The Joy of Teaching

April 11, 2025
by Evan-Moor
0 comments

Go Wild! 7 easy and playful activities for kids to learn about wildlife

Who doesn’t love learning about animals in the wild? Kids of all ages (and adults, too!) have endless curiosity about the motley of creatures that sprint, slither, and stomp through the animal kingdom.

Here are 7 playful, hands-on activities to help your kids learn more about the cool wildlife on our planet!

1) Be Our Guest

Make an animal hotel out of materials around your house! Give your child the name of imaginary hotel for a specific animal. Some possibilities include:

The Monkey Motel
The Racoon Resort
The Hippo Hotel
The Iguana Inn
The Bumblebee Bed & Breakfast

Help your child research their animal and consider:

What kind of beds would they need at their hotel?
What food would they serve?
How can they make their guests comfortable?

Then, go on a scavenger hunt around your house for art materials! Create the hotel structure using a shoebox, cardboard boxes, or even fallen twigs from your backyard. Encourage your child to get creative with their ideas and materials.

As you create together, ask your child what they think might happen at their hotel. Who runs the hotel? Can they name their guests? See what imaginative stories emerge!

2) Get Crafty

Toilet paper rolls, paper plates, egg cartons, and paper bags are budget-friendly materials to create artistic, kid-friendly versions of different animals.

Here are some ideas for materials (and a few free printables) to get your kids in the creative spirit!

Use leftover toilet paper rolls to create our Paper Tube Animals.

Use cotton balls and string to make our cute Tailorbird Nest.

Grab a brown paper bag to make our Bunny Headbands.
Use a small clay pot to build our Pop-Up Groundhog.
Find some gray construction paper to make our Whale Paper Mitt Puppet.
Repurpose an egg carton to craft a caterpillar’s body or a turtle’s shell.
Pick up a paper plate to make a paper plate snail or lion.

As you craft together, share fun facts about the animal with your child. (For example, did you know that elephants can’t jump?)

Looking for ready-made art shapes to create animal-themed crafts?
Check out Evan-Moor’s Animals: Amazing Earth Adventures and Activities, Ages 6–7.

3) Shape a Story

Get your kids excited to write about animals with charming shape activities!

Is your child enchanted with elephants? Use our free Elephant Shape Book lesson to get them to share what they know about the gentle giants.

Does your child wish they could wave to a whale? Our free Whale Shape book lesson will help them write about some of the world’s biggest animals.

4) Share a Story

For children, animals are the perfect main characters to kickstart their own creative tale.

Invite your child to tell or write you a story about:

A polar bear that gets lost
An orca who swims to Mexico
A penguin that makes a friend

Encourage them to use as many real-world details as they can in their story.

5) Off to the Races

Assign your child an animal. They must now run and walk exactly like this animal! If your child is unfamiliar with the animal, look up videos online so they can mimic the animal’s gait.

Then, choose your own animal form and challenge your child to a race! Some fun race pairs include:

Tortoise vs. Hare
Elephant vs. Cheetah
Duck vs. Monkey
Rabbit vs. Dolphin
Polar Bear vs. Frog

6) What’s Longest?

Give your kids a list of animals and ask them to rank which animals they think are the longest.

Next, grab a measuring tape, head to a large field, and measure out the length of these long-limbed animals for a fun outdoor activity.

Komodo dragon (world’s longest lizard): 10 feet (3 meters) long
Reticulated python (world’s longest snake): 33 feet (10 meters) long (the longest ever recorded)
Whale shark (world’s longest fish): 59 feet (18 meters) long
Blue whale (world’s longest whale): 98 feet (30 meters) long

7) Wildlife Wander

Go for a ‘wildlife wander’ on a nearby nature trail. Challenge your child to find as many examples of wildlife as possible.

Encourage your child to listen for birds, spot an insect, or narrow in on a squirrel. Keep a journal to track which animals make multiple appearances on your wildlife wanders.

