literacy Archives — Thrifty Mommas Tips

Christmas Pre-Writing Activity Book for Kids

Paula — Sun, 14 Nov 2021 21:43:53 +0000

It’s beginning to look a bit like Christmas around here. Maybe not quite a lot like Christmas as the song traditionally goes. But a bit at the very least. Show is falling like mad today and hopefully soon ski season arrives. I know not all of you are winter snow fans, but I suspect many of you are looking forward to Christmas. Christmas Pre-Writing Activity Book for Preschoolers This Christmas check out all of the Christmas printables and activities that I have here. Don’t miss the Christmas tags below. One of the most popular posts here is my Christmas crossword. It’s an easy little crossword for kids. How to Use This Activity Book Over the holidays your kids might be looking for a few easy and affordable things to do. So, here’s one more for the very little ones who are working on their fine motor and hand-eye coordination. Tracing lines helps when it comes to printing and writing numbers and letters. So, in the spirit of offering the kids some small activities that might help you as well, I hope you like this Christmas Pre-Writing Activity Book for preschoolers (that said sometimes I hate to put ages on these because every child is different.) Mine could have used this type of activity to practice writing and printing even in school. For many years, because of her unique learning disability she did occupational therapy. These kinds of activities helped her to learn to press less hard and control the pressure that she put on the page. Eventually, that helped. As a small school child she’d press so hard she ripped the paper and her hand would cramp. When printing and writing are such a huge piece of school and academics every little bit of support helps. Easy Downloadable Activity Book And MORE to Share Happy Holidays!! Don’t forget to check out my Free Printables board on Pinterest. There are a lot of colouring pages to keep you and your kids busy. Christmas Tags

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Fun Spring Break Recap Activity

Paula — Mon, 15 Mar 2021 13:55:00 +0000

Well, Spring Break this year has been full of surprises already. Just a few weeks ago we were all assuming that spring break would be in March as usual. But then it got shifted to April here in Ontario. That was clearly shocking to many people. I’m not sure it matters anymore, I mean not like we are able to travel or go anywhere outside the province. Whether spring break is in March or April seems like a trivial thing after this year that we have had. Dates hardly matter these days. Many of us wake up still and wonder what the heck day it is! Ultimately, what matters most still is family and health and getting through this pandemic to the other side. I am hoping we will get our vaccines in the second round soon. Fingers crossed. Then I will start dreaming about adventures again. This April I’d be happy to have some down time on spring break to go hiking or visit a nearby park, maybe even time to start to garden. My youngest daughter doesn’t care about having a week off after having months of remote schooling in 2020 and then half weeks this year. She’d much rather that school just returned to some normalcy in terms of schedule. What Are Your Spring Break Plans? Are you on the go safely with masks in hand? Hanging out at home, gardening and reading? Whatever you choose to do, the important thing is doing it together, right? Pre-pandemic our family spring vacation routine would be travelling to a ski hill or taking some epic road trip. While that is still not possible, I hope that soon we can get back to that kind of fun activity. Next year I am all about a spring ski trip again. Spring Break Recap Really the best part of spring break for me always is hanging out with my family. So, here’s to making that happen soon. For More Ideas How to Get this Spring Break Recap Printable Activity Click on the link below and the printable will show up like magic. Have some fun with this. It reminds me of those old vintage scrapbook pages I used to love and fill out for each of my kids when they were small. If you liked this post, then don’t miss this – Spring Brain Breaks Post. What are you up to this year? Any plans?

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Adorable Pet Games and Printable Activities

