The Joy of Teaching – Page 6 of 46

February 17, 2022
by Evan-Moor
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Ten Best Activity Books for Preschool Kids

The workbooks in this list are the best for providing preschoolers with hours of fun activities that teach early learners valuable foundational skills. Preschoolers benefit from quality educational workbooks by practicing fine-motor skills, learning beginning alphabet letters and sounds, practicing beginning numbers, and developing problem solving!

Give your child some screen-free learning fun and help your preschooler get ready for kindergarten and/or transitional kindergarten with the best workbooks for preschool.

Best-Value Jumbo Workbooks

Top Student jumbo activity books provide 350 pages of activities to keep early learners challenged and excited as they strengthen their skills with alphabet letters and sounds, beginning reading foundations, numbers and counting, shapes and colors, matching, sorting, science, STEM, SEL and more!

Top Student activity books won the 2020 Parents’ Picks Award for Best Educational Products for Preschool and Elementary Kids.

Beginning Reading and Math Starters

Smart Start Read and Write activity books introduce beginning reading and writing. The audio read-aloud stories and activities introduce alphabet letters and sounds and provide fun practice activities to help your preschooler learn his or her letters and numbers.

Smart Start Math Stories and Activities workbooks help preschoolers learn beginning counting, patterns, addition, and subtraction. The audio read-aloud stories and activities will help your child learn to recognize math in the world around them. The stories provide real-life examples of how math is used in everyday life.

Fun with Science, STEM, STEAM, and Coding

Smart Start STEM workbooks include hands-on STEM projects that develop your child’s problem-solving and critical-thinking skills. The STEM challenges will inspire your little learner to get comfortable exploring different ideas to solve problems.

Download free sample activities from Smart Start STEM here.

Skill Sharpeners STEAM integrates science, technology, engineering, art, and math to create meaningful learning opportunities for preschoolers! The real-world topics in these STEAM workbooks relate learning to the environment, earth, people, and cultures, and inspire children to solve real problems such as sun safety, germs, trash, and more!

Skill Sharpeners STEAM activity books won the 2021 Parents’ Picks Award for Best Educational Products for Preschool and Elementary Kids.

Download free sample activities from Skill Sharpeners STEAM here.

Smart Start Beginning Coding Stories and Activities workbooks help early learners develop a strong foundation in computer science and create fun learning opportunities with real-world audio stories and stickers that help children relate coding concepts to real life. These books are a great place to start in beginning your child’s coding journey.

Globe-trotter Delight

Skill Sharpeners Geography engages little learners in exploring the world while learning important map skills and geography concepts. The cross-curricular activities include stories, reading comprehension activities, writing practice, and more.

Download free sample activities from Skill Sharpeners Geography here.

The Never-Bored Kids Book is the perfect travel companion. These creative activity books provide hours of entertainment with activities such as crafts, mazes, dot-to-dots, hidden pictures, and more.

Summer Learning to Transition from PreK to K

Daily Summer Activities workbooks provide a summer learning solution to help your child prepare for kindergarten. The short, daily activities make it easy to review important alphabet letters, sounds, and numbers. The fun stickers and learning activities create enjoyable summer learning opportunities that will help prepare your preschooler for kindergarten.

Daily Summer Activities activity books won the 2020 Parents’ Picks Award for Best Educational Products for Preschool and Elementary Kids.

Download free sample activities from Daily Summer Activities here.

Life Skills

Heart and Mind Activities for Today’s Kids includes 100 fun activities that support your child’s well-being. The activities create positive learning experiences for kindergartners and help them learn to manage emotions, reduce anxiety, and navigate social situations. Activities include art, puzzles, games, coloring, and more!

For more learning ideas for PreK–1 check out:

Best Activity Books for Kindergarten

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

Life Skills Kids Should Know Before Kindergarten

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.

February 1, 2022
by Evan-Moor
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Beijing Winter Olympics – FREE Activities for Students

February 4th marks the launch of the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games. Learn about the Winter Olympics in your classroom and cheer on your favorite top athletes from around the world with these free Olympic-themed activities!

History of the Winter Olympics

The first Winter Olympic Games were held in 1924 in Chamonix, France with 250 athletes competing in 16 events. The event was named Winter Sports Week and was so popular that the International Olympic Committee named it the first Winter Olympics Games in 1926. Since 1924, there have been 24 Winter Olympics held every four years around the world!

Bring the excitement of the Winter Olympics to your classroom with these free Olympic Winter Games activities.

The Grades 1–3 packet includes creative coloring pages and informational pages to help students understand the Winter Olympics and the types of events that are included in competition. Included in this packet is a writing page that asks students to write about their favorite winter sport.

The Grades 4–6 packet introduces students to the types of winter sports included in the 2022 games. Students write about their favorite winter sport and include important information about each activity. Also included are creative coloring activities.

Check out the latest videos and awards from the 2022 Olympic Winter games here: https://olympics.com/en/beijing-2022/video

For more free activities and lessons, sign up for Evan-Moor’s education e-newsletter here.

January 18, 2022
by Evan-Moor
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Free Groundhog Day Learning Activities

If you’re wondering how many weeks of winter are left, ask a groundhog! Groundhog Day, celebrated on February 2nd in the United States, is a great opportunity to connect curriculum with a fun theme!

What is Groundhog Day?

Groundhog Day was first celebrated in the mid 1800’s, by the Pennsylvania Dutch. The day focuses on predicting if spring will come early, or if winter will continue for a few more weeks. This “prediction” isn’t science-based, but rather is made by a groundhog named Phil Punxsutawney.