Learning about animals is guaranteed to cue up your child’s curiosity! Want to dive deeper into the animal world? Evan-Moor’s brand-new activity book, Animals: Amazing Earth Adventures and Activities, features photos, step-by-step drawing, dot-to-dots, and more fun activities to help your child travel around the world while practicing basic skills like writing, solving problems, patterning, and more. (Be sure to grab the Tailorbird Nest craft above!) Activity books are available for ages 4–11.

Explore our other animal-themed blog posts!

Free Elephant Learning Activities for Kids

Whale-Themed Classroom Activities

Blubber Glove STEM Project: How Polar Bears Stay Warm in Winter

Monika Davies is a freelance author of over 60 books for kids and a writing workshop facilitator for adult-sized writers. She’s passionate about writing and creating learning material that is playful, informative, and sparks curiosity for all readers.

April 3, 2025
by Evan-Moor
0 comments

Tips to Help Kids Master Essential Money Skills

As kids learn how to enjoy and navigate the world around them, they are surrounded by mentions of money everywhere they turn, encountering marketing efforts directed at them. Developing kids’ financial literacy awareness is a helpful skill that prepares them for life!

Financial Literacy and Life Skills for Kids activity books help kids learn how to navigate the financial world by meeting them where they are. Stories in common and bfamiliar settings introduce relatable characters in situations that kids may find themselves in. Activities give them a chance to put themselves in a similar situation and practice decision-making to meet their own needs.

The fun stories, activities, games, and projects in Financial Literacy and Life Skills for Kids help your child forge his or her own financial path using these skills:

Make satisfying choices
Prioritize needs and wants
Plan to reach goals
Balance responsibility and reward

Ways to Use Financial Literacy and Life Skills for Kids at Home

While each section provides a realistic look at some aspect of using money and can be used on its own, you can reinforce the skills by connecting them to real-world “field trips.” Here are some ways to use financial literacy lessons to nurture your child’s awareness of the financial world:

Before you take your child with you to a store, preview the Shopping section and have him or her read the story and complete its vocabulary pages. Discuss how the type of shopping or store you are going to is similar to or different from the one in the story. Highlight some aspects that might apply to your shopping trip. After your shopping trip, have your child do the remaining activities and the game or project.

There are many opportunities for your child to see people doing a job. Before running errands or taking your child to school, preview the Earning section and have him or her read the story and complete its vocabulary pages. When you go out, make a game of identifying people who are at work: repair crews, bus drivers, gardeners, cashiers, firefighters, doctors, nurses, food servers, cooks, and ticket-takers. Ask your child what he or she thought about the types of work seen. Then have your child do the remaining activities and the game or project.

If your family uses a budget or has a savings goal that you are working toward, such as a vacation, a new TV, or college, preview the Saving or Budget section and have him or her read the story and complete its vocabulary pages. Share with your child a simplified family budget or savings plan. Then have your child do the remaining activities and the game or project.

Even if you don’t go to your bank very often, it’s a good idea to acquaint your child with the inside of the “ATM building.” Preview the Banks section and have him or her read the story and complete its vocabulary pages. Then visit your bank and explain that most adults, businesses, and organizations keep their money there. If you have a safe deposit box, take your child into the vault and show him or her where your box is kept. Then have your child do the remaining activities and the game or project.

Before authorizing autopay or writing out checks for home, power supply, running water, entertainment, and other ongoing services, preview the Paying Bills section and have your child read the story and complete its vocabulary pages. Then ask your child to guess how much you pay each month for your home, Internet, or TV. Share some of the bill amounts and connect them to their value in your daily lives. Then have your child do the remaining activities and the game or project.
Preview the Credit Cards section before reviewing your credit card statement or using your credit card while shopping online or at a store with your child. Have him or her read the story and complete its vocabulary pages. Share your thoughts on when you use credit cards and when you pay a different way. Then have your child do the remaining activities and the game or project.

Use this handy tip if you want to reuse the worksheet pages after different outings or experiences. Remove the perforated worksheet and put it in a clear plastic sleeve. Have your child use a dry-erase marker to do the activities. After you review the answers, use a piece of felt to erase them and remove the page from the sleeve. Save loose worksheets in a folder or binder to use again!

Featured product

Help your kids develop skills for life, while building practical money and math skills! Learn more here: Financial Literacy and Life Skills for Kids. Available for ages 8–13.

