Activities to help build a Friendship

Blindfolded Obstacle Course

This game teaches both trust and listening. Children are paired in groups of two: one plays the guide, the other the blindfolded child.

Learning How to be Honest

Art
To instill the value of honesty in a child, use art. Have her draw a picture of how it makes her feel when someone is honest and trustworthy. Give her an example, like when she dropped a dollar and a friend gave it back to her. Have her draw another picture of how she would feel if the person had not been honest with her. Your child will learn empathy in this way and recognize the positive aspects of honesty and the negative associations with being dishonest.

Make a Heart Map for Valentine's Day

This Valentine’s Day, why don’t you try something different? .

What You Need:Plain white paper
Marker or crayons

Make an Architecture Shape Collage

Help your young child learn about the "building blocks" of math and
architecture in this simple collage activity. Let your preschooler's imagination
run wild as she creates simple structures, massive monuments, and pretty
palaces.

Free Printable Activities

http://www.tlsbooks.com/ : This site has on the left hand side where you can pick the grade level and select an assortment of learning activities to do with your Little!

http://www.kidzone.ws/math/ : Here are some ways that you can help your Little with math scores with different themed math activities.

Hamster Tic Tac Toe

Use the hamsters as the the tic-tac-toe squares. Use the cheese and sunflower seeds as your markers!Print out and enjoy!

Proverbs Activities

Fill in the blanks with the words below:

reap

nine
words
end
worm
roads
eggs
nose
policy
perfect
words
Beauty
Bad
will
leap

1. Practice makes ___________________________________________________.
2. Look before you ___________________________________________________.
3. ___________________________________________________news travels fast.

Bears! Poem and activity...

Bear in There by Shel Silverstein

There’s a Polar Bear

In our Frigidaire-
He likes it 'cause it's cold in there.
With his seat in the meat
And his face in the fish
And his big hairy paws
In the buttery dish,
He's nibbling the noodles,
He's munching the rice,
He's slurping the soda,
He's licking the ice.
And he lets out a roar
If you open the door.
And it gives me a scare
To know he's in there-
That Polary Bear
In our Fridgitydaire.

Journal It

Keeping a journal is a way to record daily events and thoughts. Explain what it is and discuss topics that can be written about, such as making a new friend, an interesting activity just completed or how you felt on the first day of school. Try to come up with new ideas. Write about your favorite sports and classes or just about how you feel. Journaling can be a great way to express emotions and problems can seem easier once you’ve written them down instead of storing them in your head. This can be private; however, you can also share with each other.

What's in the News?

Clip out an interesting news story and cut the paragraphs apart. Then try to read the paragraphs and rearrange them in the right order. Clip pictures in the newspaper that you really like. Then try to describe them using adjectives. Do you like going to the movies? Many newspapers have a movie review section. Read the reviews of movies you want to go see. Are they positive reviews? Do you still want to see the movie? Go to the coupon section and clip out the coupons of products or foods that you like. Why do you like these products or foods? Do the ads make a product look more appealing than you know it is? Separate the coupons into categories such as breakfast foods or household products.
Source: Idea adapted from: U.S. Department of Education Activities for grades 3-6 http://www.udel.edu/ETL/RWN/Encourage.html

Mapping the Way

Take an imaginary journey! Using an atlas or a map, plan a trip somewhere in the world. Think of what supplies you’ll need and what you should remember to pack. Make a checklist so you don’t forget anything. Are there any landmarks you want to see on your way?

Mirror Image

Have you ever tried writing backwards? It can be pretty challenging but it’s also very fun. For this game all you need is a mirror, a piece of paper and a marker. Practice writing backwards and then hold your writing up to the mirror to see what you’ve written. The mirror will reflect your writing and you’ll be able to read what you write. For extra fun, start writing secret backwards messages to someone. Have them guess what it means first and then hold it up to the mirror so they can figure it out. You can write whole stories backwards. All it takes is practice!

Websites Just for Kids

ASK PERMISSION BEFORE GETTING ONLINE!

Nickjr.com This website has great games all about your favorite Nickelodeon TV shows.

ChildrenWhoWrite.com This website is perfect for children who love to write. Children can submit their own stories.

Funology.com Kids can SAFELY surf the web while playing games, taking quizzes, learning magic tricks and trivia, and learn tons of wacky facts.

ABCnews.go.com/abcnews4kids/kids/index.html ABC News for Kids: This is a great way to get kids interested in the news and in the world outside school and home. This website delivers the news to kids in a fun way!

BillNye.com Bill Nye the Science Guy! Perfect for the science lover or science projects.

Animaland.org This child-friendly site offers interactive information on careers, animal care and general information about animals.

Agameaday.com This site offers puzzles, games, and related materials designed to stimulate learning, problem solving and creative thinking.

Unitedmedia.com/comics Comic Zone! Your very own newspaper comics section! Includes Dilbert, For Better or Worse, Peanuts, Rose is Rose and a lot more.

Kidshub.org Kidshub features free interactive lessons, educational games, puzzles and quizzes. Includes parent and teacher resources.

Disney.go.com Movies, animation—everything Disney!

Puzzlechoice.com Choose from crosswords, word searches, word play games, logic and number puzzles and more.

WLRA.us World’s Largest Roadside Attractions. Seeing these “largest” attractions, including the largest cow, catsup bottle and cuckoo clock, will make you smile.

Squiglysplayhouse.com Look here for games, crafts, jokes, brainteasers and more.

Garfield.com Heard the latest? Garfield’s the greatest! Check out what’s happening with everyone’s favorite fat cat! Jim Davis’s official fat-cat site!

Americangirl.com/fun.html The American Girls stories are told through the eyes of girls living in different time periods. This site expands on the stories and has a club for fans of American Girls.

Berenstainbears.com The official Berenstain Bears site, with activities and lists of books.

Jokes for Kids

Q: What goes TICK-TICK, WOOF-WOOF? 

A: A watchdog!

Q: Why do male deer need braces?

A: Because they have "buck teeth!"

My Town

If an out-of-town visitor was coming to visit, where would you take your visitor? Describe the best places around your town and why they are so interesting. Write about parks, museums, lakes, stores, restaurants and other places you enjoy.

Constructing Sentences

Have you ever built something? When you build something, you put the pieces together just right so that it can work properly. When you’re forming sentences you connect the words and “build” a sentence. Here’s a game that lets you have fun with constructing sentences! Write the following sentences on pieces of paper and tear the paper so there is one word on each section. Then try to recreate the sentence by moving around the pieces. You can also make up your own sentences.

Olympic Challenge

Best for ages 6-10

I Spy...with a twist

Best for ages 6-10

If I were President...

Best for ages 6-10

Survivor Writing Excercise

Survivor! (Any Age)

Create Your Own Superhero!

Create Your Own Superhero! (Best for ages 6-10)

Talking About Feelings/ Short Story

Talking about our feelings can be difficult and sometimes people keep them bottled up inside. Sometimes it can make us feel better if we tell someone how we are feeling. Practice talking about feelings by writing a short story using at least three words from the “Pleasant Feelings” and the “Difficult/Unpleasant” categories below. 

Great Anti-Bullying Website

http://www.stopbullying.gov/

A fantastic website that children, teens, and anyone else can use to help prevent or stop bullying.

New Year's Crossword Puzzle

http://sunniebunniezz.com/puzzles/nyearkcr.htm

Crossword fun! Best for ages 8-12

New Year's Word Search

http://www.printactivities.com/Word_Search_Puzzles/New_Years_Word_Search.html

Here is a fun and easy word search that would be best for children ages 8-11