A guide on my favorite learning resources for elementary aged children that can be used both at-home and in school with their teachers. The following online resources I have been using this past school year with my 3rd grade students and I also used it at home with my 3 year old daughter. The best thing about these resources is that you can set it for whatever level your child is at whether it's preschool, kindergarten, etc.
Now that school is out, while I understand we are all itching to get all those Summer activities we were robbed of last year with the pandemic, it is still super important that we reinforce what our children have been able to learn in school this past year during the Summer months. As a teacher myself, I know how detrimental it can be for a child's educational year if they walk into school in September having forgotten everything that they learned the year before. I know it can be challenging sometimes to try to teach our children during the Summer, something that I truly advocate and feel strongly about. Believe me there are numerous ways that you can enrich your child's mind during the Summer. It can be something as simple as cooking dinner together and make a math lesson out of that process. However, I believe if we can't teach your child at least one new thing during the Summer, at the least we can reinforce what he/she already learned at school. Might I also add, it's a great way to keep them busy and entertained during the long Summer days when it becomes so easy to run out of entertainment ideas because we all know what happens when our little ones get bored...
...they get into some trouble!
Here are some amazing FREE online resources you can try with your children at home this Summer:
1) Freckle by Renaissance
Why I Love It:
This learning program can be used with children in grade K all the way up to grade 12.
The application can easily be downloaded to your child's tablet or iPad.
You can customize the grade level settings to your convenience at any time.
You can add multiple children to your classroom.
Parents can sign up and create an account not just teachers.
Everything on this program is aligned to both ELA & Math standards.
It is completely self-paced and materials are aligned and adapted to your child's current level.
Your child can log in and practice skill development in ELA & Math or work on assignments that are customized and assigned by you including Social Studies and Science as well.
It gives your child incentives along the way to keep them motivated to continue to practice and develop their skills. They earn points after every practice which gives them the opportunity to shop for accessories to change their avatar.
2) Seesaw
Why I Love It:
This learning program can be used with children in grade Pre-K all the way up to grade 12.
The application can easily be downloaded to your child's tablet or iPad.
You can customize the grade level settings to your convenience at any time.
You can add multiple children to your classroom.
You can sign up as a parent to connect with your child's classroom teacher account or you can sign up as a teacher if you are using it for homeschooling.
This resource has a community activity library with over 24 subjects to choose from ranging from art, math, music, religion, history, science, geography, languages, and even social emotional learning.
Activities/lessons are created by teachers across the country.
You can create your own activities/lessons and upload it for your child to work on. If you would like to, you can share it in the community library so other teachers and parents can use your lesson!
The application is very easy to navigate for both adults and young children. My 3 year old daughter easily completes activities all on her own using her iPad.
You can check your child's completed assignment and comment on their work.
My favorite thing about this platform is that it offers a wide range of fun activities to keep your child having fun while learning.
3) Newsela
Why I Love It:
This learning program can be used with children in grades 2 to grade 9.
Students can get real-world connection on topics ranging from social studies, science, and more as, the platform is updated daily with new articles.
Newsela provides current events articles on a wide range of different topics and relevant news going on around the world today.
All texts are published at 5 reading levels which helps with differentiation of instruction.
Activities are built-in with every text assigned.
All materials are aligned to state social studies standards and national frameworks.
The program also has articles translated in Spanish.
4) Reading A-Z/Raz-Kids
Why I Love It:
This learning platform is the not offered for free unless your child can get access through his/her school. However, if you are a parent of a child in school, I highly recommend speaking to your child's teacher about getting the school to purchase this program for students. If you are a homeschooling mom, I think this program is definitely worth the price and here's why:
Raz-Kids is an award-winning resource that provides a library of differentiated books at 29 levels of difficulty.
Parents/Teachers can easily assign books with quizzes to go along to students at their specific level.
I love that you can also assign books in different languages such as Spanish, French, Polish, and more.
Books can be read aloud for young readers who are just getting started with reading.
Students can record themselves reading which, you can go back and listen to in order to check their progress.
Students can use it to practice reading in school, at home, or on the go. The application can be easily downloaded to your child's tablet or iPad.
All materials on this platform are correlated to state and common core standards.
The program also includes guided reading lesson plans, decodable books, reader's theater scripts, reading worksheets and assessments.
It gives your child incentives/rewards along the way to keep them motivated to continue to read. They earn points after every practice which gives them the opportunity to shop for accessories to change their avatar. You can also award them points after they have completed an a reading assignment.
Next time, you are having a hard time figuring out how you can keep your child learning or just simply reinforcing what he/she has learned in school, remember that there are a ton of amazing resources out there. Technology and the internet may have its down sides at times especially when it comes to raising children but, one benefit of it is the accessibility to so many great and free resources.
Hope this comes in handy in so many ways for you and your little ones...
...Sew This is Life!
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