Kathy Jorgensen has been an educator most of her life, starting as a peer tutor in second grade and tutoring her way through high school and college. After teaching grades 2 through 12, she spent two decades editing standardized tests. Kathy happily returned to her teaching roots, providing instruction and practice in Evan-Moor’s math and science products. When she’s not polishing words on the page, Kathy is flitting down the dance floor indulging her passion for Scottish country dancing as a dancer, choreographer, and teacher.

March 20, 2025
by Evan-Moor
0 comments

Turn Your Students into Young Authors: 5 Fun Creative Writing Activities for Grades 1–3

Most young kids love to spin an imaginative tale, but they’re often shy and unsure about getting words on a page. Fun and simple creative writing activities are a wonderful way to encourage your students to jot down their story ideas—and also strengthen their writing muscles.

Here are 5 creative writing activities to help turn your students into young authors.

1 ) Goofy Lists

Writing lists is a fun and easy way to spark the imagination! Give your students some goofy list titles and watch their creative ideas unfold.

Try these list titles:

13 items I would pack to Antarctica
12 things I would ask an animal if they could talk back
7 ways to eat a potato
16 items on a robot’s shopping list
10 inventions I want to see in the future
21 things you should NOT eat for lunch

2 ) Creativity Cans

Grab an old soup can, and make it into a “creativity can!” Dress it up with a label, glitter, and pom-poms. Then, add slips of paper inside with playful and unusual nouns.

Ask students to grab three slips of paper from the can. Invite them to create a story using those three nouns.

Give them this starting prompt: “Let me tell you a story about a _______, _______, and _______.”

Creativity Can Nouns
penguin, waffle, cactus, rainbow, pickle, robot, castle, toaster, gumdrop, bagel, rabbit, fox, octopus, crayon, sailboat, poodle, printer, snowflake, teacup, jellybean, clock, mirror, sloth, tuba, scooter, turtle

Love this idea? Grab additional free writing task cards for Grades 1–3 here.

3 ) Meet Me! Acrostic Poem

An acrostic poem is a poem where the first letter of every line spells a word vertically. This “Meet Me!” acrostic poem is a simple way to encourage students to write a poem about themselves.

Ask students to write their name vertically down a page. Then, invite them to write a word or phrase that tells something about them for each letter of their name.

An example poem:

Meet Me!
- P ancakes. Blueberry pancakes are my favorite snack.
- A ustin. This is where I was born!
- T urtles. I have a pet turtle named Izzy.

Use these questions to help your students brainstorm ideas for their poem:

What is your favorite sport?
What is your favorite snack?
What is your favorite place to be?
What is your favorite color?
What is your favorite ice cream flavor?

You can use our free worksheet to get started.

4) Picture Prompts

Show your students some picture prompts. Ask them to imagine and write about what they think happened next in each picture.

You can also encourage them to create backstories for the “characters” in each photo:

• What’s the character’s name?

• What are they great at?

• What is hard for them?

• What is their mission in life?

Discover more picture writing prompts for sequencing for Grades 2-4 here.

5) Adjective Walk

Take your students on an “adjective walk!” Download our free printables from Writing Fabulous Sentences & Paragraphs, Grades 1-3, and teach your students about the power of adjectives. Click here for Free Printables.

Head on a stroll. Spend some time outside and somewhere with smelly (and tasty) foods. The goal for your students is to write down interesting and creative adjectives that help describe what they see, hear, smell, and taste on their “adjective walk.”

Ask your students to write and draw:

What You See
What You Hear
What You Smell
What You Taste

When you return from your walk, encourage your students to write a short story that uses one or more of their adjectives.

Try these prompts to get their stories started:

“It all started in a/an [adjective] place…”
“I first smelt the [adjective] food on a Tuesday…”

Writing Fabulous Sentences & Paragraphs, Grades 1-3

Writing starts early! Help your students transform into strong and confident authors with our creative, scaffolded lessons in Writing Fabulous Sentences & Paragraphs, Grades 1-3.

