printables Archives - Look! We're Learning!

Move and Learn! Printable Movement Cards for Kids

March 23, 2021 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

Let’s talk about the average attention span of a primary student, shall we?

If you’re a parent or a teacher, I don’t have to tell you about it.

You. Already. Know.

They can start saying something and get distracted halfway through their own sentence.

So, it’s always good to include as many movement breaks as you can in the early grades. They’re helpful for refocusing, shaking out the wiggles, indoor recess, and getting the kids excited for what they’ll learn next.

And that’s why I’m sharing these Move & Learn! printable movement cards for kids today!

Printable Movement Cards for Early Learners

These are so handy for early grades lessons, especially when the students are just not “into it” that day.

They’re also great for homeschooling parents who are working with early learners at home.

Read on to see how to get your set – free!

And, for more ways to keep early learners engaged, take a look at this list of 20 printable fun preschool resources!

These printable movement cards for kids are a perfect way to help early learners refocus between lessons!

Move and Learn! Printable Movement Cards for Kids

To use these printable movement break cards, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

Printer (with ink)
Cardstock
Scissors
Laminator (optional – but useful for keeping the cards in good shape)

This set of movement break cards for early grades includes 27 different ideas for getting kids up and around during the school day.

Some of the activities feature physical exercise, such as sit ups, balance positions, and jogging.

But there are also quiet activities included, such as reading a book, playing with dough, and drawing.

There are a few other fun ideas too, including listening to music, playing with bubbles, and sharing a nice word with a friend.

Keep these nearby and let students choose a card for themselves to try during transitions.

Or let the entire class try a different activity card each day!

Scroll down to get your set of these printable movement cards for kids!

Try some of these other learning ideas for early grades!

Help early learners to recognize letters and letter sounds with these Alphabet Animal Flashcards!

Use these fun pirate themed counting to ten puzzles to help early learners practice cardinality!

Work on early literacy skills with this fun fall apple CVC word literacy activity!

Brain Break Cards for Early Elementary Students

To get your set of these Move and Learn! Printable Movement Cards – free, click the image or the link below to have them sent to your inbox!

You’ll also get our weekly newsletter this Sunday night!

Click here to get your printable resource!

>>> Printable Move & Learn Movement Cards <<<

Free Printable Flashcards: Shape Flashcards

March 2, 2021 by Selena Robinson 10 Comments

I don’t know what it is about flashcards, but my kids absolutely love them.

They’ll collect them, lay them out on the table, pass them around, look at them, and toss them in the air for hours.

Not sure the tossing actually counts as learning, but it’s…something.

Since shapes are one of the primary concepts to teach early learners, I thought a set of free printable flashcards shape cards would be awesome to share with all of you!

Colorful Printable Shape Flashcards for Kids

These are an excellent resource for preschoolers and kindergartners who are learning shapes.

If you want to get an early start on this concept, you could even use these with toddlers!

Read on to see how to grab your set of printable shape flashcards – free!

And, while you’re here, don’t miss some of our other printable flashcards, including color flashcards and counting flashcards for kids!

Help early learners practice recognizing shapes with these printable shape identification flashcards!

How Do I Print The Printable Shape Flashcards?

To use these free printable flashcards shape cards, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

Printer (with ink)
Printer paper
Scissors
Laminator ( good if you want to reuse the cards later)

Printable Shape Flashcards for Kindergartners

The set includes 16 flashcards for the following shapes:

Square
Circle
Triangle
Rectangle
Star
Heart
Diamond
Oval

One set of eight flashcards includes both the shape names and pictures. The second set features only the shapes.

Shape Identification Flashcards for Preschoolers

A line art version is included if you need to save on ink! (And who doesn’t?)

When printing, you can decide how many sets you want at the moment.

Print the color set with names if you’re just starting to cover shapes for the first time.

You might want to come back and print the other sets for review afterward.

How Can I Use Shape Flashcards for Learning?

There are a few ways you can use these flashcards with early learners.

For toddlers, you can laminate them (trust me on this) and put them on an O ring.

They make a great addition to a busy bag!

Printable Shape Flashcards for Early Learners

For preschoolers, you can start talking about the shapes and their names.

Use the cards without names to help them review each shape.

You can also talk about the differences in color. Ask questions such as “Which shape is red?” or “Which shape is yellow?”

