My best guess for why kids do this is that when your coordination is low, it’s easier to draw a line moving away from yourself than towards yourself. Over time, this habit of writing bottom to top can become ingrained making it hard for kids to break. How important is it, really? My guess is not very. Of my four children, my dyslexic son probably has the neatest writing for his age despite forming his letters in an inconsistent way.

However, I feel it is my job as their primary educator to constantly remind my two youngest kids to start at the top when I see them forming their letters in an unconventional way. I was getting tired of having to always give them a verbal reminder that didn’t seem to stick in their memories. One day I was messing around with my iPad when I realized I could gradually fade the letters. It immediately struck me as a way to avoid having to say the words “start from the top” so often.

I’ve tried in the past using worksheets that had a dot showing where to start and numbered arrows showing which way to go first, second, etc. However, this can appear so visually cluttered that my kids would get confused and just ignore the numbers. Often they would start at the right place and go the wrong way.

I only had to explain to my kids one time to move the pencil from dark to light for them to intuitively understand which way to move the pencil to form the letters. It’s as if our minds naturally can imagine a pen running out of ink giving us clues as to the direction of motion. The sheets alternate between these shaded letters and simply faded letters so kids have to think about the direction more often as they move down the page. By the bottom, they are writing letters completely on their own.

I have had number sheets ready for a while, so I’m going to try not to take so long to post them! My cursive images are ready in Procreate. I just have to put them into a document. They will definitely be ready when my kids start school in the fall! You can sign up here to be notified. I hope these sheets give your kids the confidence to practice letters on their own!

Recommended Age Range: Kindergarten, Early Elementary
Time Required: 1 minute
Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Free printable

Materials:
paper

Instructions:
1. Print out the Uppercase Printing Sheets as many times as you want!

2. Optionally, you may want to bind the pages using a binding machine, combs, and covers.

ENJOY!

Related Links

Reading & Writing Activities for Kids
Best Books for Kids
Learning Activities for Kids

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Honestly, the main reason I started making these sheets was that I got an iPad and was playing around with Procreate. I was trying to see all the capabilities of this remarkable and fun program when I realized that I could gradually fade out lines. Since reminding my young boys to start their letters from the top is a daily annoyance, this gave me the idea to write all the letters in Procreate and shade them so they could remember which direction the letters should be written.

By having the child start at the darkest part of the letter and move towards the lighter part of the line, the child intuitively knows which way to write the letter. They don’t need me constantly reminding them. After a trial run, I decided to add dots to indicate where the child should place the pencil. This is particularly helpful for letters that require you to pick up your pencil and place it a second time. I also decided to alternate as the child moved down the page between the letters that showed the path and tracing letters that were solid color so the child could gradually practice remembering more and more which way to go.

At the bottom of the page are some blank spaces so the child can practice writing the letters without tracing at all. My kids have not graduated to that level yet, LOL. Another nice thing about these free printing pages is that you (and I) can print them again as needed. I actually bound a copy of the whole book for my kids using my binding machine. However, if a particular letter is giving my kid trouble, I might print that page again and wordlessly hand it to them to let them know they need some review.

Hopefully, these sheets are as helpful to you as they have been to me and my kiddos! I actually have number and uppercase printing pages ready as well that I’m planning to post soon. I haven’t made the pages yet, but I’ve also made Procreate cursive letters as well that I was planning to put together for my kids as they get older. Sign up for my newsletter to get notified when they are available!

Recommended Age Range: Kindergarten, Early Elementary
Time Required: 1 minute
Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Free printable

Materials:
paper

Instructions:
1. Print out the Lowercase Printing Pages as many times as you want!

2. Optionally, you may want to bind the pages using a binding machine, combs, and covers.

ENJOY!

Related Links

Reading & Writing Activities for Kids
Best Books for Kids
Learning Activities for Kids

The post Lowercase Printing Sheets appeared first on ResearchParent.com.

Another great way to use this paper is to help kids document what they learn. I like to have my kids draw pictures of what we’ve been talking about. Then afterwards, they practice sounding things out phonetically to write a sentence to go along with their illustration. This is an example of what my first grader learned about the Taj Mahal. As part of our history learning, I have them glue what they work on into a composition book.

If your child is still working on the motor skills needed for writing, I learned a great tip from a friend. Use a yellow marker to write out what the child wants to say. Then they can practice tracing the marker with a pencil to write their dictated sentence. My daughter loves that it is her own words that she is tracing.

Recommended Age Range: Kindergarten, Early Elementary
Time Required: 1 minute
Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Free printable

Materials:
paper

Instructions:
Print out the version you desire as many times as you want:

Free Printable Illustration Paper for Kids

Lines for Young Writers – No Name Line
Lines for Young Writers – With Name Line
Wide Ruled for Older Writers – No Name Line
Wide Ruled for Older Writers – With Name Line

Enjoy!