November 25, 2024
by Evan-Moor
0 comments

10 Ways Spaced Repetition Transforms Homeschool Learning

As a homeschool parent, you’re always looking for ways to help your child retain what they’ve learned. One of the most effective techniques is spaced repetition, a method proven to boost memory retention and reduce the need for cramming. Spaced repetition involves reviewing material over gradually increasing intervals, reinforcing the knowledge just as it begins to fade.

In this post, we’ll explore how spaced repetition can transform your homeschool experience by outlining the 10 key benefits—and how you can easily integrate it into your child’s learning routine.

1. Retain Knowledge Long-Term
Spaced repetition works with the brain’s natural memory process to retain information over the long haul. This method leverages the forgetting curve, identified by Hermann Ebbinghaus, by revisiting material just before it’s forgotten. This ensures that your child not only remembers key facts but holds onto them for months or years to come.

2. Efficient Use of Study Time
No more spending hours cramming for a quiz or test! By spacing out study sessions, your child uses time efficiently, tackling smaller reviews at carefully timed intervals. Instead of overwhelming your homeschool schedule, spaced repetition breaks the material down into manageable chunks.

3. Active Learning Through Recall
Encouraging your child to recall the information they’ve learned—whether by self-quizzing or explaining concepts aloud—boosts engagement. Research shows that this active recall method significantly enhances retention, as it prompts the brain to work harder to retrieve information.

4. Adaptable to Any Subject
Whether your child is studying language learning, math, science, or history, spaced repetition fits into any subject. For vocabulary-heavy areas like language learning, using flashcards or spaced repetition software like Anki ensures consistent reinforcement.

5. Stress-Free Learning
Because spaced repetition works over time, it reduces last-minute study stress. Instead of scrambling to review an entire unit the night before, your child can master topics gradually and confidently.

6. Builds Confidence and Independence
As your child consistently recalls previously learned material, their confidence grows. By using systems like the Leitner system, your child can take control of their own learning, fostering independence. This autonomy is especially empowering for homeschoolers.

7. Personalized Learning Schedule
One of the greatest strengths of spaced repetition is its flexibility. You can create a personalized learning plan that adapts to your child’s pace by increasing the time intervals between reviews as they master the material.

8. Improved Test Performance
Studies show that spaced repetition significantly improves test scores across various subjects. Your child is better prepared for both short-term quizzes and long-term assessments by regularly revisiting the material over extended periods.

9. Reduces Cognitive Overload
Instead of overwhelming your child with too much information at once (as in traditional mass practice), spaced repetition avoids cognitive overload by gradually building up knowledge. This approach gives the brain time to process and retain information in manageable amounts.

10. Long-Term Academic Success
Implementing spaced repetition early in your child’s homeschool journey lays a solid foundation for long-term success. With this method, your child will develop strong study habits and excel academically over time.

How to Get Started with Spaced Repetition in Your Homeschool
Getting started with spaced repetition is easy! Here are a few tips:

Begin by breaking down the material into chunks—whether using flashcards or reviewing notes—and schedule reviews over increasing time intervals. For example, introduce new content on Day 1, review it on Day 3, then again, a week later.
Encourage your child to actively recall information through quizzing or discussions. This interactive approach strengthens memory and helps them retain the material long term.
Spaced repetition software like Anki or Quizlet can simplify this process, providing automated reminders for review.

Evan-Moor Resources to Support Spaced Repetition
At Evan-Moor, we offer resources that complement spaced repetition techniques perfectly. Our Daily Practice series provide structured review opportunities across subjects like math, language, and science, making it easy for homeschool parents to integrate spaced repetition into daily learning. The weekly units provide your child frequent, focused practice of skills and build a spiral review over weeks to boost retention. These homeschool curriculum resources also provide you a skills list to see the concepts covered over the school year. Evan-Moor’s Daily Practice books and e-books cover 15 subject areas, including:

November 18, 2024
by Evan-Moor
0 comments

Tips to Help You Support Your Child in the AI-Driven World

The education landscape is undergoing significant changes as generative artificial intelligence (AI) becomes an integral part of how students learn. As a parent, it’s important to understand how generative AI is shaping the learning process and what steps you can take to ensure your child is navigating these changes effectively. This guide will explore the impact of AI on education and provide practical tips to help you support your child in this AI-driven world.