Paula — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 09:03:00 +0000

These cute pet games and printable activities will make any pet lover happy. This activity book is super sweet for children. Post may contain affiliate links as a service to readers. I receive a small commission via qualifying purchases. Everyone on earth has had a pet at one time or another. There’s something special about first pets and well, frankly every pet has a special place in their owner’s hearts. Pets We Have Known and Loved My first pet ever would have been a tiny Pomeranian dog when I was a baby. But, to be honest I have zero memory of that pup. My only memories of her are from photos my Mom had. The first pet that I actually remember was a tiny turtle that my brother and I both had. Loved that pet. I recall that we called him Fred Flintstone and he was a small guy who lived in our aquarium in our home in Guelph. Alas, I think he only lasted about three years. After that, we had no pets for a time until we got our cats. Over the years, we had so many wonderful cats: Spooky, Mandy, Mindy and Magnum. Mindy and Magnum were still with is when we adopted both of our girls. Pet Games and Printables The pet games and printables are six pages of fun and a little bit of passive learning too. Match the pets to their houses is a cute and simple activity for small children. There are also two colouring pages and a page of pet games writing prompts like this one below. These are great because they teach kids to explore language and writing and they can be useful literacy tools. To download the above pet games click on the link below. It’s simple and also safe to download to PDF booklet. Do you have pets in your family and your life? Right now, we have two relatively low key guinea pigs. They may or may not have just celebrated a birthday, with small party hats and treats too. My daughter decided that might be fun and uplifting. You can see how that went here… View this post on Instagram A post shared by Paula Schuck (@inkscrblr) More Free Games and Printables

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Adorable Magician Writing Prompt for Kids

Paula — Wed, 06 Jan 2021 15:58:00 +0000

Here’s to your little writers and content creators. Let’s celebrate and nurture the creative souls with this Magician Writing Prompt Printable Activity. Easy Indoor Activities for Creative Kids First, if your kids are hunting for activities that are quiet and indoors this winter, then here’s a thought. Why not offer up some writing prompts to get them creating content? Writing is a great way to express imagination while exploring literacy through spelling and grammar. And second of all, this Magician Writing Prompt is simple and fun. Who doesn’t adore magic and magicians? Writers Will Write One millliiiiooooooonnn years ago, in grade school, I discovered a love of writing. Obviously, I still write and am happy to call that my career and vocation, but I first realized a love of the written word as a child. I didn’t need a writing prompt to be inspired and really all I needed was a pencil and a blank page. But, I know that my teachers offered all sorts of worksheets to my class. This Magician Writing Prompt Post contains affiliate links as a service to readers. I receive a small commission via qualifying purchases. I was that kid who asked the teacher for homework, or worksheets to take home on the weekend and over the holidays. Frankly, I lived in my head and that trickled out onto paper all the years of my life. Oh sure, not every child is like that, but some kids are searching for creative outlets and ways to express themselves. By contrast, others will need a nudge in the right direction. My youngest daughter often enjoys writing stories. She has written some posts here like this Harry Potter is the Best Movie Series for a pandemic post and this Travel with Teens post. Frankly, it gives me joy to see that at least one of my kids likes writing in her spare time. She has found a voice through repetitive practice and by scribbling in journals for years on end now. For me, I think my love for writing started in grade 2 and has only grown over the years. Reading all of the amazing books I could at that age and stage made me want to try writing. In grade two I actually wrote a small book with a classmate named Matt and I dubbed myself an author. The other child was sort of mortified as I recall. Some of my Favourite Childhood Books Nostalgia alert: my favourite books in grade 2/3 were The Anne of Green Gables Series and also the Laura Ingalls Wilder Little House on the Prairie series. However, I didn’t mind getting special single volumes either, such as: any Jean Little book or later on the Are You There God, Judy Blume books. For holidays like birthdays and Christmas, I was overjoyed if I got a diary, journal, fancy writing pen, or a boxed set of books. Nancy Drew came in handy around grade 3/4. How to Get This Magician Writing Prompt Activity So, how do you access this printable worksheet? First, access via the link below and print it out for your kids. This could be a great way for them to explore creativity for an hour or two. Please let me know if they are really into writing and I will share more of these types of posts and writing prompts. What are you writing about right now? Do you journal? Do you write?

