Kindergarten Math Fun for the End of the Year and Summer School

Will you be teaching summer school this year? 

It's tough to keep yourself going through the summer, but you and your summer school program are most definitely life-changers to those kiddos who desperately need the boost to be successful in the next school year!

It goes without saying that it's even harder to keep little learners motivated when ... hey, there are swimming pools and playgrounds calling their names!

So, what's the key?  Well, the key is the same thing as it is all year!

Keep the fun in learning!

The easiest way to keep learning fun? Teach with games! Need convincing of the benefits? Check this post!

You may find that some students joining you for summer school were also in your class this year, but chances are that a good number of your summer school students will be new to you. A new mix of students means it's time to go back and set your procedures and expectations. It's worth every minute of your time to do that!

Teaching your students to play partner games is a great way to reinforce positive classroom behaviors like...

    *  Taking turns

    *  Being patient with classmates

    *  Using kind and polite words

    *  Being gracious whether you win or lose a game

    *  Taking care of classroom materials when you're using them, and returning them to                 their assigned spots when finished (wouldn't that be an AMAZING thing to                           consistently see happening in your classroom??)

    *  Using appropriate voice volume level

Whether you're teaching kindergarteners going into first, kindergarten repeaters, or adding these games to your summer practice packets, here's a set of games that you'll love!

Here are 20 new easy prep math games with spring and summer themes!

Each game is just one page, with no cards to print or prepare and... let's be honest, no cards to LOSE!

These games will give your students lots of practice building addition and subtraction fluency, like this Searching for Seashells game. Most of the games are ready to play with the addition of just dice and a way to mark the board, like erasable markers. A few, like this one, use a spinner. Add a spinner using a scrap of cardstock and a metal brad, or have your students create their own spinner each time they play with a pencil and a paper clip.

Your students will love games like Collect 20, and you'll like the multiple objectives that are being addressed each time they play  ... in this case, they'll name the shape, identify the number, count the pieces, recount them on each turn to reach 20, determine how many more they need to get to 20, and more!

Each game comes in both color and ink-saving black and white. What an easy and effective way to add fun activities to your summer send-home packet, especially if you've spent some time playing the games together during the last weeks of school!

How else are teachers using kindergarten practice games? Here are a few more ideas!

Are you ready for a closer look?

Click to see this game set at my TPT store.

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Do you need easy prep kindergarten math games to use all year. like the set below? Try these!

Happy Teaching!

Start Summer with These Free Shark Math Games

Originally posted on Teaching Blog Roundup

Ah, summer! Here it comes! We may be lucky enough to be relaxing on the beach, gathering pretty shells, eating sandwiches with real sand in them. But our kiddos?  Always in search of adventure, they're thinking about SHARKS!  So it's definitely time to take advantage of that with these free shark math games!

It's hard to ignore the fascination kids have with sharks These free shark math games for kindergarten through third grade are a great way to put that enthusiasm to good use!

Here's a sample of the games directions that you'll find in this download!

The difficulty of these games ranges from "Fin It to Win It!" (arranging cards in numerical order) to "A Shark's Place" (two-digit place value) and on up to "Everybody Out of the Water!" (shown above), which has some trickier two-step directions, strategizing, and mental math.

Just a warning...  I had some pun-ny fun coming up with names for these games! The download also includes

* Shark Sighting

* One, Two, Three, Flip!

* Treasures of the Sea

* Sharks Alive, It's All About Five!

* Belly Up

Can't say I didn't warn you! :)

Your download includes number cards for 0-9 in both color and blackline (some of your students will love to color their own cards!) as well as the directions for eight math games.

These games would be a good match for your beach theme or ocean unit. Fun learning and easy prep for the last days of school, too! Use the same cards and try a new game every day!

Click here to download your free shark number cards and directions for math games!

If you're looking for more ocean-themed activities, this bundle might be just what you need! Click now to see it!

Happy Teaching!

"Cool" Dice Games for Summer, and They're So Easy to Make!

Hello, Teaching Friends!

I was in Five Below the other day, looking through beach blanket holder-downers, lawn darts, flipflops, and all that type of thing, when I came across these plastic reusable ice cubes. Oh, my,  the ol' teacher brain started whirring!