How Generative AI Is Reshaping the Education System

Generative AI is transforming education by making personalized learning more accessible. AI-powered educational tools and tutoring services adjust lessons based on a student’s individual pace and abilities, offering customized content to challenge students or provide additional support where needed. This helps children strengthen essential skills in subjects like reading and math while developing problem-solving abilities.

While generative AI’s ability to personalize learning is promising, it’s also important for parents to understand how technology fits into their child’s overall learning process. Balancing AI-driven tools with traditional learning experiences can help children gain a well-rounded education.

Understanding AI Literacy: Why It Matters

As generative AI becomes a larger part of your child’s learning experience, building AI literacy is essential. AI literacy involves understanding how AI works, its benefits, and its limitations. With the rise of generative AI tools, children will increasingly encounter AI-generated content in their education. Here’s how you can foster AI literacy at home:

Explain AI in Simple Terms: Help your child understand that AI is a tool used in many areas of life, including their learning apps and educational websites. Simplify the concept by explaining how AI adapts lessons based on their progress and helps provide real-time feedback.
Encourage Critical Thinking: Even though AI tools offer instant answers and support, it’s important to encourage your child to think critically. Teach them to ask questions and analyze the AI-generated content they encounter to avoid over-reliance on technology.
Understand AI’s Limitations: AI tools are not perfect. They can make errors or show biases. Help your child recognize that AI is a helpful assistant in their learning process, but human judgment is necessary to interpret its results.

Practical Tips for Parents: Navigating Generative AI in Education

Here are some practical steps you can take to help your child navigate AI-driven education:

Stay Informed About AI Tools in the Classroom: Many schools are integrating AI-powered educational tools for personalized learning. Stay informed about which tools your child is using and how they work. Engage with your child’s teachers to understand how AI supports classroom learning.
Balance AI with Hands-On Learning: While AI tools can personalize lessons and provide real-time feedback, it’s essential to balance screen time with offline activities. Encourage your child to engage in hands-on learning experiences, such as reading physical books, creating art, or building projects, to develop a well-rounded set of skills.
Leverage AI for Extra Support: AI-powered tutoring services can provide additional support for subjects where your child needs more practice. Encourage your child to use these services to strengthen their understanding of core subjects, but ensure it complements rather than replaces other forms of learning.
Discuss Ethical AI Use: As your child interacts with AI-generated content and tools, talk about the importance of responsible use. Discuss issues like privacy, data security, and ethical implications of AI in education to build awareness and critical thinking around technology use.

Preparing for the Future of Generative AI in Education

Generative AI is rapidly advancing, and its role in education will continue to grow. As schools adopt more AI-driven tools, parents can help their children thrive by balancing AI-based learning with traditional methods that emphasize creativity and problem-solving. Encouraging your child to explore AI tools while promoting critical thinking will set them up for success in this evolving learning environment.

Helping Kids Navigate the World of Artificial Intelligence

For those who want to learn more about how AI is influencing education and how they can help their children navigate this digital landscape, here are some trusted resources:

Common Sense Media: AI and Our Kids: A comprehensive guide that covers how AI impacts children and offers tips for parents on guiding their child’s AI usage responsibly.
Common Sense Education: ChatGPT and Beyond — How to Handle AI in Schools: A resource to help parents and educators understand the role of AI in schools and how to integrate AI tools effectively into learning.
The Dawn of the AI Era: Teens, Parents, and the Adoption of Generative AI at Home and School: A research report that explores how AI is being adopted by students and what parents should be aware of.
AI Literacy: A Parent’s Guide: This article focuses on helping parents build AI literacy and equip their children to understand the technology they are using.

By exploring these resources, parents can gain a better understanding of AI’s growing role in the education system and feel more confident supporting their child’s learning in this rapidly changing environment.