Phil was given his name in 1961, his last name referencing the town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, where the Groundhog Day celebrations take place. On February 2nd every year, Phil emerges from his burrow; if he sees his shadow, he will return to his den and there will be six more weeks of winter. If he doesn’t see his shadow, it means an early spring!

This fun predictor in western Pennsylvania is a cultural tradition in the United States and Canada. Celebrate it with fun learning activities and projects!

Groundhog Day Pop-up Puppet for Grades 1–3

This hands-on art project instructs students on how to create a pop-up groundhog puppet so they can make their own predictions about the weather! Using art supplies like popsicle sticks, construction paper, and an included template for the groundhog, students will make their puppet with or without a shadow to represent their predictions.

For more Holiday-themed art projects like this one, check out Holiday Art Projects on the Evan-Moor website.

Get your free download of this activity here!

The Contest/El concurso Language Unit for Grade 3

Practice language skills with this unit, which features a one-page short story written in both English and Spanish. After reading the story about a Groundhog Day competition, students will complete comprehension activities that will reinforce their language skills, critical thinking, and vocabulary development.

Reading and comprehension is one of the best ways to practice language skills; find more language units like this one in Spanish/English Read and Understand from Evan-Moor.

To get this language unit for free, click here.

I Predict… Writing Activity for Grades 2–5

This creative writing activity challenges students to write a story about Groundhog Day from the groundhog’s perspective. After reading a short prompt, they’ll get to use their creativity and imagination to determine where the story goes. Share with the class on groundhog day! Practice writing skills with more fun prompts using Giant Write Every Day: Daily Writing Prompts.

Download this prompt and reproducible creative writing page here.

Additional Ground Hog Day Activities

Statistics and Predictions
As a class, take a vote on who thinks the groundhog will see his shadow and who thinks he won’t! Write it down on the board and keep a tally, then as a class react to the groundhog’s prediction. What percentage of the class voted correctly? This is a great opportunity to incorporate some math curriculum!

Shadows and Science
Groundhog Day is also a great time to discuss the science of light and shadows. During different times of the day, go outside and have students outline each other’s shadows with chalk. Then, at the end of the day, compare and contrast the shadows and discuss why they move, grow, and shrink. Have students write down their observations. If it’s a cloudy day, use flashlights or lamp light indoors to manipulate shadows!

Download this Shadow science activity for grades 1–2 from Read and Understand Science grades 1–2.

What if the Groundhog Wasn’t a Groundhog? Creative Writing Activity
Have students create their own Groundhog Day holiday! What animal would it be? Would they look for their shadow or something else? What are they predicting? What is the history behind this made-up holiday? This creative writing activity involves imagination, critical thinking, and organizational writing skills. Have students present their holiday to the class!

Read about Groundhog Day as a class with these colorful and fun book recommendations:

Groundhog’s Day Off by Robb Pearlman for Grade K–1: When Groundhog gets fed up with everyone waiting on him, he takes off for a vacation. But who will replace him to predict if winter is over?

Substitute Groundhog by Pat Miller for Grade K–2: Dr. Owl diagnoses Groundhog with an ill-timed flu right before Groundhog, leaving everyone in a scramble to find a substitute!

With fun reading, writing, art, and hands-on activities, students can learn about Groundhog Day while still developing curriculum-related skills. Download your free activities from Evan-Moor and check out each activity’s workbook for more fun activities.

Subscribe to our Evan-Moor’s e-newsletter for free printables every month!

Leave your prediction for Groundhog Day in the comments!

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.

January 4, 2022
by Evan-Moor
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He Changed America by Talking: Classroom Activities to Celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr.

As we celebrate a national holiday in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr., how do you help your students or children appreciate his life’s work and legacy? These Evan-Moor lesson ideas provide some insight into Dr. King’s poignant teachings, which are still relevant to our world today.

Check out the free downloadable MLK activities, and other projects.

Grades PreK–K: Martin Luther King, Jr., Activities. Download them here.
(From Seasonal Activities)

Grades K–2: Dr. King Writing Form. Download them here.
(From Writing Forms: Tops & Bottoms)

Grades 1–2: He Changed America by Talking. Download them here.
(From Read and Understand: Celebrating Diversity)

Grades 3–4: Biographical Article and Activities. Download them here.
(From Read and Understand: Celebrating Diversity)

Grades 4–8: Spanish/English Biography and Activities. Download them here.
(From Spanish/English Read and Understand)

Grades 1–6: The Handshake Book. Download them here.
(From How to Make Books with Children)

Grades 1–6: Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Download them here.

MLK Day Activities

Dream Cloud (grades 1–3)
After reading about MLK and learning about his “I Have a Dream” speech, challenge students to brainstorm their own dreams that can in some way improve the world.

Once students have come up with their ideas, transfer them onto cloud-shaped paper and decorate! Then hang them in your classroom for decoration! You can also bind the clouds together to create a class book.

Dream Speech Project (grades 4–6)
For older grades, have students watch or read MLK’s “I Have a Dream” speech and then write their own. Start with brainstorming topics for what dreams students have for themselves, classmates, and future. Brainstorm as a class, individually, or in small groups to come up with as many ideas as possible!

Then, students can write their speeches and present them to the class with their ideas of how to improve the world.

A Letter to MLK (grades 3–6)
After learning about MLK and civil rights, have students write a letter to MLK, telling him about the effect he’s had on the world today. For younger grades, you can write one letter as a class, brainstorming and writing as a group. Point out specific examples of how MLK has made the world a better place.

MLK Reading Recommendations

A Picture Book of Martin Luther King, Jr. for ages 5–8: Follow MLK’s story through pictures to learn about his life, legacy, and impact on the world.