Printable Shape Identification Flashcards

Or you can print the line art version and let the kids color the shapes!

For kindergartners, take the activity a little further by talking about the sides each shape has.

They’ll notice right away that the circle and oval are the exceptions – having no sides at all.

You might also place the cards on a ring and let students walk around the classroom, the outdoors, or even their home to spot similar shapes around them!

Get a look at these shape identification flashcards in action in the video below!

Scroll down to get your free printable shape flashcards!

More Resources for Learning Shapes

To make learning about shapes even more fun, try these activities and books for little learners!

Shape Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers

Books for Teaching Shapes

If you love these, be sure to see our other printable flashcards!

Help kids learn to recognize family words in Spanish with these printable Spanish family flashcards!

These printable English and Spanish season flashcards are great for learning about the seasons in both languages!

To grab your free set of Free Printable Flashcards: Shape Flashcards, just click the image or the link below!

You’ll receive them in your inbox in a few minutes. And you’ll get our weekly newsletter too!

>>> Shape Identification Flashcards <<<

Printable Weight STEM Challenge Cards for Kids

February 9, 2021 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

If you’re new to teaching STEM, introducing it to students can feel like learning to speak a new language.

For those of us who started teaching years ago, combining science, technology, engineering, and math is a completely different way of teaching than we’re accustomed to using.

So I’m all about the simple STEM challenges at home and in the classroom. If you can take the mystery out of STEM, it suddenly starts to make sense – to us and to our students.

Which is where these printable weight STEM challenge cards come in handy!

What Weighs More STEM Challenge Cards for Kids

These are perfect for a quick STEM activity at science centers, in small groups, and for after-school assignments.

They’d also be excellent if you’re homeschooling and trying to implement more STEM education this year.

And they’re no prep!

Read on to get your set of these STEM challenge cards – free!

And, for more ways to use STEM, take a look at our list of 20 STEM activities you can do when distance learning!

Help students measure and compare objects with these printable weight STEM challenge cards!

Printable Weight STEM Challenge Cards for Kids

To use these weight STEM challenge cards, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

Printer (with ink)
Cardstock
Scissors
Bucket balance scale or digital classroom scale (depending on grade level)

These are so simple for students in early grades!

Use the supplies list to gather basic items, such as marbles, bolts, sticks, leaves, and rubber bands.

Then count out the number of items on each card.

Use a scale to determine which group of items weighs more and let students record their findings.

You can use this activity as a bridge to discuss gravity (which affects how we perceive weight), measurement, and even comparing numbers.

Once all of the challenge cards have been completed, let your students present their findings.

Depending on their grade level, they can even report the specific weights of each group of objects and calculate the difference.

Scroll down to get your set of printable weight STEM challenge cards!

Don’t miss these other ways to use STEM in the classroom!

This list of 20 STEM activities for distance learning are fun and easy to help students practice STEM concepts at home!This list of 20 STEM activities for distance learning are fun and easy to help students practice STEM concepts at home!

Make learning math, science, and technology fun with this list of Lego STEAM activities for kids! These easy Lego STEM activities are great for building a love of learning!

Printable Weight STEM Challenge Cards for Kids

To get your set of weight STEM challenge cards, click the image below!

You’ll sign up for our free email newsletter and you’ll get the challenge cards sent directly to your inbox!

Nocturnal and Diurnal Animals Sorting Activity

July 13, 2020 by Selena Robinson 3 Comments

Have you ever seen a possum in real life?

Growing up in the country, I knew that they existed. But it took several years before I actually saw one scurrying away in the early morning hours.

It was like catching sight of Bigfoot.

I knew that there were animals that were awake when I was asleep at night, but to actually see one was memorable.

If you’re teaching students about animal sleep habits, this printable and digital Nocturnal and Diurnal Animals Sorting Activity can help!

Most kids love to learn about animals and my students are no exception.

So when we were starting to learn about these kinds of animals, I wanted to find a way to make a simple, hands-on activity they’d love to do.

Read on to see how to get your copy of this Nocturnal and Diurnal Animals activity!

And, for more fun with science, don’t miss our All About the Solar System unit!

Nocturnal and Diurnal Animals Sorting Activity

I remember learning about nocturnal animals when I was a kid, but we didn’t talk much about diurnal animals (at least not using the term “diurnal”).