Now, before I say anything else, let me just tell you that you couldn't pay me enough to ever put these plastic ice cubes filled with some kind of liquid into my drink. First of all, they're plastic, and the whole set cost $1. Ummmm, okay. Second, what IS that liquid, and how sure can I be that none of it is seeping out through some itty bitty pinhole and into my iced tea? This does not fit with the health choices of anyone who is paying top dollar for organic produce.  The option is yours, but I'll opt out, thanks.

On the other hand, as an easy-to-make and novel hands on center activity, I say YES!!!

All you need to do is...

1. Label all sides of each cube using a Sharpie or other permanent marker.

2. Pop them in the freezer.

3. Bring them out for some very cool fun!


Novelty keeps the fun in learning! Kids will love rolling these cool cubes so much that they'll want to keep playing games with them again and again. And again! 

I haven't had any problems at all with condensation on the cubes, plus they stay frozen for a good long time, even with all the handling.  It also takes quite a lot of playing for the labels to wear off, and they're easy enough to write on again quickly.

These examples are labeled for CVC words.

There are lots of other possibilities for programming these cubes. If you write numbers on them, your students can roll five dice and write all of the number models they can using only the numbers rolled. 

Also with number dice, you can use this fluency freebie. ⬇️⬇️⬇️ Roll, read the summer sentences fluently, and color in a box. Just click to download.

Enjoy, ... and keep cool!

Happy Teaching!

Summer Math Freebies!

Hi, Teaching Friends!

If  you're like this young man who knows that math and fun are a good combo, head over to my post at Teaching Blog Roundup. You'll find an assortment of outdoor summer math activities as well as printable summer freebies.


Here's one, just to get you started! Enjoy!

Happy Teaching!

Think SUMMER?? Summer Resources to Keep the Fun in Learning!

Hello, Teaching Friends!

Think SUMMER? Doesn't it feel like the last flakes just fell, the winter coats just got put away, the first robin just arrived?

But as soon as a really warm day comes along, the play at recess takes on a different tone (and the afternoon in the classroom takes on the distinctive aroma of dirt ... seriously, do they all just roll in it once the warm weather comes???) and little minds turn to thoughts of ice cream trucks and swimming pools. And suddenly, they can't possibly think of anything else. :)


And so, good teachers follow their lead and turn their teaching to where the learning will happen, to themes of watermelon and picnics and camping. All of that's actually okay with us, of course, since those who are already counting the days at this point are also somewhat poolside mentally! :)


If you're looking for some new summer resources that will also keep your little ones busy reviewing all that you've worked so hard to teach this year, here are a few from my Teachers Pay Teachers store.

For your K's-getting-ready-for-first, here's a set of story cards for summer. Story cards are great for your newest readers and especially for those who are just a little bit reluctant to commit to this whole reading thing. You know who they are, right?  At just one page and about six to eight lines of text, your reluctant readers can see the end of each story is never too far away. These stories are super for buddy reading and great fluency builders.

Each story card comes in three formats, bringing in options for writing sight words, too. There are also sight word cards filled with the popsicles and watermelon your kiddos are dreaming of.

Here are a few more items for summer ... just click on the image to see the details. I hope you'll find just what you need to keep that countdown movin' along and keep the learning happening, too!!

      

           

      

  

          

Happy Teaching!

Summer Contraction Match Freebie!

Hi, Teaching Friends!


If you're teaching summer school or you're a homeschooler looking for a new way to review contractions, here's a summery little set you'll like!

 

Practice matching 13 "not" contractions to their extended forms (26 cards in all). And enjoy some flip flops and popsicles while you're at it! Thanks to Mel at Graphics From the Pond for her adorable clipart!

Click to get it ready now for summer school, tutoring, or so many other ways to use this set!

Happy Teaching!

Updates: Giveaways and a Quick Little Summer Sale!

Hi, Teaching Friends!

Thanks so much to all who entered my mini-giveaway for Summer Fun! I Have, Who Has. Congratulations to the five winners- your game is on the way! It was so nice to send out the prize both to some who are faithful readers and commenters and others who are new!

Here's a sample of the 35 cards in the set.