The Story of Martin Luther King Jr.: A Biography Book for New Readers for ages 6–8: This short book follows MLK from his childhood to adulthood, with easy-to-read sections and colorful illustrations.

I am Martin Luther King, Jr. (Ordinary People Change the World) for ages 5–9: Using comic-book style illustration, this book tells the true story of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr and details all of his accomplishments.

Martin’s Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. for ages 6–8: Read small excerpts and quotes from MLK’s impactful speeches to learn about his life and legacy.

My Daddy, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. for ages 4–8: Learn about MLK through the perspective of his son, Martin Luther King III, in this illustrated memoir for kids.

Hand-in-Hand for a Better Land bulletin board template and writing prompts (from Evan-Moor’s Seasonal Bulletin Boards):

What does it mean to stand “hand-in-hand”? Have your students tell about a time when they stood together for a common belief or cause. How did standing hand-in-hand make a difference?
Martin Luther King, Jr. had a dream that all people would be judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin. Have students write about what makes up a person’s character.

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”

— Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (August 28, 1963)

December 15, 2021
by Evan-Moor
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Celebrating Three Kings Day (Día de los Reyes Magos)

Día de los Reyes Magos, or Three Kings Day, is celebrated on January 6th every year. This holiday, also known as Epiphany, is widely celebrated in Latin American and Hispanic households.

What is Día de los Reyes Magos about?

This holiday celebrates the arrival of the wise men to the manger after Jesus’s birth. They traveled a great distance, following the North Star, to bring gifts to Bethlehem. Though the holiday celebrates a religious story, it has evolved into a cultural holiday for the Latino families who celebrate it.

How do people celebrate?

On January 5th, the eve of this holiday, children will leave their shoes out to be filled with candy and treats by the wise men, much like how children leave shoes out for St. Nicholas in other parts of the world. Many families also wait until the eve of the holiday to add the three wise men to nativity scenes. Some families leave out hay or straw for the wise men’s camels.

On the actual holiday, some families will exchange gifts. There is also usually a big feast, where families come together to eat and celebrate. The feast is also usually accompanied by a King’s Cake, or Rosca de Reyes, which is a sweet, oval-shaped cake that’s usually decorated with dried fruit.

The baker hides a small, plastic figurine of Jesus inside the cake, and whoever finds it in their piece is designated to host the Candlemas celebration in February.

Check out these activities to celebrate Día de los Reyes Magos:

Free Three Kings Day Mobile Art Project

Read about Three Kings Day and create a fun paper mobile. Click here for this free Evan-Moor activity.

Handprint Camel Art Project

This simple and fun art project is easy for all grades and doesn’t require many materials. You’ll need:

Construction paper
Markers/crayons/colored pencils
Brown paint
Googly eyes (optional)

Directions:

Have students paint their palm and fingers with the brown paint, then stick their freshly painted hand on the construction paper. Have them press firmly, then pull their hand away straight up to leave a painted handprint.
The four fingers will be the four legs of the camel, the thumb will be the neck. Students will then paint a head, hump, and tail on the camel.
(This can also be done by tracing a handprint on brown construction paper if paint won’t work for your classroom.)
Students finish by drawing a face on their camel. Googly eyes or other decorations can be added to the project!

North Star Art Projects

This art project can provide many different art options. You can create origami stars, painted stars, or construction paper stars. Regardless of your medium, creating stars for your classroom will be a beautiful decoration and on theme.

If you use colorful translucent paper, you can hang your stars in the window of your classroom or home for a greater effect!

Simply fold, cut, or color your paper into a star pattern and then paint or color accordingly! Add glitter, sparkles, or other artistic elements to make your star original!

Toilet Paper Roll Three Kings

Gather empty toilet paper rolls from your home or school, or have students bring them in. If you don’t have enough for three each, put students in groups of three and have them collectively make the Three Kings. For this project you’ll need:

Toilet paper rolls
Construction paper
Markers, crayons, colored pencils, sharpies
Googly eyes (optional)
Scissors
Cotton balls (optional)
Glue sticks

Directions:

Wrap your toilet paper roll with construction paper and glue it into place.
Cut construction paper into a crown shape and glue it to the top of the toilet paper roll.
Use the cotton balls or cut out construction paper for the beards.
Decorate the wise men with facial features using the other art supplies.

You can also bake a King’s Cake as a class or review the recipe together and bring in one to share. Don’t forget to hide a little plastic figurine in the cake—and be careful when eating!

Whether or not you normally celebrate Día de los Reyes Magos, this day is a great opportunity to learn about cultural traditions from across the world.

For more free holiday lessons and activities, read Lunar New Year Activities for Kids.

October 26, 2021
by Evan-Moor
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Real-World Writing Free Lessons and Activities

It’s a common misconception that students’ academic writing only benefits them in the classroom. With real-world writing projects and instruction, students will learn how to apply their writing skills in authentic career settings! Weekly Real-World Writing is a classroom resource that supplements writing instruction with applicable, real-life examples and activities.

Why is Real-World Writing Important?
While developing students’ writing skills is critical for their academic success, it’s also a vital part of their interaction in the “real world.” What this resource aims to do is demonstrate how students can use the skills they’re learning right now—in their everyday lives, outside of school.

Students will learn new skills, as well as how to apply what they already know in realistic, engaging ways. They will also be encouraged to engage in the world around them and use their personal skills and strengths to make a difference.

Motivating Reluctant Writers
Real-world applications of writing are also an opportunity to motivate students who may be reluctant to write. Students who dislike writing probably haven’t experienced writing about something that really interests them. With realistic opportunities, students can apply their skills to topics or forms of writing that engage them personally and show writing as a skill outside of the classroom.