Related Links

Charlotte Mason Learning
Reading & Writing Activities for Kids
Best Books for Kids

The post Illustration Paper for Kids appeared first on ResearchParent.com.

My main goal with this journal was developing a sense of gratitude. Let’s be honest. Kids are not the best at appreciating all the tiny aspects of their lives that are amazing. My kids, at least, would rather obsess over the ONE thing they don’t have (especially if their sibling does). It’s a well-documented fact that grateful people lead happier lives. I’ve challenged my kids to come up with a different reason why they are lucky each day. I hope they someday realize that they will never run out of things to be thankful for. (Note: I do the actual writing for my 3 and 5 year olds.)

In addition to gratitude, I decided to use this journal as an opportunity to promote other skills that I hope to embed in my kids as well. Namely, empowerment, accountability, kindness, thoughtfulness, resilience, and grit. The second question the journal asks is what the child can do to make today great. This was inspired by a section of the 5 Minute Journal. I love the idea of having the kids take some responsibility for the outcome of their day. It also gives them the opportunity to *plan* to be kind or helpful.

The picture book, Each Kindness, was my inspiration for the third question. I want my kids to remember that their actions have consequences and that choosing to be kind will have a positive impact on those around them, even if they don’t see it. (Ordinary Mary’s Extraordinary Deed is another picture book with a similar message presented in a different way.) One of the things my oldest and I regularly fight over is his piano practice. After starting this journal, one day he started practicing without my even having to remind him. (I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.)

I realize the last question about mistakes and failure is sort of an odd choice for a gratitude journal. However, after all the reading I’ve done about the benefits of developing a growth mindset in books like Grit, I love the idea of having my kids reflect on their mistakes in a positive way each day. This has actually been my favorite part of the journal. Whenever one of my kids is struggling with something, like my 3 year old getting upset about not being able to draw a circle or my oldest messing up his piano piece for the hundredth time, I can remind them that they can’t do it YET and at least they’ll have something to write in their journal at bedtime. (Related: I love this TED talk called The Power of Yet.)

It’s too soon to know whether or not this journal will have an overall positive impact on my kids’ behaviors and attitudes, but so far, I think the outcome is promising. My kids definitely love filling out their journals and I love that it only takes a few minutes each day and seems to be improving their attitudes.

Recommended Age Range: Preschool, Kindergarten, Elementary, Middle School
Time Required: ~5 minutes to make, about 5 minutes to complete each day
Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Free printable, a few cents for paper

Materials:

• paper for printing Gratitude Journal for Kids printable
• 1 sheet of colored paper (optional, for cover)

Supplies:

• stapler (preferably a long arm stapler, but a regular one will work if you bend the pages so the stapler can reach the middle)
• x-acto knife (optional, for making a clean edge on journal)
• cutting surface (optional, if you using the x-acto knife)
• ruler (optional, if using the x-acto knife)

Instructions:

1. Print out the free, printable Gratitude Journal for Kids. If you have a double-sided printer, you can print the entire document as is (if using, put the colored sheet on top of the paper in the printer). If you can only print single sided, then first print the cover (page 1) using the colored sheet of paper (if using). Next, print 10 copies of page 3. Take the stack and put it back into the printer, then print 10 copies of page 4. You may need to experiment with the orientation to get it to print correctly, so the first time only print one sheet to make sure it’s in the printer the correct way. Obviously, you are welcome to use more or less pages of the daily sheets if desired. Since each piece of paper has 2 days per side, 10 sheets of paper will last 40 days.
2. Fold the cover and the question sheets in half.



3. Use a long armed stapler to staple the pages together.
   
   If you don’t have a long arm stapler, you can fold the pages on one end an extra time so the regular stapler can reach the middle, then unfold the extra fold once the journal is stapled together.



4. If you would like the edges to look clean, use a ruler to mark off a width of 5 and quarter inches on the top and bottom of the journal.



5. Line up the ruler along the pencil marks to make a straight edge.



6. Use an X-acto knife to trim the excess paper.



7. Let your kids know they are welcome to write their names on their journals and decorate the covers.



If desired, you can use my tutorial for a homemade traveler’s notebook to make a cover for your gratitude journal (and the other booklets you use to organize your life).

Enjoy!


Related Links

Learning Activities for Kids
Best Books for Kids
Free Printables for Kids

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All together, it cost me about $20 in supplies from our local craft store to make the 4 Midori-style covers (mostly for the fabric). However, these covers should last a long time. Also, I still have some material left over and would have even more if I had planned a little better (see instruction notes). The booklets inside are simply 10 sheets of paper folded in half and stapled together with a piece of cardstock on the outside, so they are practically free.

