Back to School - First Day Activity

On the first week of the new school year, I like to play games where I really get to know a lot about my students and they learn a bit about me, too. There are many great first day activities, but  I chose an easy dice game this year. I stumbled upon this idea over at Pinterest. I found plenty of similar ideas, but I created a poster to meet my students' need.  I am sharing with you my poster that you can download for free . Just print and play! The rule of this game is very simple.  Children will roll the dice and then share something about themselves, depending on the number they rolled.
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I Spy Bottle

I found this I Spy Bottle idea on Pinterest. It was immediately on my wishlist. So I made it for my kiddos. I collected some small objects around my house. If you decide to make an I spy bottle, make sure that everything fits through the top of your bottle. :) I will also recommend choosing colorful objects as well. Put the selected collection in the bottle, then add dry rice until the bottle is 3/4 full. I chose a plastic bottle, since my kiddos are five and four. One more important thing! Write down the objects, or take a picture before you put them in the bottle, otherwise you won't be able to help in the game later on. Voila, in no time, it is ready to use! We had great time playing with this I spy game. Since my children aren't literate yet, they drew the objects. They were amused and I was happy to see them playing together. But the most fascinating moment came after the game, this was the moment when I found them all over the
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Back to School - Flash Card and Word Card Games

Flash card and word card games never seem to get old. It is because they are versatile, easy to use, long standing and children love them. These simple resources can assist you to teach and review anything in the classroom and at home as well. In this article I would like to share with you my favorite games and one or two useful advice. WHY USE FLASH CARDS? Reviewing  is extremely important for learning, but teachers often forget or simply don't have enough time for this essential moment in teaching. You don't need much time for the flash card and the word card games. Five minutes are more than enough for a quick but enjoyable review. To get your children excited about review, use the power of emotions. Don't hesitate to show them that you are on the edge of your seat, on tenterhooks because you are waiting to see the results of the game. If the games are delightful the children will seek for more. Flash card games are a powerful tool for teaching. I love
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Shadow Matching

I thought I would write about a fun card game I have been playing with my family. This matching shadow game with school supplies is not only a fun afternoon activity, it will also get kids excited about the upcoming school year. With these educational worksheets, children guess what an item is by looking at its shadow. These printables are for the youngest kids - helping them make their first steps in reasoning, comparison, finding common points and exceptions. When we played with these cards for the first time, we had a great fun simply matching the pictures of different school supplies with their shadow cards. This was interesting just for the next few days, so we boosted it in many different ways. Here are some other ideas how we play with this set of cards: Our favorite game is boosted with a LEGO DUPLO PYRAMID. I found the idea here . Shortly the steps, we build a pyramid (every time a new one) with Lego Duplo. Everyone choose a character (doll). The aim
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Free Printable I Spy School Supplies

This free printable I Spy game with school supplies is not only a fun afternoon activity, it will also get kids excited about the upcoming school year. I Spy can be played at a level suited to the child. It can be played anywhere, at home, school, waiting rooms, markets or while out driving in the car. The first worksheet contains 26 different school supplies. It is suitable for the alphabet game   "I spy with my little eye something beginning with letter _". For the beginner reader focus can be on the first letter of the object. As the child progresses and gets better with spelling, you can try going by the last letter of the object too. Allow the child time to guess and name the object. When the children find the picture, they can cover it with pom poms,  buttons or even with candy canes. Here are some ideas how to play I spy with the second worksheet. In this page there is more than one copy of every image. F
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