Give children and students a positive start to their day with inspirational quotes. Inspirational quotes can help motivate children to learn and encourage them to accept mistakes and during the learning process. Start your school day or week with a simple quote or saying. You can choose one quote a week or write a new one each day! You can even ask children to contribute their favorite saying that inspires them. Easily display your inspirational quotes on your classroom whiteboard or an individual white board for distance learning.

Get inspiration for your own whiteboard designs and learn how to create a whiteboard with just a pocket protector and paper in this DIY Whiteboard video.

35 Inspirational quotes

“Happiness depends more on the internal frame of mind of a person’s own mind than on the externals in the world.” – George Washington

“Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.” – Albert Einstein

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” – Thomas Alva Edison

“Why fit in when you were born to stand out?” – Dr. Seuss

“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” – Mark Twain

“Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That’s why we call it ‘The Present.'” – Eleanor Roosevelt

“If you can dream it, you can do it.” – Walt Disney

“People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou

“No one is perfect – that’s why pencils have erasers.” – Wolfgang Riebe

“The capacity to learn is a gift; the ability to learn is a skill; the willingness to learn is a choice.” – Brian Herbert

“Look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see, and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious.” – Stephen Hawking

“Practice isn’t the thing you do once you’re good. It’s the thing you do that makes you good.” – Malcolm Gladwell

“Let us remember: One book, one pen, one child and one teacher can change the world.” – Malala Yousafzai

“Education is the key to unlocking the world, a passport to freedom.” – Oprah Winfrey

“Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body” – Joseph Addison

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” – Barack Obama

“Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.” – Judy Garland

“You can, you should, and if you’re brave enough to start, you will.” – Stephen King

“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” – Wayne Gretzky

“It’s always too soon to quit.” – Norman Vincent Peale

“Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.” – Dalai Lama

“If you see someone without a smile, give them one of yours.” – Dolly Parton

“You can always, always give something, even if it is only kindness!” – Anne Frank

“In a world where you can be anything, be kind.” – Jennifer Dukes Lee

“The time is always right to do what is right.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Tough times never last but tough people do.” – Robert H. Schuller

“You’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” – A. A. Milne

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” – Dr. Seuss

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.” – Dr. Seuss

“Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it or work around it.” – Michael Jordan

“It’s not whether you get knocked down; it’s whether you get up.” – Vince Lombardi

“Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.” – Wayne Gretzky

“Don’t let what you can’t do stop you from doing what you can do.” – John Wooden

“Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.” – Judy Garland

Include your daily or weekly quotes in your weekly writing prompts (for grades 2-6.)

• Read quotes aloud as a class and discuss the lesson or goal behind each one.
• List examples of how each quote can help children during their school day.
• Ask children or students to write about how each saying can help them.

Incorporate positive and encouraging quotes and start off your school day with positive thoughts. Student’s emotional health and well-being is an important part of the learning process, especially during irregular and stressful times. Use daily motivational quotes to boost emotional wellness, in addition to other social and emotional learning strategies.

You can find more activities and information for teaching social and emotional learning in this blog: Strategies for Teaching Social and Emotional Learning: Create a Classroom of Superheroes.

For more lesson tips and ideas, subscribe to our weekly newsletter!

Christine Wooler has experience working with children as a youth soccer coach and summer camp counselor. She is currently studying English Literature and journalism in college. She enjoys exploring educational topics that help students have fun while learning.

Every child learns differently and will respond to different teaching strategies depending on his or her learning style. Some students will excel with hands-on activities, while others prefer quiet reading or writing-based learning. So what are the different learning styles, and which one does your child prefer? Below are tips for how to identify what type of learner your child is and how to incorporate strategies to help him or her learn best.

What are the types of learning?

There are seven main types of learning styles, and though students can process all seven, usually one stands out as their strongest. The seven types are:

• Auditory (aural-musical)
• Visual (spatial)
• Verbal (writing-speaking)
• Kinesthetic (physical)
• Social (interpersonal)
• Solitary (intrapersonal)
• Logical (mathematical)

Teachers often use a combination of these styles in class, but adapting at-home learning or study activities to your child’s strengths will help him or her excel. For example, if your child is an auditory learner, encourage him or her to practice other types of learning, but emphasize reading out loud, listening to music, etc.