I love that we can keep as many booklets inside our notebook as desired in order to organize our thoughts and ideas. Since we homeschool, I’m thinking about adding a booklet to each kid’s notebook to keep track of their daily assignments. Since I love the idea of Charlotte Mason style nature studies, we might also each use one booklet as a nature journal.

I’ve been using my traveler’s notebook daily for about 3 weeks now. So far, I only have one booklet in mine that I have been using a bit like a not super-fancy or decorated bullet journal. I have running to-do lists as well as pages dedicated to different topics like books I want to read and recipes I want to try. I can definitely see how in the future I might want to separate different topics into different booklets so that some will stay long term and others will get replaced every few weeks.

Overall, I’m pretty excited about our notebooks. I haven’t started encouraging my kids to use theirs yet, but I’ve already seen my oldest doodling and writing some story ideas into his which makes me happy.

Recommended Age Range: Kindergarten, Elementary, Middle School, High School, Adult
Time Required: ~20 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Cost: About $4-$5 in used supplies per book

Materials:

• Vinyl (or leather) – According to the YouTube tutorial this should be at least 12″ x 12″. However, since it is eventually trimmed to 11.75″ by 9.5″, a more conservative estimate is at least 12″ x 10″. I got mine in-store at Joann Fabric’s with a 40% off coupon.
• Iron-on Adhesive – The YouTube tutorial recommends Heat’n Bond Ultra. I accidentally used Heat’n Bond Lite which is a little cheaper, but it seems to have worked well. If you only need a small piece, it’s a lot cheaper to buy it in store, since you can buy it by the yard.
• Scrapbook paper – The tutorial recommends 12″ x 12″ (which is the standard size), but really any paper that is at least 12″ x 10″ will do. My daughter wanted a glittery gold piece of scrapbook paper that was more like cardstock and that also worked well.
• Elastic cord – I used 2 mm cord for my notebook and 1 mm cord for my kids’ books. Both seem to work well. You need at least 1 yard per traveler’s notebook. (More if you want to add more booklets.)
• 1 sheet of cardstock or colored paper (for a cover) and 10-12 pieces of 8.5″ x 11″ paper for each booklet

Supplies & Tools:

• pencil
• ruler
• scissors
• iron and ironing board
• round cap (like a small Sharpie – to trace for making rounded corners)
• X-acto knife (to cut round corners and trim booklets so they have a clean edge)
• Japanese screw punch or awl
• piece of cardboard or scrap wood to put underneath screw punch or awl so you don’t damage any surfaces
• long armed stapler – Tutorial recommends threading booklets, but I prefer the stapler as it’s much faster. If you don’t mind half of your pages being a little bent, you can also use a regular stapler and just fold the pages a bit so that the stapler will reach to the middle of the book.

Instructions:

1. First, trace the scrapbook paper onto the iron-on adhesive. (If you want to make sure not to waste any material, you might want to think about trimming your 12″ x 12″ sheet of scrapbook paper down to 12″ x 10″ before this step. I did not do this, but if I had, I would have been able to make 1 or 2 more traveler’s notebooks out of the supplies I bought.)



2. Cut out the piece of iron-on adhesive.
3. Place the vinyl onto an ironing board with the vinyl side down and the fabric side up.
4. Place the textured side of the iron-on adhesive down onto the fabric. Iron each section for at least 8 seconds.



5. Peel off the backing from the iron-on adhesive.



6. Carefully line up the scrapbook paper with the iron-on adhesive and go over it with an iron.



7. Use a ruler to mark a rectangle 11.75″ X 9.5″ onto your scrapbook paper.



8. Cut out the 11.75″ x 9.5″ rectangle.
9. Use a pen cap to trace rounded corners onto the edges.



10. Cut out the rounded corners.



11. Fold the cover in half.



12. Use a pencil and ruler to mark 1/2″ from each edge, 1.5″ from each edge, and in the middle (at 4.75″ from either edge).



13. Use a Japanese hole punch or awl to make holes at the marked locations. Make sure your holes are big enough for your elastic cord to go through.



14. Cut a piece of elastic cord about 3 feet (1 yard) long.



15. Fold in half and stick it through the center hole from the inside.



16. Pull the loop so that it is big enough to fit over the width of the cover.



17. Pull the loop off the book. Open it up and thread the elastic cord through the 2 holes closest to the center as shown.



18. Next thread the cord back through the holes closest to the edge to bring them back inside the traveler’s notebook.



19. Insert your booklet into the middle of the traveler’s notebook opening it up to the center. Tie the elastic cord snug enough to hold in the book, then cut the excess cord.