November 12, 2024
by Evan-Moor
0 comments

5 Holiday Shopping Tips to Build Kids’ Money Skills

The holiday season is a time of excitement, celebration, and, often, extra expenses. For young children and middle schoolers, it’s also the perfect opportunity to build essential financial literacy skills that will benefit them well into adulthood. By involving kids and tweens in holiday shopping and budgeting, you can help them learn how to manage money, make informed spending decisions, and understand the value of saving. Be sure to grab the free resources at the end of this post to help introduce financial awareness lessons to your child.

Five Practical Money Lessons for Kids

1. Making and Following a Budget Together
The first step in teaching financial literacy is helping your children understand the concept of budgeting. Sit down together to create a holiday budget. You could break down the budget into categories, such as gifts, decorations, and food, to show how expenses add up.

Lesson: Explain that a budget is a plan for how money will be spent. Once you’ve set a total amount, help your child allocate funds for each category, keeping track of what they’ll need and what they’d like to spend.
Tip: If your child has savings, let them set aside a portion for holiday spending. It can help them understand the value of their own money, rather than just seeing it as an abstract concept.

2. Make a Shopping List and Compare Prices
Once the budget is set, work together to make a list of people they’d like to give gifts to or items they might need for the holidays. Then, take some time to research prices online or in stores.

Lesson: Show them how to compare prices to find the best deals. Explain concepts like price-matching, discounts, and seasonal sales. This activity helps kids see how planning and patience can stretch their budget further.
Tip: Give them a target amount to spend on each person. This keeps spending under control and helps them prioritize.

3. Differentiate Between Wants and Needs
The holidays can stir up a desire for splurging on things that might be unnecessary. Use this as a teaching moment to talk about the difference between “wants” and “needs.”

Lesson: Walk them through practical decision-making. For example, ask questions like, “Is this item something that will be used often, or is it just something that looks fun right now?” This helps kids think critically about purchases and avoid impulse buys.
Tip: Consider giving them a small amount of “fun money” as part of the holiday budget. Let them make their own decisions with it, even if that means they may regret spending it all on something trivial. It’s a safe way to experience the consequences of financial choices.

4. Introduce the Concept of Giving Back
Financial literacy isn’t just about spending and saving; it’s also about giving. During the holidays, talk to your child about setting aside some money or time for charitable causes. This can help build empathy and instill the importance of generosity within their financial values.

Lesson: Discuss how some of their budget could go toward donations, like buying a gift for a toy drive or supporting a local charity. Teaching them to give back can reinforce the idea that finances can make a positive impact on others.
Tip: Let your child research charities or community programs. They’ll learn about budgeting for donations and understand the value of financial contributions to causes they care about.

5. Reflect on Spending After the Holidays
Once the holidays are over, revisit the budget and spending together. Review what was purchased, how much was spent, and what they might do differently next time.

Lesson: This is an opportunity to introduce the idea of evaluating financial decisions. Praise them for areas where they made smart choices, and discuss any regrets as learning points.
Tip: Encourage them to think about ways to save in the future. Could they have made any gifts themselves, or waited for a bigger sale? Discuss how small changes can have a big impact.

A Few Final Tips for Success

By taking small steps in introducing financial literacy skills, you’ll equip your child with skills that build over time.

Depending on the age of your child, you may need to help them understand financial literacy vocabulary words, such as:

Afford — to have enough money to buy something
Budget — a plan for spending and saving money that you receive
Need — something that a person must have
Want — something that a person would like to have
Prioritize — to figure out what is important and what is not
Income — money that you earn or receive as a gift
Expense — something that you pay for
Balance — the amount of money that a person has or owes right now
Donation — money or item that is given away to help people

Additional Free Resources for Parents

These free financial literacy activities with a holiday theme help kids get started in thinking about budgeting during the holidays. Print out these fun pages for your child!

The Financial Literacy Lessons and Activities sampler has printable pages from Evan-Moor’s classroom resource to help students in grades 1–8 build their financial awareness. Grab your free sampler and print the pages related to your child’s grade level.

This holiday season, give your kids a gift they can use for life: a foundation in financial literacy that starts with smart holiday spending!

August 9, 2024
by Evan-Moor
0 comments

DIY Classroom Storage Ideas

Preparing your classroom for the year ahead can be an overwhelming task. Here are 10 creative ways to store, organize, and sort classroom items.