So in case this term is fairly new to you as an educator, “diurnal” simply means that they are active during the day like you and me!

The printable activity is super duper easy. You’ll only need the following supplies: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

Color printer with ink
Printer Paper
Scissors
Laminator (if you want to make a set that lasts)

It contains flashcards (pictures and labels) of 16 animals: eight are nocturnal and eight are diurnal.

Some of the animals in the product include:

Hawk
Gorilla
Bee
Raccoon
Elephant
Possum
Butterfly
Dog
And 8 more!

At the back are four sorting mats for kids to separate the nocturnal animals from the diurnal animals.

Plus, there’s an answer key included as well as a full set of instructions.

You can also use this for a one-time learning Nocturnal and Diurnal Animals Sorting activity.

Just skip the laminating and have students cut and paste the animals on the correct mat.

If you use it at science centers, add hook and loop sticky dots to the back of the cards and onto the mat squares for easy reuse.

Scroll down to get your copy of our print or digital Nocturnal and Diurnal Animal Sorting Activity!

Kids’ Books about Nocturnal Animals:

Read more about nocturnal animals with these books for kids!

1. Daylight Starlight Wildlife by Wendell Minor
2. Where are the Night Animals? by Mary Ann Fraser
3. Moonlight Animals by Elizabeth Golding
4. Night Animals by Gianna Marino

Resources about Nocturnal Animals:

Learn more about these animals with these helpful websites!

1. The Great Nocturnal Hat Hunt Game – PBS Kids
2. Nocturnal Animals from Around the World – World Wildlife Fund
3. Seek and Find Nocturnal Animals Game – Sheppard Software
4. Nocturnal Animals Lapbook – Homeschool Share

And don’t miss these other science activities!

To get your copy of the printable Nocturnal and Diurnal Animals Sorting Activity, click the image or the link below to visit my Teachers Pay Teachers store!

>>>Nocturnal and Diurnal Animals Sorting Activity<<<

Want to use this as a digital activity that students can complete from home?
Click the image or the link below to grab the digital Nocturnal Animals Sorting Activity for use with Google Slides!

>> Digital Nocturnal Animals Sorting Activity <<

Or get them both in a print and digital BUNDLE!

>> Print + Digital Nocturnal Animals BUNDLE <<

Be sure to check out all of the great Nocturnal Animal Posts from the 2nd Grade Blogging Team!

Bat Science Experiments: Echolocation Activities from Preschool Powol Packets

Creating Growing Patterns with Nocturnal Animals from Life Over C’s

Nocturnal Animal Report: Hedgehogs from Crafty Kids at Home

Bats in a Cave Sight Word Game from Creative Family Fun

Nocturnal Animals Writing Tray and Word List from Lemon Lime Adventures

Feathered Friends! Printable Bird Identification Flashcards

February 13, 2020 by Selena Robinson 1 Comment

The air is getting warmer and we’ve started noticing flocks of birds flying in a “V” formation around our town. Even Piglet shouts “All those birds, Mama!” when she sees them.

They’re returning here after the winter. Soon we’ll be hearing them sing in the mornings again!

So I thought our next set of printable flashcards should be a set of bird identification flashcards!

These are so simple for a spring science activity. They’re also a wonderful fit for a fall unit, particularly if you’re studying migration.

Read on to see how to get your set. And, for more about our feathered friends, don’t miss our list of beautiful children’s books about birds!

Printable Bird Identification Flashcards

To use these printable bird identification flashcards, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

Printer (with ink)
Printer paper
Scissors
Laminator (if you want the flashcards to last for a while)

In this set of flashcards, you’ll find identification cards for 12 different kinds of birds, including:

Sea Gull
Finch
Osprey
Toucan
Pigeon
Hoopoe
Cardinal
Owl
Hummingbird
Puffin
Pelican
And Quail!

Let the kids try guessing which animals match up with the species you see in your neighborhood!

How to Use Printable Bird Identification Flashcards

One of the simplest ways to use these bird species identification cards is to memorize birds by their pictures and then quiz students as a review.

Since one set of the cards has pictures of the birds only, make the picture cards into a “Guess Who?” game!

These would also be wonderful for a spring or fall nature walk!