Auditory Learners

Auditory learners thrive in situations where directions or lessons are spoken rather than written. They prefer listening to audiobooks rather than reading, or would rather give an oral report on something than write a report on it. Your child may be an auditory learner if he or she:

• Likes background music when playing or trying to sleep
• Talks to others or self frequently
• Asks lots of questions
• Enjoys reading aloud
• Has difficulty understanding written instructions

If your child is an auditory learner, there are several learning strategies you can adapt in at-home work and studying. These include:

• Using rhyming word games to help memorization
• Reading aloud whenever possible
• Use video or audio tapes instead of reading materials
• Recite and repeat vocabulary or study materials with eyes closed
• Talk through difficult areas
• Working in a quiet environment or playing soft background music

Visual Learners

Visual learners excel when they have strong visual aids or examples included in their learning. They prefer charts, graphs, and pictures in their activities, and may work better after seeing a demonstration of what they’re supposed to do. Your child may be a visual learner if he or she:

• Likes movies or TV better than reading, audiobooks, or music
• Likes drawing, pictures, or art activities
• Struggles with auditory directions or verbal instructions
• Becomes impatient or disengaged when listening to something
• Processes information better when it is displayed as a chart or graph

Visual learners will improve their learning and memorization with strategies like these:

• Color coordinating notes and using different colored pens
• Flashcards for study facts
• Drawing diagrams or charts for memorization
• Show problem solving when working with multi-step problems

Verbal

These learners are often grouped with visual learners, but while visual learners benefit from pictures, verbal learners prefer words through writing and speaking. They will like reading comprehension questions that directly relate to the passage they just read as well as interacting with the text. Your child may be a verbal learner if he or she:

• Likes reading books or stories
• Can recall information from something he or she read
• Has trouble concentrating with auditory distractions
• Doesn’t process oral or visual presentations well

Use strategies like the following to help your reading/writing–style child improve his or her study methods:

• Copy notes by hand instead of typing
• Repeat writing important information for memorization
• Provide written instructions for activities
• Keep notes organized with headings, titles, etc.
• Write notes in the margins of readings

Kinesthetic Learners

Learning by doing is the best way for kinesthetic learners to learn. They will prefer hands-on activities and have a hard time sitting still while learning. They will learn better by doing and figuring it out for themselves rather than watching someone else do it. Your child may be a kinesthetic learner if he or she:

• Has difficulty processing reading or auditory material
• Likes sports, science experiments, or other hands-on activities
• Likes study activities and games
• Likes puzzles or figuring things out independently

For these types of learners, try the following study strategies:

• Play study games instead of using flashcards
• Create practice tests to simulate test environment
• Act out situations instead of reading about them
• Use movement or whiteboards for studying activities instead of sitting still

Social Learners

Students who are social learners will process and understand better when working in a group. Group activities and projects, as opposed to individual work, will benefit these types of learners. This has more to do with the setting they thrive in rather than the style of learning. They can be visual, auditory, or other learners as well. Your child may be a social learner if he or she:

• Gravitates toward groups
• Is extroverted
• Naturally assumes a leadership role in a group
• Learns and performs better in group settings

For these learners, practice some of the following activities and learning strategies:

• Form study groups with friends and classmates
• Play group games
• Work/study in partners
• Repeat information back to a partner instead of writing it out

Solitary Learners

Solitary learners prefer working independently rather than in groups; this is the setting they prefer, whether they are auditory, visual, or reading/writing learners. This style of learner will focus better when working individually. Your child may be a solitary learner if he or she:

• Works faster, better, and more efficiently alone.
• Is generally independent
• Behaves privately
• Has a hard time concentrating in busy areas or loud groups

Use study strategies like the following for your solitary learners:

• Provide quiet or independent study time, especially in stressful or busy environments
• Provide lots of visual and reading/writing materials for your learners, so they have plenty to work on individually
• Limit group projects or work so as to not overwhelm your students
• Encourage your learners to work individually but share with a partner or group

Logical Learners

Logical learners benefit from mathematical learning activities and will prefer logical processes to abstract ones. Logical learners may benefit from both individual and group settings. Logical learners will exhibit the following:

• Strong pattern and number recognition
• Interest and talent in math and science
• Difficulty with creative or abstract subjects
• Understanding of statistics or facts

Encourage the following strategies to help your logical learners:

• Include puzzles, numbers, or statistics whenever possible
• Make vocabulary into a crossword puzzle
• Develop systems or patterns in all subject areas to help logical students process information

Helping students recognize what study strategies work for them will help develop study habits and patterns that will help them down the line. It’s also important to note that not every child has just one learning style and that children will need help figuring out what works best for them by testing out different strategies. Observe your child in a working environment and play games to figure out what works best!

For more learning ideas and tips, subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter.

Christine Wooler has experience working with children as a youth soccer coach and summer camp counselor. She is currently studying English Literature and journalism in college. She enjoys exploring educational topics that help students have fun while learning.

