could walk away from teaching forever tom...
Did you know you could use your iPad as a switch? Or with a switch? All special education teachers need to know how to use their iPads like this! So many different accessibility features!