20. If you do not have booklets, you can make some by placing a piece of cardstock on top of 10 to 12 sheets of regular 8.5″ x 11″ paper. I used a long-arm stapler to staple my booklets together, but you could also saddle stitch them together with thread as recommended in the YouTube video.



21. If you want them to have nice, neat edges, use an X-acto knife and a ruler to trim the booklets to a width of 5.25″.



22. To add more booklets to your traveler’s notebook, tie another piece of elastic cord around the center booklet.



23. Next slide a booklet onto the cord you just added.



24. If you would like a third booklet, slide booklets into the front and back of the added cord.



25. If you wanted to add even more booklets, you can continue to tie extra pieces of elastic cord around your bundle of booklets and sliding on extra booklets at the front and the back.

By adding booklets, you can completely customize this homemade traveler’s notebook to fit your needs. When a book fills up, simply slide it out and add in another one. Since they are so easy to swap out, you could also carry different booklets with you on different days depending on what you are doing that day.

Enjoy!

Click here for more Language Arts activities for kids.

Related Links

Social Science Activities for Kids
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Robotics Activities for Kids

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After about 10 minutes, I decided it would be easier to just make what I was looking for. As usual, this took a little longer than I was planning as well, but in the end, here is some free, unmarked, no-email-required, printable, lined paper for young writers (maybe kindergarten through second grade…I don’t know, we’re not there yet. When do kids transition to wide-ruled?) There are 4 different options. I made them in vertical and horizontal, because after I made it vertical, my 6 year old informed me that it would make more sense to make the paper go the other way so he could fit more words per line. Also, I decided my initial attempt had lines that were not quite big enough for him, so we’ll graduate to the smaller version eventually.

Recommended Age Range: Kindergarten, Early Elementary
Time Required: 1 minute
Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Free printable

Materials:
paper

Instructions:
Print out the version you desire as many times as you want:

Related Links

Charlotte Mason Learning
Reading & Writing Activities for Kids
Best Books for Kids

The post Lined Paper for Young Writers appeared first on ResearchParent.com.

Despite the wide acceptance of GPS and smart phones, I think it’s important that my kids know how to read a map when they are older. We recently had a family vacation in San Diego and went to Sea World and the San Diego Zoo. When I got home and saw the crumpled up maps in my backpack, I decided to make it into a homeschooling activity for my kindergartner. Thankfully, we’d also saved a Legoland map as well. Large amusement park maps definitely work best for this activity, since they are so easy to read, but no worries if you don’t have any saved. Just google “map” along with your theme park of choice and you’ll almost certainly find a printable map.

Here are a few I found:
San Diego Zoo
Sea World San Diego
Six Flags Magic Mountain
Disneyland
Legoland California

There are so many options when it comes to amusement park map activities.

1. With the youngest kids, just look at the pictures and describe the things you see. When they’re ready, show them the paths and how you can walk from one landmark to another.
2. Show them how they have to take into account barriers like bushes and buildings when deciding where to go.
3. Ask them to plan a fun day while drawing on the laminated map to show the paths they would take.
4. As they find all the things they want to see, interrupt and ask them to find certain things along the way: restrooms, food, first aid, shops…This way they can learn how to interpret a legend and the meaning of different symbols on the map.
5. Have them write out a story about their fantasy day.
6. Give them a show schedule and ask them to plan out the day around the shows they want to see to minimize walking and still see everything.

While map activities are definitely open-ended, I’ve made a free printable to get you started.

Recommended Age Range: Preschool, Kindergarten, Elementary
Time Required: ~5 minutes to laminate map
Difficulty: Really Easy
Cost: Practically Free

Materials:

• Map from an amusement park or printed map (see suggestions above)
• Contact paper for large map or laminating pouch for printed map.
• Free printable Day of Fun activity sheet (optional)

Supplies & Tools:

• laminator (if using laminating pouch)
• scissors (if using contact paper)

Instructions:

1. Print out the Day of Fun activity sheet (if using).
2. Cut 2 pieces of contact paper big enough to cover the map.
3. Peel the back off one sheet of paper. (My trick is to tape one end to the floor if I don’t have a helper to hold it for me. Otherwise it’s a little hard to peel the backing off cleanly.)



4. Place the map on a peeled sheet of contact paper.



5. Peel the backing off the other piece of contact paper and lay it on top.
6. Cut around the edges.

Once you have a laminated map, you can give your child a marker and let them have fun “planning” their day on the map. My kindergartner wanted to make sure we did the “tranrid” (train ride) and saw the “grilu”s (gorillas). His spelling may need some work, but I love when he is motivated to make the effort to write on his own.

Click here for more Geography activities for kids.

Related Links

Reading and Writing Activities
Best Books for Kindergarten
Homemade Fun

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