Becoming your child’s preschool teacher is an academic extension of what you already do as a parent: teach. As a parent, you already have experience teaching your child, and teaching preschool at home is not incredibly different. The key to transitioning from parenting to at-home preschool teacher is to be engaging, structured, and flexible! The best way to foster a love of learning at home is to guide children through hands-on activities and give them opportunities to explore and express themselves. The following tips, tricks, and activities will inspire your own at-home, well-organized, and engaging preschool curriculum.

1. Establish a Daily Schedule

Having a routine or schedule is vital to ensuring a successful learning-at-home environment. Especially with preschoolers, timing and routine are important to get the most out of their attention spans. Typically a preschooler’s attention span is only 15 minutes, so your learning schedule should consist of a recommended three 15-minute-long learning sessions, broken up by equally long breaks that focus on movement or hands-on activities (examples given below).

While making your daily learning schedule, include your child in the process so he or she understands the importance of the routine. This will also help establish your role as teacher in the home setting, and ensure your child feels like he or she is in a learning environment. When constructing your schedule, remember to incorporate your other time demands, such as working from home or providing academic support for other children.

2. What Kind of Learner Is Your Child?

Determining the types of activities your child learns best from and incorporating these into your curriculum will reinforce positive learning experiences for your child. Does your child prefer visual aids? Hands-on? Auditory? If you’re not sure, ask your child the following questions:

• What is your favorite thing to learn about?
• Do you like art or outdoor activities better?
• Do you like hearing stories or watching movies better?

Pay attention to the answers and adjust your learning curriculum to fit your child’s needs. If your child is having trouble sitting still while learning, increase the frequency or duration of your movement breaks.

3. How to Start the Day

Beginning your child’s day with morning mindfulness is a great way to establish routine and prepare for learning. Transition into songs or chants about the alphabet or letters to provide a foundation for learning these concepts. Here are some examples of morning mindfulness:

• Taking three deep breaths
• Stretch up to the sky and down to your toes
• Choose a positive theme statement and repeat it each morning; for example, “Learning makes my brain grow.”
• Sing the alphabet song or chant the alphabet and say what sound each letter has, such as: “A” says /aaaa/, “B” says /bbbb/ etc.
• If your child has the alphabet down, recite the alphabet, but for each letter, say a word that begins with that letter (a=apple, b=banana…).

4. What to Teach?

It can be overwhelming to plan a preschool curriculum by yourself. The basics are a great place to start. Begin your reading curriculum with the alphabet and beginning sounds and your math curriculum with basic counting 1–10. Add one letter and number each week until you have successfully incorporated all 26 letters and numbers 1–10.

Sample Preschool Curriculum

• Evan-Moor’s Homeschool Curriculum Bundles PreK provides everything your child needs for practice of essential skills for preschool (ages 4–5 years). The fun illustrations, interesting themes, art projects, and hands-on and written activities will keep your child engaged in learning important PreK skills—and get ready for kindergarten! Each bundle includes:
  •  11 colorful activity books and flashcards
  • Activities that cover basic foundational skills for reading, writing, language, math, science, geography, and critical thinking. 
  • Downloadable Homeschool Teaching Guide with teaching tips and activity ideas.

Activity Books to Enhance Your Preschool At Home

Early learning resources are not hard to find, but finding the one that best fits you and your child’s needs is important. Here are some links and descriptions for Evan-Moor’s early learning workbooks:

• Skill Sharpeners: Reading for PreK provides basic reading exercises, focusing on one letter at a time. Within these fun and colorful activity pages are reading comprehension, vocabulary, phonetics, and other fundamental skills to practice reading basics.
• Skill Sharpeners: Math for the PreK level introduces numbers 1–10 in short educational activity pages. Each unit has a theme to keep things interesting and provides excellent math practice at home.
• Skill Sharpeners: Science uses songs, rhymes, and hands-on projects to teach preschoolers about different types of science! They’ll learn about life science, earth science, and physical science, all with fun activities and simple concepts that they’ll see in their daily lives.
• Skill Sharpeners: Grammar and Punctuation for PreK provides fundamental instruction on grammar and punctuation concepts like types of words, periods, and capitalization. Using riddles and word games, the workbook presents and practices these fundamental concepts for early learners.
• Smart Start series: The Smart Start series for PreK presents three different workbooks, each focusing on a different subject area. These activity books specialize in early learners and supply a balance of fun activities and worksheets. Check out each title below:
  
  • Smart Start: Read and Write
  • Smart Start: Sight Words
  • Smart Start: STEM

5. Hands-on Learning Activities

Though including workbooks in an at-home curriculum is important, teaching such a young age group means that a balance of materials is essential. Preschoolers have a very short attention span, so overdoing it on hard copies of worksheets may turn them off to learning. It’s important that you include plenty of hands-on activities to balance out your workbook load. Check out some of the learning activities we recommend below:

