by Kimberly Murphy When you were in school, you were likely taught that synonyms are words with the same meaning. That definition, though, isn’t entirely accurate. Synonyms are words with the same or similar meanings, but there are important, nuanced differences in how they are used. Educators refer to these differences as shades of meaning. Let’s break down this concept some more—with some printable, hands-on …
Practice remembering letters, parts of speech, sight words, and more with these learning games Get your preschooler or kindergartner learning while having fun with these ELA word games you can play as a family. Letter dice This game requires a little bit of preparation, but the added tactile element makes it worth it. Put letters on dice (or make some using a template). You can …
learning at home high school
Looking for something to do with your middle school kids? Want to do something that involves learning too (we won’t tell the kids, don’t worry). We’ve rounded up over 10 ELA word games for middle school kids that you can play as a family to reinforce learning and build vocab together. Family words Make a word up that originates with you! Using letter blocks or …
Want your kid to build their English vocabulary and have fun? We’ve collected over 10 vocab activities aimed at middle school students to build vocab, explain different parts of the English language, and answer those common English language questions. You might even have a little bit of fun. Learning about words in the news Read the following coronavirus informational texts. What does COVID-19 mean? Coronavirus: …
By Lindsay Barrett We all want our kids to learn what they need to be successful. But guess what most kids want to do? Play! And let’s face it: we adults want to play, too. But learning and playtime can, and should, happily overlap. A growing body of research highlights the many benefits of open-ended play activities like building, pretending, creating, and just getting all-around …
By Lindsay Barrett If you have an early reader and writer in your life, you’ve likely heard of “sight words.” What are they, why do kids need to learn them, and how can you help without inciting groans of boredom? Here are the basics you need to know, and a handy list of fun practice activities that will have kids too busy moving and creating …
There comes a time in every parent’s life when the Harry Potter books and movies take over your household! Whether you’re a reading family or a movie-watching family or maybe doing a bit of both, here’s a twist on our Disney Movie Word Challenge to engage your children and boost their vocabulary at the same time! Minerva McGonagall and Albus Dumbledore would definitely approve. First, …
Find Week 1, Week 2, & new Week 3 ELA learning resources for preschool, kindergarten, elementary, middle school, and high school students below. As we all prepare to self-isolate, shelter in place, quarantine, hunker down at home, the time for interacting with our kids is upon us. And the fact that many parents are still working [from home] doesn’t make engaging with our kids …
One of the foundational reading skills that most children learn in early elementary or primary school is how to decode words. While decode sounds like something spies do, decoding is actually the ability to see a written word and read it aloud. This process is often known familiarly as being able to sound out words when reading. Sound complicated? It’s not, we swear! Plus we’re …
Ah, winter break. That welcome respite from homework, early morning alarms, and packing lunches … well, for about the first four hours anyway. That’s generally when the kids’ cries of “I’m bored!” start echoing through the house, and you contemplate how long you can get away with sending them outside when the weather is something frightful. To stop those cries (or at least dampen them …