Motivate students to write by offering creative outlets and real-world topics that apply to them, as well as encouraging the idea of “no wrong answers” with writing assignments.

Download these free writing activities here!

Each unit includes:

Teacher overview
Examples
Graphic organizers
Two writing prompts
Additional extension activities

Invitation-Writing Activity Grades 1–2

Teach students how to write an invitation with this free writing unit.

Each unit includes lesson instructions, visual examples, graphic organizers, and two writing prompts (one for beginning writers and one for more-experienced writers).

After reviewing writing examples and learning how to organize information, students will have two writing tasks where they can write invitations to a graduation party and a Valentine’s Day party. They can use their new skills to write the invitation on the template provided, and then decorate the invitations too! The extension activity allows students to get creative and make up their own holiday, event, or party they want to invite friends and family to.

Meal-Review Activity Grades 3–4

This evaluative writing activity challenges students to learn about restaurant reviews and write their own. Read the teacher page to understand how restaurant reviews impact our everyday lives and to understand each component of this lesson.

Students, after having read the example restaurant review, will get to discuss whether they’d eat at this restaurant based on what they read. Then, they’ll use the creative graphic organizer to describe their thoughts on their meal and the restaurant and give an overall rating.

In the writing tasks, students are challenged to write two restaurant reviews based on the information in the prompts; the two prompts vary in information so students must think critically and creatively to write their reviews. The extension activity asks students to write a real-life review about their favorite restaurant using the skills they just learned.

Writing a Blog Activity Grades 5–6

Students can also practice their creativity and express themselves with writing a blog! This teacher page discusses the components of writing a blog, as well as how to be internet safe with blogs or vlogs, before overviewing each part of the unit lesson.

Then, students will read a blog entry example and be able to identify different components of a blog post before crafting their own.

In the graphic organizer section, students will identify their ideas for the focus, details, organization, and graphics of their blog post, along with a helpful proofread checklist that will keep their work error free.

The writing tasks challenge students with writing two blog posts, one about Food and Fitness, the other about Public Transportation. The prompts challenge students to think and write creatively, while also using critical thinking skills and other writing skills.

The extension activity lets students write a blog post about anything they want! This sparks interest, engages students, and motivates reluctant writers.

Real-world writing helps students make connections between real-life situations and the skills they are learning within the classroom. The activities within Weekly Real-World Writing not only provide the writing practice students need, but the lessons also include creative outlets that teach important skills for every type of learner in the classroom. Not everyone will become a writer in a future career, but every student will need real-world writing experience to succeed.

October 18, 2021
by Evan-Moor
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Free Elephant Learning Activities for Kids

Did you know that elephants are the world’s largest land animals? Or that you can differentiate between species of elephants by looking at their ears?

Unfortunately, around 90 percent of African elephants have been wiped out in the last century from ivory trading, leaving the species endangered. Hunting and habitat loss have left most species of elephants endangered or critically endangered. Learning about them is the first step toward supporting groups that save the elephants.

Introducing thematic learning into the school week is a great way to inspire children to learn through interest-led activities, but it also helps them make connections and transfer knowledge across the content area.

Learn more about these amazing animals with these free activities and ideas.

KWL Graphic Organizer

A KWL chart is a great way to start a thematic unit. This type of graphic organizer captures children’s interest in a new topic by activating prior knowledge and helping them to learn how to organize new information. Display the chart and continually add to the information as children learn new facts about elephants.

K: What I already know
W: What I would like to know
L: What I learned

Fun Elephant Facts

Start your elephant unit with these fun and interesting facts!

An elephant’s trunk is the most sensitive organ found in any mammal—and has around 15,000 muscle units!
Elephants communicate a few different ways, one of which is seismic signals (vibrations) that they detect through their bones.
Calves can stand up within 20 minutes of being born and can walk within an hour!
Elephants are known for their excellent memory, which can be attributed to their temporal lobe being larger and denser than a human’s.
Elephants are herbivores, meaning they eat plants and plant-based food.
An elephant’s habitat varies depending on the part of the world it lives in. African elephants populate wetlands, savannas, forests, grasslands, and deserts, whereas Asian elephants live mostly in forests and grasslands.
Elephants are very social, and typically form female-led groups. They play together often by wrestling and playing chase.

Project Ideas

Create a Diorama and Research Report
Dioramas are a fun DIY way to re-create an animal’s habitat. Using a shoebox for the base, and then construction paper, markers, scissors, glue, and other art materials for the interior, you can create a miniature model of an elephant’s home. Encourage children to get creative without using store-bought materials.

Research your elephant species and its diet, habitat, and endangerment status.
Collect plants, rocks, and other outdoor materials
Create your own elephant figurines using playdough or clay
Paint the inside of your shoebox to match your elephant’s habitat.

Have children write a research report on the type of elephant they chose. Some details to include are diet, habitat, behavior, dangers, and current population.

Researching Solutions to Save the Elephants
Research solutions and organizations that are helping elephants. Find organizations that dedicate themselves to saving elephants and see what you can learn from their websites. Researching solutions, donating time or money, and spreading awareness are just a few ways to start helping elephants. This is a great opportunity to show children how their actions and decisions can make a difference.

Free Elephant Activities

These free printable activities provide hands-on activities and reading units to help children learn about elephants.

Paper Tube Elephant Art (Grades K–3)

For this project you’ll need paper towel rolls, gray construction paper, and gray markers or colored pencils. For full instructions and the accompanying patterns, check out Paper Tube Zoo, an Evan-Moor activity book with reproducibles.

Cover the paper tube with gray paper.
Color the elephant patterns gray.
Cut out the patterns and glue them to the paper tube to create your paper tube elephant!