Silly stuff, but guaranteed to keep your kiddos listening and thinking right up to the end of the year!

Click here to see more of it at TPT.

A special thanks to those of you who entered the giveaway by registering to subscribe to the brand new Primary Inspiration Newsletter. You can subscribe (and receive a special freebie!) at the top of the right column on this page, or watch for the pop-up!


More getting-ready-for-summer fun and learning! Here's Summer Send-Off,  seven games for first grade standards. Each game is provided in color and also in grayscale. Help your kids fall in love with the games by playing them in school with classmates, and then send a grayscale copy home in their summer learning packets to help keep the summer slump at bay.

One page games like these are also perfect for distance learning! Just take a screenshot of a page and send it to your students to use on their devices with your favorite app or program.

 Have a great week! Happy Teaching!

Summer Fun Giveaway!

Hi, Teaching Friends!

I've been busy revising some of my resources and ran across one that I'd sort of forgotten about,
I Have, Who Has ... Summer Fun! 



Click here to see it at TN.    Click here to see it at TPT.

This game is filled with fun summer words like flipflops and marshmallows, with the skill being initial sound substitution. So a clue will be something like, "Who has a word that starts like six and rhymes with fun?"  But some words are next to impossible to rhyme. That leads to some silliness, like, "Who has a word that starts like bat and rhymes with carefoot?" - "I've got barefoot!"  Gear up for lots of giggling with this one!  

So, let's give away five of these sets! Here's the rafflecopter to make it easy for both of us. Closes at midnight on Sunday ... so check back here on Monday, because there's likely to be  there will definitely be a sale on this, too!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Happy Teaching!

Giving Your Firsties the Best Summer Send-Off!

Hi, Teaching Friends!

I have finally finished an end-of-year math game set, and I'm so excited about it!

This set of seven games should be a big help in the last days of school. Each of the games is a single page, and comes in both full color and black and white versions. 

* Use the full color versions in school for partner and small group practice (and everybody will be very busy reviewing Common Core Standards!).

* Print and copy one of each of the games for every student (and everybody will be very busy coloring them and playing them again!).  Send all of the student games home in folders that they can decorate to their hearts' content (busy again!) and your students can play them all summer with friends and family (and they'll all be sharp-skilled and ready for second grade.. and the second grade teachers will be loving you!!) 

Looong description, but I think you get the idea .. productive "busy-ness" for the last days of school!
Guaranteed  that they will be okay, a better shot at the possibility that your students will be actively involved in math practice during their break!

Click here to see it at my Teachers Pay Teachers store.

 

 

 

Happy Teaching! 



Free Summer Picture Prompts for Writing

Hello, Everyone!

The sounds of splashing in neighborhood pools and the smells of burgers and ribs grilling inspired me to finish up and post my Summer Picture Prompts for Writing , a set of 14 prompts that will give your K-3 writers lots of new ideas for writing.

Here's your free sample of 3 prompts...click and enjoy!

Happy Teaching!

A Thank-you Graph Freebie

Hi, Teaching Friends!

Thank you note - check.
Thank you letter- check.
Thank you email - well, sure!

Thank you graph - huh??

Well, giving you all a free graph as a thank you just seems like the right thing to do! After all, your kindness and support here and at my shops just added to the *specialness* of a lovely Mothers Day yesterday. I appreciate your purchases, but I'm especially grateful for your kind and encouraging comments!


And so, to say thanks, here's a "thank you graph" to add it to your collection! This one is about ways to play in the sand - building, digging, and burying. Click and enjoy!

You can find 24 more bar graphs and tally mark charts for summer in this collection at my store. Think of the fun they'll bring to your end of year and summer school activities ... lots of math, and lots of great conversation, too!

*  Write about a time you ate a popsicle. Be sure that your story has a beginning, middle, and end.

*  Make a list of tools you would take to the beach to build in the sand. Share your list with a friend. Compare your lists.

*  Draw a picture and write a description of your favorite food to eat at a barbeque. Make your description so good that everyone will want to try this delicious treat!

*  Write a description of a colorful surfboard. Include lots of details! Trade papers with a friend and use the descriptions to draw the surfboard.

Happy Teaching!