Use a hole puncher to put a hole in the top left corner of each card and place all of them on a ring.

Then take the flashcards with you as the kids try to see how many species they can spot in your area!

Scroll down to get your copy of our printable Bird Identification Flashcards!

Don’t miss these other spring learning ideas for kids!

Plus, get more ideas for spring learning on my Spring Activities for Kids Pinterest board!

To get your copy of our Printable Bird Identification Flashcards, click the image or the link below to visit our Store!

>>> Bird Identification Flashcards <<<

Prefer to shop on Teachers Pay Teachers? Get it from my TPT store below!

>>> Bird Identification Cards – Teachers Pay Teachers <<<

Snowball Smiles! Emotions Board Game for Kids

January 27, 2020 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

Learning to talk about feelings is a critical vocabulary skill for early grade learners.

Actually, it’s a critical vocabulary skill for children of all ages.

It can be difficult for students to express exactly what they feel without fear of being criticized, particularly in groups.

And that’s why this Snowball Smiles! emotions board game is such a great social skills tool!

Instead of putting students on the spot, you can use this resource to help them find words for their feelings and learn how to use them in a fun and comfortable environment.

Plus, it’s just a fun game to play!

Read on to see how to get your copy of this feelings game.

And, for more practicing using emotional vocabulary with kids, pick up a set of our Spanish Feelings Flashcards too!

Snowball Emotions Board Game for Kids

To use this snowball emotions board game, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

Printer (with ink)
Printer Paper
Laminator (optional)
Scissors
Math counters or Mini erasers” to use as game pieces

This emoji board game is a simple one to play.

The resource includes:

One game board
Six emotions cards for up to three players (but you can always print more copies if you like)
And a set of instructions

As students move around the game board, they’ll land on different feelings that match the ones on their cards.

This is a great time to reinforce ELA skills by using adjectives in sentences.

For example, if a student lands on “disgusted”, ask him or her: Have you ever felt disgusted by something? What was it?

And then really listen to each response.

It won’t take long before each player is sharing a feeling of their own!

If you laminate the cards and the game board, this can be a reusable resource for early finishers as well.

Scroll down to get your copy of this Snowball Smiles! Emotions Board Game!

Take a look at these other early learning games for kids!

And be sure to follow my Indoor Play board on Pinterest for more ways to bring play inside!

To get your copy of this Snowball Smiles! Feelings Board Game, click the image or the link below to visit my Teachers Pay Teachers store!

>>> Snowball Smiles! Emotions Board Game – Teachers Pay Teachers <<<

Free Printable Flashcards: Long Vowel Flashcards

December 19, 2019 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

Time for another set of free printable flashcards! Piglet is doing great with recognizing her letters, so it’s time to work on letter sounds.

I’m not a GIANT fan of teaching phonics, but you know what? They work. Especially if kids don’t really “get” sight words.

So, today we’re sharing another set of literacy flashcards: Long Vowel Flashcards!

Read on to get your set – free!

And if you love using these, be sure to grab our printable short vowel flashcards too!

Free Printable Flashcards: Long Vowel Flashcards

To use these long vowel flashcards, you’ll need the following: (Affiliate links are provided here for convenience. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

Printer (with ink)
Printer Paper
Scissors
Laminator (great for keeping the cards sturdy)

This product includes flashcards for all five long vowel sounds: A, E, I, O, and U. In the product, you’ll find:

A set of cards with pictures and long vowel words for each letter
A set of cards with pictures and vowel letters
A set of cards with just the pictures
A set of cards with just the vowels
And a set of cards with just the long vowel words

These are set up to be used as kids learn to memorize the sounds.

So if you’re just starting out, you might use the cards that have the images and words to make sure kids know what each picture shows.

Once they recognize the images, they can move on to isolating the vowel sounds in each word. That’s a great time to focus on the pictures with the letters.

After they get the sounds down, try quizzing them with the word or letter cards!

Scroll down to get your copy of our Printable Long Vowel Flashcards!

More Resources for Learning Long Vowel Sounds:

Don’t miss our other early reading resources!

For more printables, follow my Free Printable Flashcards board on Pinterest!

To get your copy of our free Long Vowel Flashcards, sign up for our email newsletter! You’ll receive these, plus lots of other learning resources, in our exclusive Subscriber Library!