Download your free elephant art here.

Elephant Shape Book (Grades K–2)
Read all about elephants with these book recommendations and then conduct writing exercises of your own! This activity provides a few different prompts for different writing levels and a shape-book elephant craft to present the writing!

Download your free elephant writing activity here.

Check out The Ultimate Shape Book for other animal-based activities.

Elephants Live Together (Grade 3)

This learning unit provides reading, writing, and other learning components all about elephants and how they live. The nonfiction-based unit also provides reading practice, followed by reading comprehension, to teach students real-life concepts and lessons.

Download your free elephant writing activity here.

Find other units like the one above in Nonfiction Reading Practice.

Paper Elephant Craft (Grades 1–6)

This fun paper craft only requires colored rectangular paper (5.5”x10”), black pen, scissors, and glue! In just a few simple steps, you can create a paper elephant!

Fold the rectangle in half, hamburger style.
At the bottom of the paper (the uncreased side) cut out a rounded section to create two legs, and a slanted line in front of it for the trunk.
Use the rounded scraps as ears, and glue them to the top of the folded paper. Fold up the trunk and glue it into place.
Cut a small slant at the top of the creased side for the tail and bend it up.
Fold up the bottom of the legs for the feet, then use the pen to draw eyes.

Download your free elephant writing activity here.

For more folded-animal paper crafts, check out Folded Paper Projects (Grades 1–6).

Have fun learning about elephants, doing crafts, and learning about how we can save this endangered species!

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October 15, 2021
by Evan-Moor
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Holiday Gift Guide for Kids: Educational Stocking Stuffers

If your children are like mine, they open their holiday gifts in a frenzy of activity, spend two days playing with them, and then move on. Give yourself the gift that keeps on giving with fun educational stocking stuffers that will entertain your children for weeks. Perfect for holiday travels, indoor activities, and boredom busters, these hands-on activity books turn learning into fun and entertaining activities. Get creative and pair your activity book with a game or themed activity for the perfect gift duo.

Find your child’s favorite subject and plan away.

Science/STEM Theme

Activity Books

Skill Sharpeners: Science

Build your child’s understanding of physical, life, and earth science with colorful and engaging science activities. The short stories and hands-on activities will turn your child into an investigator.

Shop at Evan-Moor.com: Skill Sharpeners: Science for grades PreK–6

Smart Start: STEM

Smart Start: STEM introduces important science concepts through science stories, activities, and STEM challenges. Each activity engages young learners in creating simple projects of their own unique design. Getting early learners ready to succeed in school has never been so fun!

Shop at Evan-Moor.com: Smart Start: STEM for grades PreK–1

Skill Sharpeners: STEAM
Skill Sharpeners STEAM workbooks use real-world problems and project-based learning to teach critical engagement, empathy, problem-solving, and collaboration. Your kids will become real-world problem solvers all while creating fun, hands-on projects.

Shop at Evan-Moor.com: Skill Sharpeners: STEAM for grades PreK–6

STEM/STEAM Theme Gift Pairings

Add critical and creative thinking games, toys, and puzzles for a fun STEM-themed gift. Keep in mind that STEM toys should be age-appropriate and offer longevity for long-lasting entertainment and creativity.

Here are some fun examples of STEM gifts that stimulate creativity and encourage learning:

Magna-Tiles or Magformers
The Gravity Maze
GoldieBlox Ruby Rails Coding Action Figure
Kanoodle
Creative Kids Flakes
Project Mc2 Chemistry We Heart Chemistry

Critical and Creative Thinking Theme

Skill Sharpeners: Critical Thinking

The variety of fun and creative activities in this series will challenge your child to use higher-order thinking skills based on Bloom’s Taxonomy. Every page provides a new and interesting activity that will help your children think outside the box and tap into their creativity. The interesting topics will keep your children coming back for more!

Shop at Evan-Moor.com: Skill Sharpeners: Critical Thinking for grades PreK–6

The Never Bored Kid Book

This is my top gift pick for young children for an all-around educational gift that is also entertaining. Each full-color book provides mazes, riddles, hidden pictures, things to cut out, dot-to-dots, and other engaging, age-appropriate activities.

Shop at Evan-Moor.com: Never-Bored Kid Book for ages 4–10

Critical and Creative Gift Pairings

Add age-appropriate games that involve critical and creative thinking and a set of art supplies such as:

Uno
Qwirkle
Shut the Box (dice game)
Dominoes
Sudoku Puzzles
Mastermind Game: The Strategy Game of Codemaker vs. Codebreaker
Markers
Paste
Scissors

Reading Theme

Activity Books

Smart Start: Read and Write
Give your kids a head start on next year’s reading and writing skills with Smart Start: Read and Write. Kids will improve their reading and writing abilities with alphabet games, spelling activities, word searches, and other fun learning activities.

Shop at Evan-Moor.com: Smart Start: Read and Write for grades PreK-1

Smart Start: Sight Words
Improve reading fluency by teaching your kids sight words and high-frequency words with Smart Start! Through entertaining, full-color stories and interactive learning activities, kids will learn new sight words, high frequency words, and improve their reading abilities.

Shop at Evan-Moor.com: Smart Start: Sight Words for grades PreK-1

Skill Sharpeners: Reading

Foster your child’s love of reading with colorful stories and activities. Accompanying activity pages provide engaging activities such as rhyming, word searches, and crossword puzzles.

