Once upon a time, I taught Kindergarten. I loved teaching those little ones, and I really developed my skills for giving children the pre-reading skills they needed to thrive. I knew how to teach children to read. Then, I decided to mosey on into an Intensive Support Classroom for two years. These children were…
Free Printable Homeschool Planner | A Year at Home
It’s ready! It’s ready! My patient friends, thank you for waiting. Our annual, beautiful, FREE Printable Homeschool Planner is now available to you! Free Printable Homeschool Planner This resource is downloaded year after year and is always given to you as a gift from me. A little way for me to say, “Hey friend. I…
Teaching Letters and Sounds | Free Printable!
When it comes to teaching letters and sounds, I should really be saying ‘sounds then letters,’ because teaching sounds actually comes first! The ability to hear and manipulate sounds is called Phonological Awareness, and it is the first step in teaching a child to read. In fact, phonological awareness is even more important for…
Teaching Letter Recognition – What Order to Introduce Letters
Wondering about the order for teaching letters to your little ones? I’m on it! I feel as though I am always writing about waiting to teach letter recognition. Wait and let little hands get strengthened by other activities. Wait until little minds have had ample time to hear different words and sounds. But a day…
What is Phonological Awareness? From Rhyming to Reading
As you likely know, I am a huge proponent of waiting until children are developmentally ready to learn skills. It is not developmentally appropriate to teach most 3-year-olds to read. But it is developmentally appropriate to teach most 3-year-olds to rhyme. And rhyming is the very first phonological awareness skill that little ones should learn!…
Printable Mother’s Day Cards for Kids to Color
May is one of my favorite months of the year. With the sun shining, flowers blooming, and birds chirping, it certainly makes for a beautiful time of year. And on top of all that goodness? I get an entire day dedicated to ME! Well, to me and all of the other lovely, wonderful mamas out…
Summer Alphabet Games & Activities
With some absolutely beautiful weather this week, summertime—and all that it stands for—is calling me! It’s a time for fun in the sun, loads of play, and exploring this incredible world of ours. It’s also the perfect time to do some one-on-one learning with little ones. No matter how incredible a teacher is, there is nothing…
Playful Sight Word Games for Kids!
Wondering how to teach sight words? You’ve come to the right place! There are so many fun, hands-on sight word games perfect for teaching children sight words, and today, I’m going to share my favorites with you! What are “sight words”? But first, we should chat about what sight words truly are. Sight words are…
Scoop and Dump the Alphabet Activity!
Ready for an alphabet activity that will knock it out of the park with your preschooler? If you have a little one who loves diggers, trucks, and all things construction, this is THE alphabet activity for you! I recently sent out a survey to those who are on my email subscriber list, and I learned…
The MAGIC of Letter Formation
Alright, my sweet friend, you know the drill. Just before I share these letter formation worksheets with you, I need to give you my “there is no rush” spiel. (I just had to look up how to spell ‘spiel’ – and then had to check what it actually meant – good news, I am using…