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Sports All About Me Book for Young Child

Paula — Sat, 23 Feb 2019 13:23:45 +0000

There are many ways to get kids involved in learning. An All About Me Book can be a great way to get them to work through some early identity issues. Things like who is in my family and how old am I are very important, especially when starting preschool or kindergarten. This Sports All About Me Book is intended to help. With my kids sometimes when they are struggling I ask them – “Hey who is on your team? ” “Mom is.” And then they list the people on their team. Sometimes it’s grudgingly, but often by the end of the conversation they’re reminded there are people that will always have their back. Or to beat a metaphor to death – go to bat for them in life. And when they are being really abrasive and challenging and prickly I also say the same thing and use the same metaphor. Just remember who is on your team. As in, don’t alienate the people who are on that team. My kids haven’t been young enough to use a book like this in awhile, but I know that these types of tools were super useful when they were small. I hope this Sports All About Me book is a great opportunity for them to grow and explore their family and their identity while learning and having fun too. If your child is clearly ready to start printing and doing a bit of reflection on figuring out who is this Sports All About Me book will be perfect. Sports All About Me Book To get this activity and printable just click the PDF below and print. Reminder – please do not republish these. That is against copyright law. I am happy to provide free printables here always but I hate finding them republished without permission. Don’t forget to check out all the other printables I have available on my Pinterest Printables Board. Sports All About Me

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Self-Improvement for the New Year with DK Canada

Paula — Mon, 14 Jan 2019 11:31:21 +0000

This post was sponsored by DK Canada. Self-improvement is always on the top of everyone’s list when the new year rolls around. Whether we’re trying to lead a more healthy lifestyle, balance work and home life, or just broaden our horizons, self-improvement always takes the front spot in our minds this time of year. It’s no different for me and my family. This year, we’re improving ourselves with my favourite publisher, DK Canada. Three Self-Improvement Books for My Family Travel and learning always top my family’s list of ways to improve ourselves, and the books I recently received from DK Canada help us out on those fronts. 15-Minute Japanese My sister-in-law is Japanese, and my oldest daughter is very interested in learning the language. In fact, over the past decade, she’s actually picked up several phrases. She picks up language fast and always has done so. Now at 17, she’s fluent in French and English and chipping away at Japanese. That’s why I got her 15-Minute Japanese. With it, she’ll be able to start actually learning the language that she’s always been so fascinated by. Who knows – maybe the rest of us will pick it up too. From the DK Website: With this fun, user-friendly, and uniquely visual Japanese language course, you can teach yourself Japanese in just 12 weeks. ….What? Cool. DK’s 15 Minute Japanese–now relaunching with a new free audio app–is the perfect course for busy people who want to learn Japanese fast. Twelve themed chapters are broken down into easy-to-follow 15-minute daily lessons, spanning a range of practical themes, including socializing, doing business, food and drink, travel, and shopping. Each lesson combines vocabulary and grammar essentials with attractive full-color photographs, making it quick, easy, and fun to learn new Japanese vocabulary. There is no writing or homework–you simply use the cover flaps to hide the answers to exercises and test yourself as you learn. Each chapter ends with a review module, so you can track your progress and identify any areas where you need further practice. The free audio app enables you to hear Japanese words and phrases spoken by native speakers. You can also record yourself, compare with native speakers, and re-record as desired. Use the app alongside the book’s easy-to-use pronunciation guides to perfect your pronunciation, and to practice Japanese conversation in real-life situations. 5 Language Visual Dictionary I got myself the 5 Language Visual Dictionary. I studied a lot of languages over the years, but I never became fluent in any of them. That doesn’t mean I lost my passion for languages, though. Since I plan to visit Europe this year, I’m eager to start using my new book. From the DK Website: 5 Language Visual Dictionary is a user friendly and intuitive reference for adults learning English, French, German, Spanish, or Italian. The only language dictionary of its kind, 5 Language Visual Dictionary makes language learning accessible by using photographs to put everyday words into context. Its thematic organization of 10,000 terms accompanied by more than 1,600 annotated color photographs and illustrations puts the perfect translation at your fingertips. Additional feature panels include abstract nouns and verbs, as well as useful phrases you can use in conversation. Whether you are a student, tourist, or business traveler, 5 Language Visual Dictionary is your comprehensive guide to learning English, French, German, Spanish, or Italian. DK Life Stories: Anne Frank Finally, I got my youngest daughter DK Life Stories: Anne Frank. We’re all fascinated by the story of this courageous young girl, but my daughter is especially moved by Anne’s life and her diary. She was so excited when she heard she was receiving this book. From the DK Website: In this biography, discover the incredible story of Anne Frank, the courageous young writer who hid from the Nazis during World War II. Anne Frank’s diary is read by children and adults worldwide. It tells two stories: one of an extraordinary young girl living in hiding during one of the most fearsome times in history, and one of a relatable young girl facing the same questions and troubles that kids come up against today. Learn how both sides of this puzzle made up the person who is Anne Frank. Meet her family and friends, explore “The Annex” where they hid, and see her story put in historical context alongside information about World War II and the Holocaust, and Hitler and Nazi Germany. Books are a Great Path to Self-Improvement I’m a lover of books, both for pleasure and self-improvement. The best scenario is when a book combines both of those elements. That’s what books from DK Canada do for my family. With 15-Minute Japanese, 5 Language Visual Dictionary, and DK Life Stories: Anne Frank, my family and I are well on our way to a year focused on self-improvement with some fun and interesting books that will help us broaden our horizons. Enter for a chance to win a copy of DK Life Stories: Anne Frank. Good Luck! If you do not win you can still save on these books – Indigo sale on until January 20th: https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/sale/deals-of-the-week/books/dk/ Entry-Form