Shop at Evan-Moor.com: Skill Sharpeners: Reading for grades PreK–6

Learning Line: Beginning Sounds

Help your child learn to read with colorful activies and flashcards that teach them beginning letters and sounds. Pair a fun activity book with a set of flashcards for the perfect reading combo! Each flashcard set provides sturdy, colorful cards that practice basic reading skills, as well as ideas for games to use with the cards. As a bonus, each set provides a unique link to corresponding online timed tests for interactive practice!

Shop at Evan-Moor.com: Learning Line: Beginning Sounds and Learning Line Flashcards: Word Families

Reading Gift Pairings

Wrap up the reading activity book or flashcards with a new novel, storybook, or book of poems such as:

Grades K-3

Arthur’s Christmas by Marc Brown
Franklin’s Big Book of Stories (Kids Can Read) by Sharon Jennings and Sean Jeffrey
Bear Stays Up for Christmas by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman

Grades 2-6

Attack of the Deranged Mutant Killer Monster Snow Goons: A Calvin and Hobbes Collection by Bill Watterson
Garfield Fat Cat by Jim Davis

Writing Theme

Activity Books

Skill Sharpeners: Spell and Write

Colorful themed stories and activity pages motivate even the most reluctant readers. Interesting reading topics tap into your children’s creativity and have them practicing important reading strategies without even realizing it.

Shop at Evan-Moor.com: Skill Sharpeners: Spell and Write for grades PreK–6

Skill Sharpeners: Grammar and Punctuation
Using a variety of activities, from reading examples to word games to writing practice, kids will improve their grammar, punctuation, and overall writing skills!

Shop at Evan-Moor.com: Skill Sharpeners: Grammar and Punctuation for grades PreK–6

Writing Gift Pairings

Wrap up the activity book with a writing journal or new game, such as:

Scrabble Junior
Bananagrams
Apples to Apples Junior
Lulu Jr. Illustory Book-Making Kit

Geography Theme

Activity Books

Skill Sharpeners: Geography

Engage your child in exploring the world while learning important map skills and geography concepts. The reading selections and activities take children beyond basic geographic understandings and into unique ecosystems, biomes, places and regions, histories, cultures, and social movements within our world. Your child will make personal connections to his or her learning by completing expository and creative writing activities as well as hands-on geography projects.

Shop at Evan-Moor.com: Skill Sharpeners: Geography for grades PreK–6

Geography Gift Pairings

Wrap up the activity book with a new geography-themed game, map puzzle, kids atlas, or globe.

Gamewright Scrambled States
Children’s Illustrated Atlas
Waypoint Geographic GyroGlobe 4″

Math Theme

Activity Books

Skill Sharpeners: Math

Practice important math concepts with colorful games and puzzles. Topics cover grade-appropriate math practice in fun and engaging thematic formats. The fun games and puzzles included make practicing math facts so much fun your children won’t even realize they are learning.

Shop at Evan-Moor.com: Skill Sharpeners: Math for grades PreK–6

Smart Start: Math

Make math fun with engaging and colorful learning activities that teach math using a variety of subjects and activities!

Shop at Evan-Moor.com: Smart Start: Math for grades PreK–1

Learning Line: Fun with Math

Motivate early learners with engaging skill-specific practice in 32 full-color pages. Each book presents math skills practice through captivating, colorful activities. Your child will practice skills such as: simple addition and subtraction, telling time, and number sequencing.

Shop at Evan-Moor.com: Learning Line: Fun with Math for grades K–1

Learning Line: Flashcards

Each flashcard set provides sturdy, colorful cards that practice basic math skills, as well as ideas for games to use with the cards. As a bonus, each set provides a unique link to corresponding online timed tests for interactive practice!

Shop at Evan-Moor.com: Learning Line Flashcards: Counting 1–20 for grades PreK–1

Math Gift Pairings

Pair a math activity book with math and logic games and puzzles for a creative stocking stuffer.

Sumoku
Spot It
Set
Rubik’s cube
Math for Love Prime Climb
ThinkFun Zingo 1-2-3 Number Bingo Game

Take your gift buying to the next level and provide endless opportunities for your child to learn, grow, and play.

Jumbo Activity Book

Top Student

Discover a variety of entertaining and educational activities for children in the Top Student jumbo activity books. Hundreds of colorful and engaging activities allow children to strengthen their skills across all curriculum areas. The mindful moments activities and reward stickers create enjoyable and fun learning opportunities for children.

Shop at Evan-Moor.com: Top Student activity book for grades PreK-6.

Gift Pairings for social and emotional learning and computer science

Help children learn to understand and regulate their emotions with these social and emotional games and activities! Plus, fun computer programing and science activities to keep little minds busy indoors.

Mindfulness Therapy Games: social skills game that teaches mindfulness for kids and communication skills 40 cards for play therapy
Learn, Grow, Succeed!: A Kids Growth Mindset Journal.
Playz My First Coding & Computer Science Kit
ThinkFun Code Master Programming Logic Game and STEM Toy
National Geographic Magic Chemistry Set

Parents, sign up for Evan-Moor’s monthly education e-newsletter to receive free learning activities!

View all Evan-Moor activity books for kids: shop now.

October 13, 2021
by Evan-Moor
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Bread Around the World Thematic Learning

How does bread relate to learning? Through thematic units! A thematic unit is a style of teaching that uses one central theme (in this case, bread) to teach multiple subject areas. This gives teachers an opportunity to include math, science, reading, and more—all while staying focused on one specific topic.

Why are the benefits of thematic units?

By centering several subjects around one theme, students will obtain an in-depth understanding of the subject while also having fun learning about it! Other benefits of this style of learning include:

Helping students learn to make connections between subjects
Developing both strengths and weaknesses in cross-curricular learning
Engaging students fully on the themed subject
Encouraging curiosity and asking questions
Teaching students how to apply what they learn to real-life situations

Above all, thematic units are fun for students and teachers!

