Fun and Practical Ideas for Primary Classrooms
Strong phonics instruction is one of the most important parts of helping young readers become confident and successful. If you’re looking for phonics activities for kindergarten and first grade, simple routines that reinforce letter sounds, blending, and word building can make a big difference. These easy phonics activities for K–1 classrooms are perfect for literacy centers, small group instruction, or… Read More
Teaching friendship skills is an important part of helping young students build a positive classroom community. These friendship activities for primary students are designed to help children learn how to be kind, work together, and solve problems with their classmates. This friendship activities booklet for kindergarten and first grade includes simple lessons, reflection pages, and engaging activities that encourage students… Read More
…Because routines build the foundation for everything else. The first day of school sets the tone for the entire year, and establishing clear expectations right away can make a huge difference in how smoothly your classroom runs. Teaching important classroom routines on the first day of school in first grade helps students feel confident, independent, and ready to learn. From… Read More
Do you take first and last day of school pictures of your students? It is a favorite tradition of mine! See how I use these pictures in my classroom and try it this year in your classroom if you don’t already! How Does It Work? First, I print out a few of these adorable signs. As the students are working… Read More
Indoor recess? Gloomy weather? Increasingly complex concepts to learn? Students snapping at each other? The middle of winter is also the beginning of the second half of the school year and students may be stuck in a rut or acting out a bit. Here are some tried and true ideas I use every year to help keep students learning and… Read More
“Do you have any “nice notes” today?!” That is a phrase I hear often in my classroom! My students LOVE getting recognized in front of their peers AND taking their “nice note” home to show their family. What are Nice Notes? “Nice Notes” are cute little cards with a positive message and a cute clipart animal or person. I use… Read More
Helping young students learn healthy habits is an important part of supporting the whole child. This First Grade Health Booklet, “I Can Be Healthy”, includes engaging health and wellness activities for primary students that introduce important topics like personal hygiene, exercise, nutrition, and taking care of our bodies. These printable health activities for first grade are easy to use in… Read More
Do you LOVE fun poems as much as I do? Well, I know young readers LOVE poems when they are learning to read, rhyme, and identify letters and sounds. These alphabet poems are a favorite! These Alphabet Poems are fantastic for ABC Bootcamp or whenever you start learning and reviewing letter names and sounds in Kindergarten. And, each letter includes… Read More
The end of the school year is such a busy and sometimes stressful time for students and teachers! Changes to schedules, celebration events, special activities, strong emotions, and more take up time and can throw off your usual classroom routines. That’s why I LOVE our End of the Year book! It’s such a fun way to review our year together,… Read More
After 20+ years of teaching, I’ve done a lot of different things for reading homework. I stopped doing reading logs several years ago because I didn’t feel it was meaningful. Sometimes, families were just rushing to write down book titles to get “credit” for homework, instead of focusing on the fun and important work of enjoying books together. Another reading… Read More