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Exclusive Printable Find The Letter ABC Book

Paula — Wed, 24 Jan 2018 13:37:21 +0000

It’s time to start thinking about school! As in, your little people born in 2014 are now ready in the province of Ontario to register for school. That’s exciting. I can still remember my daughter’s first day of school. I was so cool, and my daughter marched right in to kindergarten and never looked back. Then, all of a sudden one of my closest friends whose son was in grade 2 already looked at me and said: “OH MY GOODNESS I can’t believe it’s her first day of school.” Well, if that didn’t open the floodgates and I cried my eyes out standing there. Her sympathy at that time sent me right over the edge. Anyways there are a zillion things to do before your children or child starts of course. But the transition can be smooth if they know a few things and skills already. For instance, if they are able to identify letters and sounds by JK or SK then they should be in a good position to do alright. Reading is the foundation for every single subject. If there’s a reading concern or deficit then your child could be in for a harder go. [tweetthis]Get this adorable ABC Book and practice with your child now before kindergarten starts. [/tweetthis] Get it Now So I created this adorable Free Printable book offer for my subscribers only. Subscribe to my mailing list and you will receive an exclusive offer link to the PDF you can download. Then practice those ABCs and help them get a great start in September. Go Here to Subscribe: – http://eepurl.com/zNIOH Wait for your confirmation email which contains the link to download the Book. Enjoy!!

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Fun Halloween Word Search Printable

Paula — Mon, 02 Oct 2017 09:26:43 +0000

It’s almost time for Halloween – one of the most enjoyable events of the entire Fall season. That means it’s time for more fun Halloween word searches. October word searches and printable activities as well as recipes and crafts are the rule here right now. We are spending all of our time gearing up for Halloween now that we are all clearly back into the swing of the fall school schedule. Don’t forget to check back throughout the month for more fun word searches like this Monster Halloween Word Search printable. There’s nothing like Halloween to bring out the kid in all of us. This time of year I enjoy decorating the house and making it look a little bit like a haunted house. I don’t go overboard of course, but I like the small things. Decorating the mantel over the fireplace makes me happy. And this funny little Drop ‘N Greet Bertie the Bat Hallmark gift Bat that makes noise any time someone approaches my house. Well, that tickles my funny bone. You should see the people jump when it starts. When I was a kid word searches were a favourite pastime. They can be rewarding and I have learned that they help with literacy and visual tracking. That’s a good skill for school aged children to practice. My kids still love doing word games and puzzles and this Monster Halloween word search is one fun activity I will share with them and print out for any kids who come to visit. My nephew and niece will also delight in this activity. There are dozens of other free printables and colouring books coming your ay this season too. So, enjoy them together with your family. Don’t forget to check out my Pinterest Free Printables board. There are some awesome easy activities for everyone there. There’s also a great little Halloween activities package here too. [tweetthis]Print out this cute free Halloween word search for your school aged children today.[/tweetthis] Halloween Word Search Printables Be mindful of Halloween safety rules this year. Read this post about staying safe at Halloween. Oh, and these Halloween cupcakes will make you the most popular family at the bake sale this year. There are so many great gifts to get for Halloween too. Consider one of these awesome Halloween family movies and make a night of it. Happy Halloween. I hope you enjoy the Halloween posts and Fall word searches I have for you this season.