All About Bread

Bread has been a staple food item throughout human history. It has taken on many different forms, shapes, sizes, and tastes as technology developed and people discovered how to bake with yeast in order to make bread rise. Even today, bread can appear to be very different, depending on where in the world it’s made.

Check out this free download to learn more about the history of bread and how it was a part of society in Egyptian, Greek, and Roman cultures—and more!

Bread Activities Across the Curriculum

Math Activities

Counting and Estimation
Estimate the number of slices in one loaf of bread.

Have students estimate the slices in one loaf of bread, then count the slices to see if they were close.
Do this with multiple loaves of bread of about the same size or weight to see if the number of slices is similar.

Then, challenge students to figure out how many slices of bread would be needed to make a sandwich for each student in the class.

Have the class share their answers and explain how they got to that number.
Go around the room and see if anyone got their answer using a different method.
To further challenge the students, ask how many loaves of bread would be needed to make the sandwiches for the entire class.

Geometric Shapes
This activity includes different types of bread that come in different shapes. For example, regular bread slices, bagels, pita bread, crackers, etc. You can also cut bread slices into other shapes if you can’t find a variety.

On construction paper, draw a few different shapes, like a rectangle, a triangle, a circle, a square, etc.
Divide students into groups of four and supply each group with a piece of construction paper (with shapes drawn on it) and a bag of bread that has a variety of shapes.
Have students sort the bread into the correct shape category.

Writing Activities

Sequencing: How-to
Practice sequencing by having students write out the steps to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. It can be vague or incredibly detailed, depending on the grade level.

Writing Descriptions
Have students write a description of their favorite form of bread. They should aim to be as descriptive as possible, including:

How it looks
How it tastes
How it smells
What they eat it with

To turn this into a game, have students read out their description to the class (or a partner) and see if they can guess the type of bread being described.

Science Experiment: Yeast

Yeast is the component of bread-making that makes bread rise. Demonstrate this through a fun hands-on science experiment! For this experiment, you’ll need:

One pack of dry yeast (per experiment)
Flour
Sugar
Warm water
Six Clear containers
Spoons

Directions:

Set up the containers and label them based on the ingredient combination inside. Use nine parts water to one part dry ingredients.
In the containers, mix the following ingredients:
1. Flour and water
2. Yeast and water
3. Sugar and water
4. Flour, sugar, and water
5. Sugar, yeast, and water
6. Flour, yeast, and water
Have students create and stir the mixtures, noting what they look like when they first mix them.
Leave the containers to sit, undisturbed, for two hours. You can have students examine them every once in a while, to see if they’re changing. Bubbles should form in the mixtures with yeast. After two hours, the sugar and yeast mixture should be the most drastically changed.
To extend this experiment, make two batches of dough with students, one with yeast and one without. Examine the differences between the two.

Art Activity: Bread Collage

Collect magazines and newspapers (or have students bring them in) that have pictures of food, especially bread. Divide students into pairs or groups, or it can be an individual activity if you have enough magazines. You’ll also need:

Construction paper or butcher paper
Glue
Scissors

Directions:

Have students collect more than enough material to cover their entire page.
Have them trim or tear pictures to various sizes.
Explain that they can arrange their photos on the page until they have an arrangement they like, so pictures overlap on the page.
Glue down the photos on the page one at a time.
After the collages dry, have students trim any overlap pictures that hang off the page.

Reading About Bread

Include this fun read-aloud book in your bread study unit.

Tony’s Bread is a short story about a baker named Tony, who dreams of being the most famous baker in Northern Italy, while his daughter dreams of being allowed to marry. Both dreams seem out of reach until Angelo comes into their lives. This folktale is a great story to read aloud in class while learning all about bread, and then you can make Tony’s famous panettone as a class!

Bread Baking and Tasting

Of course, one of the best parts of learning about bread is baking and eating it! Buy or make several different types of bread (or have students bring in different types of loaves) and have a tasting day as the cumulation of your thematic unit!

Check out this free recipe for panettone bread.

Discuss with the class what kinds of bread they’ve tried before and list all of them on the board. This can include raised bread (such as rye, wheat, or sourdough), flatbread, crackers, etc. Share with the class some other kinds of bread they haven’t tried and what those breads may be used for.

Tasting Day
In preparation, bring or make (or have students bring) as many different types of bread to class as possible. You’ll also need:

Paper plates
Napkins
Plastic cups for water, milk, juice, or something to taste the breads with
Knives to cut bread into tasting size

Also prepare a chart (either on the board, using a projector, or on notebook paper) that lists the types of bread for tasting in the left column, followed by two columns for “like” and “don’t like” to record the class’s opinions.

Directions:

Show each type of bread to the class and ask if they know what type it is, what it’s used for, and if anyone’s tried it before.
Discuss what it’s made out of (like what type of flour, if it uses yeast, etc.)
Have students find the bread type on their tasting tray and taste it.
Have students discuss their thoughts and opinions within their pairs or groups or with the class.
Ask students after each bread tasting to raise their hands if they like that bread. Record their answers in the chart. Do the same for those who don’t like the bread.
Discuss the results of the chart. Which bread was most liked? Most disliked? What kind of bread was it, and how is it most often used?

For more individual units that can be hand selected to build additional fun thematic units like this one, consider an Evan-Moor TeacherFileBox subscription!

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September 24, 2021
by Evan-Moor
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Fifteen Ways to Incorporate SEL into Your Busy School Day: Free SEL Printables

Social and emotional learning carries a powerful boost of success. Children who benefit from SEL instruction are not only better equipped to manage stress and obstacles as an adult, they also have increased academic and relationship outcomes (Durlak et al., 2011). Social and emotional learning can help create adults who are able to cope with stress in life and have empathy for others. CASEL’s Ready to Lead Report states that including SEL instruction increases student achievement scores by 11 percent.