Top 10 Classroom Organization Ideas

Some of our favorite do-it-yourself classroom organization ideas can be created from everyday items found at home or inexpensive finds at the dollar store or hardware store.

Hang a shoe organizer to hold paperback books or center supplies. A hanging sweater organizer works well to sort construction paper.
Use a large beverage tub or laundry basket to hold and transport students’ lunches and PE equipment, to collect library books, or to file student portfolios. If you buy several laundry baskets of the same type, the baskets can be stacked easily when not in use.
Wash round food containers and then cover them with contact paper or printed duct tape to hold markers, pens, and scissors. Or, secure large round food containers together to file student papers, classroom passes, art supplies, etc.
Glue a magnet to repurposed containers that can be attached to magnetized whiteboards to hold dry erase markers.
Keep art supplies accessible by placing scissors, glue, markers, etc., in plastic cups placed in a muffin tray or by gluing small tins or containers to a Lazy Susan.
Create a centralized supply table to hold items needed every day using baskets, cleaning supply caddies, or small crates to organize supplies.
Sort center activities and art projects in zip-lock bags. For easy access, bags can be stored upright in a plastic bin.
Customize large binder clips to organize stacks of paper. Use Mod Podge or glue to attach small labels to the clips. (ex: “To be graded,” “Return,” and “Misc.”)
Use large magnetic clips to clip notes or papers to the front of student desks (or use clothespins with pieces of self-sticking velcro).
Hang a pegboard on a wall, add hooks, and hang small tin pails or buckets to hold classroom supplies.

For more organizational tips, read the Back-to-School Checklist.

For fun activities for the first week of school, read Under the Sea Classroom Theme and Activities.

April 30, 2024
by Evan-Moor
0 comments

Unleashing the Power of Brain Games in the Classroom

Brain games are not just about entertainment; they are potent educational tools with multifaceted benefits for students.

Incorporating brain breaks with critical and creative thinking activities can be a powerful tool in the classroom to engage young minds, cultivate essential thinking skills, and spark joy in the learning process. Research suggests that for every 10-15 minutes of concentrated study in elementary school, students could benefit from a 3–5-minute brain break (Using Brain Breaks to Restore Students’ Focus.)

Incorporating brain games into classroom activities can:

Boost Cognitive Skills: These activities stimulate various cognitive functions, including memory, attention, problem-solving, and logical reasoning. As students engage with brain teasers, puzzles, and challenges, they exercise their mental muscles, leading to enhanced cognitive development.
Foster Critical Thinking: Brain games are a fun way to encourage students to think critically, analyze information, and make decisions. Through activities that involve logic, reasoning, and creative thinking, students can practice approaching problems from multiple perspectives and develop innovative solutions.
Enhance Academic Performance: Research indicates that regular engagement with brain games can improve academic performance by enhancing concentration, memory retention, and information processing skills. By integrating brain games into lesson plans, teachers can create a conducive learning environment that nurtures academic success.

How to Incorporate Brain Games into Lesson Plans

Here are some strategies for incorporating brain games into the busy school day using Evan-Moor’s Brain Games and Activities book:

Theme-Based Units: Align brain games with specific units or themes in your curriculum to reinforce key concepts and engage students in interdisciplinary learning.
Rotational Stations: Set up rotational stations in the classroom where students can rotate through different brain game activities, allowing for variety and active engagement.
Collaborative Challenges: Organize group challenges or competitions based on brain games to promote teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills among students.
Homework or Extension Activities: Assign brain games from the book as homework or extension activities to reinforce learning outside the classroom and encourage independent exploration.
Fun activities during and after state testing: the puzzles, coded messages and word searches work great for early finishers and restless students.

Classroom Resource for Brain Breaks

Evan-Moor’s Brain Games and Activities book for ages 4-11 is a comprehensive resource with over 80 entertaining and challenging brain games and projects. The puzzles, mazes, hidden pictures, and hands-on projects are designed to boost thinking and problem-solving skills. It’s available in a classroom reproducible e-book or full-color activity book format.