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Common Sight Words Printable – Kindergarten to Grade One

Paula — Thu, 24 Aug 2017 12:46:41 +0000

If your children are about to start school, or are working towards entering grade one soon then this post is for you. Sight words are the most frequently printed and written words in the English language. They are generally simple words, ranging from Little to TO, to Down, THE, and of course AND. There are several of these sight words and the sooner children grasp and recognize them the easier it is to read. I think I mentioned this before here once or twice. My younger child had some trouble figuring out reading. The decoding didn’t come easy for them and the processing part just made them frustrated. That was a big shock for me, a person who makes her living writing. My oldest daughter read early and loved books immediately. So words were easy for her. I had little experience with reading challenges before parenting my younger child. Page 1 above Sight words have very little meaning on their own but they add to many stories and texts. Some sight words don’t make a lot of sense phonetically and a few can’t really be sounded out, so these are the words that kids should know by sight. They are high frequency words in the English language. This is a list of sight words that your child should recognize and know well by the end of grade one. It is not a comprehensive list of all 100 but it hits about half of the ones that should be understood before entering grade two. With my youngest daughter Ainsley we tried a lot of things to help. Flash cards, printables, reading repetitively. She was also a super busy child so I would walk around the house sometimes just reading out loud to her. She found it hard to sit still. And of course we did all the things that we did with Payton. But Payton looked at words and absorbed them. Eventually we figured out that my youngest kiddo seemed to require more time and more repetition for reading. Thankfully, now they have an IEP (individual education plan ) to help access the curriculum at school. SightWordsPDF COMPLETE Tools like this printable set of sight words written clearly and practiced over time helped. Does your little one love reading or have some trouble figuring out how to put the sounds and words together? There are a couple of different ways to download this list of sight words. I recommend clicking on the PDF Sight Word Link above and then you can print the entire set out quickly. [tweetthis]Some common sight words in a printable to help your child read. K-1. [/tweetthis] READING is a Skill For Life: The best way to help them learn to read is to set and read with them often. Also model reading yourself because that helps too. Then you might cut these words out and categorize them according to letters and make a game of reading them. OR, you could make this into your own bingo game. Every time your child reads one he or she could locate on the sheet and put a checker on it. Happy Reading!

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Traveling ABCs Roadtrip Printable Scavenger Hunt for All Ages

Paula — Fri, 14 Apr 2017 12:35:55 +0000

This year we took a long road trip to Vermont and stayed at Sugarbush Resort. It was an amazing five days and a memorable adventure capped with a lot of skiing and some fantastic foodie experiences too. But it started with a long 9 1/2 hour drive. A drive that long can be a nightmare with kids, or it can be a fun experience. Unless you have a Printable Scavenger Hunt. Now, I don’t have to tell you Moms and Dads out there that a drive that long can easily go either way. If you plan well, then a big drive can be educational, fun and memorable. If you fail to plan, it can be an exercise in torture for all. Pack Printable Games for Trips I’ll let you in on a little secret. Even though my kids are older and capable of amusing themselves – mostly – I still pack numerous activities to keep us all occupied. My computer bag is almost always stuffed with printable Word Searches and Crosswords and things like this Traveling ABCs printable scavenger hunt. On the trip to Vermont, I pulled three of these Traveling ABCs out as soon as we crossed the border at Buffalo. From there on in, the kids and I searched for objects, landmarks and signs that fit the letters of the alphabet. Some letters are super simple. Your kids will find Stop signs and Fences and even schools and cover off those letters fast. But, X and Z will keep them guessing, maybe even for hours. Activities Keep Them Busy Printable activities also get the kids off their gadgets for a bit. I like that. These printable games will also help younger kids stay involved during the drive and it gets them thinking of the alphabet, words and spelling too. Here are a few Road Trip Tips and Tricks that may help next time. What was the last road trip you took together with your family? What kind of tricks do you have that help keep kids from getting bored? Don’t forget to pop by my free printables Pinterest board. Print the above printable out by clicking on the image and saving it. Happy and safe travels!

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