• Scavenger hunt: A small scavenger hunt can be adapted for any type of preschool learning! Place numbers, colors, or animals throughout the house or yard and have a scavenger hunt to find them. This will practice recognition of each color or animal. Practice counting the number of items you find. You can also say the name of the animal and identify the letter of the alphabet it starts with.
• Practice letters with playdough: Create tactile learning experiences by using playdough to form alphabet letters.
• Sorting colors: Use a pack of colorful items such as pompoms, M&Ms, skittles, etc., and pour them all out on a table or plate. Practice naming colors and sorting them into piles, and then practice counting each pile. This will also practice fine motor skills. Once your child understands numbers 1–5, you can have him or her count out 1–5 of each item.
• Music time: One-on-one music time between parent and child is an excellent activity! It’s hands-on and engaging and can get them interested in music. Create your own instruments with paper plates, cups, and dried beans.
• For more hands-on learning for preschoolers, check out the blogs linked below.

Kindergarten Readiness Checklist: What Does My Child Need to Know for Kindergarten?

6. Creative Time

Designate time that is specifically for your child to express his or her creativity. This can be time when you are doing something else nearby, or working alongside your child, but encourage your child to work independently in order to express him- or herself. Here are some ideas for creative time:

• Drawing or coloring
• Making or playing homemade instruments
• Building with blocks or Legos
• Molding with playdough or clay
• Alphabet Puppets: Create fun puppets for each alphabet letter your child learns.
• Jumbo Fun with the Alphabet: Introduce letters and letter sounds with the fun hands-on activities provided in this e-book.
• Paper Tube Zoo: Create animal-themed art in this fun hands-on activity! Act out a story with your paper tube zoo!

7. Exercise

Exercise and movement breaks are essential in at-home learning. Pay attention to your child’s preferences and schedule your movement breaks around when he or she has the most energy. Movement breaks can be a number of things, depending on what your child enjoys. Maybe your child enjoys running around alone in the backyard, or perhaps being sociable with family members and exercising together is preferable. Cater to your child’s needs to maximize these movement breaks and leave your child ready to learn again.

You can also use your exercise time to practice math or science. For example:

• Hopscotch and counting
• Counting things in nature like flowers, bushes, trees, etc.
• Observing animals and nature outside
• Set out colored or numbered cones. When you call one out, your child has to race to that cone! Great for awareness and recognition.
• Play Simon Says with active commands like “hop,” “jump,” “run,” etc.
• Jump rope and count your jumps!

8. Social and Emotional Learning

When children are out of their normal routine and without a traditional school setting, it’s important that they are properly managing stress or anxiety. Provide your child with a notebook or journal where he or she can draw and have quiet time during the day when he or she can reflect about the day. This small and simple activity will help provide stress relief.

9. Read, Read, and Read Aloud!

Reading aloud is one of the most important parts of forming language skills for early learners. Schedule daily read-aloud time for you and your child (or other family members) to help form vocabulary and a love of reading. Children will also start to recognize what fluent and expressive reading sounds like. Here are some of our favorite read aloud books: (include book title images: these are already in WP from another blog)

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault: This fun book introduces children to sounds and letters and provides an opportunity to practice letter sounds and recognition.

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff: Enjoy colorful illustrations that pair with this fun story about a small mouse.

Franklin and the Tooth Fairy by Paulette Bourgeois: Franklin is a character in a series of children’s stories and often faces problems that most children may face. In this story, Franklin is frustrated because all his friends are losing teeth and he is not. These stories help provide children with coping strategies and stress relief.

My First Bob Books: Pre-Reading Skills by Lynn Maslen Kertell: This is a beginning reader book for young children who haven’t begun to read yet! It fosters young readers and beginning reading skills and encourages a love of reading.

Mixed by Arree Chung: This is a fascinating story about how separated colors, upset by something one of the other colors said, finally join together and make beautiful new colors. This is a great story about diversity and working together.

Thank You, Mr. Panda by Steve Antony: This is a book about gift giving and showing gratitude, and really displays the sentiment of “it’s the thought that counts.” Along with colorful illustrations, this is an excellent story.

Teaching preschool at home can be overwhelming, challenging, and exhausting. The good news is that it’s really hard to mess up! Just focus on spending time with your child in a scheduled and structured way, going over the basics and spending lots of time reading and being creative.

Check out 10 Tips for Teaching Kindergarten at Home with Evan-Moor

For more learning ideas and tips, subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter.

Christine Wooler has experience working with children as a youth soccer coach and summer camp counselor. She is currently studying English Literature and journalism in college. She enjoys exploring educational topics that help students have fun while learning.