Free Brain Games and Activities Worksheets

Brain Games and Activities Ages 4-5

Get the free “Fun with Numbers” printable.

Brain Games and Activities Ages 6-7

Get the free “Castle Project” printable.

Brain Games and Activities Ages 8-9

Get the free “Crack the Code” printable.

Brain Games and Activities Ages 10-11

Get the free “Find the Word” printable.

By incorporating brain games into lesson plans, teachers can create dynamic learning environments that cater to diverse learning styles and foster holistic development in students. Evan-Moor’s Brain Games and Activities book serves as a valuable resource for educators seeking to unlock the full potential of their students’ minds while promoting a love for learning that extends far beyond the classroom.

Nurture children’s critical and creative thinking with fun brain game activities! Research suggests that children who regularly engage in brain games may perform better academically, as these activities can enhance concentration, memory retention, and information processing skills.

Integrate brain games into your lessons plans and encourage students’ creativity and cognitive development.

Want to receive our alerts on our latest posts? Don’t forget to subscribe!

Heather Foudy is a certified elementary teacher with over 7 years’ experience as an educator and volunteer in the classroom. She enjoys creating lessons that are meaningful and creative for students. She is currently working for Evan-Moor’s marketing and communications team and enjoys building learning opportunities that are both meaningful and creative for students and teachers alike.

April 25, 2024
by Evan-Moor
0 comments

Tips to Teach Text-Based Writing: Free Writing Prompts

Empower students to become proficient writers while also strengthening their ability to comprehend and analyze texts with structured writing and reading lessons. By integrating reading comprehension with evidence-based writing prompts, you can help students develop their analytical and critical thinking.

Six Tips for Teaching Text-Based Writing

Select articles that match the reading levels of students to support students’ comprehension and engagement, promoting effective learning experiences.
Introduce the purpose of the text prior to reading to help students understand the context and deepen their comprehension.
Teach essential vocabulary found within the article and equip students with the tools necessary for comprehending the text.
Engage students in reading nonfiction passages and develop critical thinking skills by highlighting key information.
Assist students in pre-planning and organizing their writing using graphic organizers to help them structure their writing and analysis.
Encourage critical analysis of reading passages through text-dependent writing prompts that help students express their ideas through writing.

Evan-Moor’s Text-Based Writing lessons develop students’ literacy and communication skills with leveled reading passages and writing prompts. Perfect for test prep, these nonfiction writing lessons help students learn to interpret complex texts, effectively communicate their ideas, and construct well-supported arguments.

Download free Text-Based Writing lessons for grades 2–6 here.

These free printable activities include different types of text such as:

Argumentative
Explanatory
Compare and Contrast
Cause and Effect

The in-depth teaching units include leveled reading selections in science, social studies, and health topics. The vocabulary and reading comprehension activities help students analyze the text, while graphic organizers provide helpful planners for students to develop arguments and cite evidence. Writing prompts and evaluation rubrics help students structure their writing and refine their arguments.

Help students become confident, articulate analytical writers with Text-Based Writing for grades 2–6!

For more literacy lessons and activities check out How to Improve Students’ Close Reading: Strategies for Nonfiction Text.

Want to receive our alerts on our latest posts? Don’t forget to subscribe!

April 22, 2024
by Evan-Moor
0 comments

Better than a Spelling Bee: The Ultimate Resource to Build Spelling Skills

Do you struggle to find fun spelling activities that motivate students to master their spelling lists? Even with the invention of spellcheckers, beginning spelling skills still serve as a cornerstone for early reading foundations and contribute significantly to the development of vocabulary and reading comprehension. Evan-Moor’s TeacherFileBox printables provide engaging and fun spelling activities and weekly tests, including weekly units from Evan-Moor’s Building Spelling Skills books. The easy-to-use spelling units for grades 1–6 are easy to preview on a screen or print. Quickly find spelling word lists, word searches, puzzles, games, and center activities to help students learn the most important words in each grade level.

Spelling worksheets are at your fingertips with TeacherFileBox, Evan-Moor’s digital and printable lesson library. Browse these engaging spelling activities:

Weekly Spelling Lists and Activities

Grade 1

Focus: short “a” words