Free New Year's Writing Craft

Writing is something that so many students have a hard time getting excited about, so I love using activities that get them engaged! These cute writing crafts are not only a great way to encourage writing, but they are also great for decorating your classroom!

You can get these FREE New Year's writing activities by joining our newsletter list! {I send out a few emails per month with teaching ideas and access to free resources. I will never share your email with anyone else.}

This download includes a boy and girl character with multiple prompts to choose from, and also blank templates so your students can write about anything you choose!

Other writing crafts in my store:

Free Christmas ABC Order Printable

I'm joining my friends at the Elementary Entourage to bring you some gifts for Christmas! 

This cute ABC order printable comes in 2 versions - with pictures to support beginning readers, or without. Students cut, order, and glue the Christmas words in the boxes- simple & fun!

 For an extension activity you can have the students use some of the words in a sentence on the back.

Get the download HERE!

Find more Secret Santa treats from these bloggers:

An InLinkz Link-up

Free Christmas Dot Marker Picture Activities

We love using dot markers! They are so great for a variety of ages, and the best part is....less mess! I've pulled out 4 activities (2 sight words, 1 numbers, 1 alphabet) from my sets of Dot Marker Mystery Pictures and put them together in this free Christmas download for you and your kids to enjoy!

Free download HERE

If you don't have dot markers, you can certainly just use regular markers or crayons. 

If you'd like to get some dot markers, our favorite are the Do-A-Dot Art packs that you can find HERE! 

I like having the different packs so we can have more variety of colors (like pink and brown).

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CVC Reading Activities - Free Download

I needed some fun new activities for beginning readers to practice CVC words, so I created this pack called, "Let's Read with CVC." In it are three different activities that are fun for little learners to review and gain confidence with reading CVC words. These could be used in a literacy center, small group learning, or even a morning warm-up!

Cut, sort, and glue real vs silly CVC words:

Read the sentences and color the one that matches the picture:

And cut, sort, and glue sentences into yes and no columns:

You can try out a sample page by clicking HERE or the picture below. See how successful your little readers can be!

                                                                          FREE

Free Frankenstein Hundreds Chart Mystery Picture

I'm so excited to share with you this new freebie! This cute Frankenstein mystery picture is created by using the key and coloring in the squares on the hundreds chart. Get the free download HERE! 

CVC Close Reading

Close reading is such an important skill for students to learn, that I like to introduce the concept as soon as possible after students begin to read. Going back to the text to show where information is found is something that even beginning readers can master, with a little practice!

I have created a new set of close reading passages that focus on CVC words, so emerging readers to begin to learn about finding text evidence to support their answers.

Click HERE to subscribe to my newsletter and get this passage for FREE! Try it out and see how successful your students can be. It covers so many skills at once, and your kids will love it!

Apples - Roll, Add, & Color

My 4 year old is learning about numbers and counting, so I'm always looking for fun, yet simple activities for her to practice! I created these apple themed Roll, Add, & Color sheets for her and my 1st grader to both get some practice with counting and adding.

They love any activity where they can use dice, and we especially love using the jumbo foam dice.

Click HERE or the pictures below to get access to these fun pages!

Two versions are included, so you can choose which works best for your students.

Free First Day of School Printables

On the first day of school, things can be pretty chaotic! You have a class of new students who are coming in with a range of emotions and a backpack full of supplies that need to be organized, all while chatting with parents and trying to help the kids find their place and get settled. 

I love having fun, independent activities that students can start working on right away at their desks. Not only does it keep the classroom calm and quiet, but it also can settle the students' nerves as they adjust to a classroom setting again after summer break. Here are some of my favorite first day activities that are great for a variety of grade levels! 

1) Read & Find - This is my newest freebie I created. Students will read the words, then find and color in the pictures. There is also a bonus activity for students to write down their own words and have a partner find the pictures - great for getting to know their classmates! 

*Click the picture to sign up for my monthly newsletter and you can get this free printable! 

*UPDATE - I've had such a great response to this freebie, thank you! I've created a set of 10 and put it in my TpT store - you can find it HERE! 

2. Play-Doh

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by advertising and linking to  amazon.com.

Give each student a small container of play-doh and let them play with it at their desk. You can give them some instructions such as, "Create something that can tell us about your summer," or just let them play freely. It's such a great way to get out some nervous energy and get their hand muscles moving!

3. Finish the Picture - This fun freebie lets your students doodle and get creative right from the start! Put a copy on each desk with a sharpened pencil so they can get right to work when they arrive.

What are your favorite activities for students when they arrive on the first day? Leave a comment and let us know!

How to Teach Skip Counting - Ideas & Activities

Skip counting is such an important skill to teach your little ones. It helps with number sense, patterns, telling time, estimation, and multiplication! Here are some ideas and activities for practicing skip counting!

1. Use a blank hundreds chart and dot markers. Dot by 2's, 5's, or whatever number you are working on! You can also make a reusable version by putting it in a plastic sheet protector and using dry erase markers. 

2. Skip count out loud with a partner or group. Use 2 people to count by twos. One person will start and whisper or mouth "one". The next person says "two". Keep going so that the even numbers are heard but the odd numbers are not. Then the partners can switch so the other person says the even numbers. Try with 3 people to count by threes. This time the first two people mouth "one", "two", and the third person says "three!" Keep going the same way so the multiples of 3 are spoken aloud. Try it with any number by using the same amount of people as the number you are counting by. 

3. FREE practice pages - This is a set of 6 pages that I created to help practice counting by twos and fives. 

4. Skip Counting Dot to Dots - www.MathWorksheets4Kids.com has a ton of skip counting dot to dot puzzles like this one.

5. Popsicle Sticks Math Center - Read my post HERE about this fun activity that can be used to practice skip counting with any number!

First & Last Day of School Posters

Are you looking for a poster for your kids or students for the first and last days of school? I made these cute printables that you can take photos of your kids with, or just have them fill out and take home for a keepsake.

 I've made 3 versions (black and white, color, chalkboard) for Pre-K through 5th grade for the first day of school, and more for the last day of school.

Click HERE to get the download with all the versions to choose from!!