With the mounting evidence citing support for social and emotional instruction, the question remains: How do teachers fit it into an already packed schedule?

Five Domains of Social and Emotional Learning

Incorporating SEL into subject-area lessons is a simple way to weave social and emotional learning into the busy school week. Merge the five domains of social and emotional learning into writing, reading, math, social studies, and science lessons to stay on track during the school year.

Self-awareness
Self-management
Social awareness
Responsible decision making
Relationship skills

Download these free SEL printables from Evan-Moor’s Social and Emotional Learning book! These creative and cross curricular SEL activities keep children practicing important skills all year long.

Discover more social and emotional learning activities below.

Self-Awareness

Helping children learn to identify their emotions is the first step to helping them manage them. Building self-awareness can be as simple as checking in with students throughout the school day. Check-ins can be quick or can take more time.

Morning greeting: Greet students as they come in the classroom and ask them how they are feeling. This simple act of acknowledging and allowing children to express their emotions is the first step in helping them learn to manage them. It can also provide insight into specific behaviors children may exhibit throughout the school day.
Morning meeting: Create a short morning meeting for the first 15 minutes of the school day to check in with students and provide them with an opportunity to share how they are feeling and choose a goal they have for the week. Morning meetings are a wonderful opportunity to foster empathy and relationships between students. Allowing an open door for expressing anxiety and stress can help students realize they are not alone in their fears and can also foster empathy for classmates who may be dealing with serious issues at home.
Journal write: Ask students to respond to reflective writing prompts in their journals. Prompts could include:
- What is your greatest talent?
- Write down five things that define who you are. Write them in “I am_____ ” statements.
- Write about a time you did something you were afraid to try. How did you feel afterward?
- Write about a person you admire. What qualities do you have in common with this person?
- What do you do when you see a classmate struggling with something?

Self-Management

Helping children manage their emotions throughout the school day can be daunting. Teaching them positive habits and strategies for managing stress can help students learn important life skills.

Portrait of child doing yoga with friends in the park

Take five deep breaths: Include breathing breaks throughout the week to demonstrate simple and easy calming techniques. A wise teacher once told me that showing your students how to manage conflict and stress will carry more weight than simply telling them how to. Before raising your voice in the classroom, take a minute to breathe deeply and then address the class. Your students will notice a difference.
Yoga stretches: Incorporating a few yoga stretches after a long period of desk sitting provides students with a moment to clear their mind. It can be as simple as reaching for the sky and touching toes. These physical movements are a great addition to help children understand the connection between their bodies and their minds.
Create a calm corner: Create a quite space in your classroom where students can go when they feel angry, anxious, or stressed.

Social Awareness

Teach students to have empathy for others by consistently asking them to take a walk in a different pair of shoes.

Read-aloud reflections: After reading a story, ask students to think about how they would react when confronted with obstacles that a character has faced. Helping children practice walking in someone else’s shoes is great practice for developing lifelong empathy for others.
Student sharing: Provide opportunities for students to share their emotions in class. The more students know about each other, the easier it is for them to understand actions and emotions that arise during the school year. One year my daughter came home from school very upset. She had learned during a class sharing that a girl she disliked had a very difficult home life. This simple insight into this student’s struggles helped my daughter develop empathy for this young girl and ultimately led to a lovely friendship.

Responsible Decision Making

Provide opportunities for students to learn about and practice positive decision making in your classroom. Here are some ways to help your students become thoughtful and engaged decision makers.

Play the Would You Rather game: Have students decide between two different scenarios and support their decision with relevant facts.
Brainstorm decisions: Practice responsible decision making as a class by working out important decisions together through this model. You can decide on real issues or create make-believe scenarios.
- Think about choices
  Consider the consequences of each choice (pros and cons)
- Make a decision
- Review the decision
  Example: Kasey overheard her friends saying hurtful things about her friend Joel. What should she do? What advice would you give her?

Relationship Skills

Building positive relationships within the classroom sets the tone for quality relationship interactions throughout the school year. Provide students with the tools to manage their friendships by modeling correct speech and providing opportunities for students to practice.

Positive speech poster: Provide visual examples of correct peer speech in your classroom.
For example: Instead of saying “Move out of my way,” say “Excuse me.”
Group work: Include plenty of opportunities for students to work in partners and groups and practice collaborative speech and decision making.
Bucket fillers: Create individual student buckets (can be construction paper pockets too) and provide opportunities throughout the week for students to write compliments and encouraging notes to place in other students’ buckets. This is a great activity for primary grades and helps children learn to “build up” their peers rather than criticize them.
Cooperative learning games: Include fun games and activities that require students to work together and that also encourage having fun in the process. (It is even better when you pair up students and provide opportunities for children to work with different personalities.)
- Picture Talk is a fun game to play in the primary grades. The teacher begins to tell a story based on the picture he or she is holding. Then each student gets a chance to continue the story using the picture for inspiration.

Support students throughout the school year with easy-to-incorporate cross-curricular lessons and activities from Social and Emotional Learning Activities for grades PreK–6. These creative activities are fun for students to do, and they provide real-world examples to help children learn positive solutions to manage relationships and emotions. The cross-curricular lessons help teachers fit SEL instruction into the busy school week. Each book includes activities that incorporate:

Real-world scenarios
Mindfulness activities
Communication activities
Creative writing
Mazes, puzzles, and games
Art projects
Critical thinking and problem-solving