By the way, if you don’t see the welcome email with access instructions, check your spam folder. 🙂

Candy Bag Skip Counting Activity for Kids

December 2, 2019 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

I don’t think there’s a thing young children like more than candy.

Okay, maybe ice cream. But it’s got to be a close competition.

If you ever want to make math more fun, just start by switching the word problem phrase “Susie has three apples” to “Susie has three pieces of candy” and watch the kids’ faces.

They’re infinitely more interested in the outcome.

So I thought that candy would be a fun theme to use for a simple skip counting center and that’s how this Candy Bag Count! Skip Counting Activity was born!

This is a perfect second grade math center, because it’s standards-aligned to help students practice skip counting by fives, tens, and hundreds.

Plus, it’s just plain fun!

Read on to get your copy. And for more counting practice, don’t miss our Apple Tree Ten Frame Counting Mats!

Candy Bag Skip Counting Activity for Kids

To use this hands on skip counting activity, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

This is a one-time prep activity, so you can set it up and then let students get started!

This product includes:

Two color count by 5 candy bags
Two color count by 10 candy bags
Two color count by 100 candy bags
Two pages of color skip counting candy pieces
A line art version
And a set of instructions!

Students can choose any number to start and then proceed to choose the correct candy pieces to count by five, ten, or one hundred from there.

There are also blank candy pieces. Use these with dry erase markers or dry erase crayons to challenge students to come up with their own counting sequence!

Need to save on ink? Use this skip counting activity with Astrobright paper (my personal favorite).

If you’re homeschooling or using this for a one-time lesson, you can skip the sticky dots and laminator. Just let students cut and paste the correct numbers in the right candy bag!

Scroll down to get your copy of this Candy Bag Skip Counting Activity!

Check out these other hands-on counting practice lessons!

$These counting crows addition fact cards are so fun for helping students practice addition fluency! Use them with dry erase crayons at math centers!$

$These apple tree ten frame counting mats are so fun for early fall math centers! Makes a great morning tub math activity too!$

And for more fun ways to teach math, follow my Math Mania Pinterest board!

To get your copy of this Candy Bag Count! Skip Counting Activity, click the image or the link below to visit my Teachers Pay Teachers store!

>>> Candy Bag Skip Counting Activity <<<

Printable Oak Tree Life Cycle Activity

September 9, 2019 by Selena Robinson 3 Comments

We had a huge, shady oak tree in our front yard for many years. So the kids got to explore an oak tree life cycle up close.

When we had to have it cut down a few years ago, we were genuinely sad.

What’s fascinating, though, is that we still have tiny oak tree plants that shoot up in the middle of our bushes to this day.

So many of the tree’s acorns have been buried under the ground over the years that they keep germinating and growing, no matter what!

So I thought it would be cool to share a printable oak tree life cycle activity that you can use to teach students about how oak trees grow, even if you don’t have a live oak tree nearby.

This would be an excellent fall science lesson or an activity to place at science centers during this time of year!

Read on to see how to get your set free! And, for more fall science, don’t miss our Apple Life Cycle Sequencing Activity!

Oak Tree Life Cycle Activity

To use this printable oak tree life cycle activity, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

This set includes a cut and paste life cycle diagram, as well as a printable oak tree life cycle wheel.

Use the wheel to help students memorize the steps in the growth of an oak tree.

Then challenge them to place the steps in the right order with the cut and paste activity.

You could even laminate the labeling activity and use hook and loop tape to turn it into a reusable lesson for centers or busy bags!

Scroll down to get your copy of this printable Oak Tree Life Cycle Activity!

Try more of these fall learning ideas!

$These apple tree ten frame counting mats are so fun for early fall math centers! Makes a great morning tub math activity too!$

And follow my Fall Activities for Kids Pinterest board for more fun autumn activities!

To get your Oak Tree Life Cycle Activity set, just sign up for our email newsletter! It’s free and you’ll get access to this, plus lots of other exclusive printables, in our Subscriber Library!

Use the widget below to sign up and keep an eye out for your welcome email, which has the full access instructions!

All About Me! Simple Writing Prompt for Kids

July 24, 2019 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

Writing is one of the most wonderful things in the world to me. I love the feeling of writing down my thoughts and gaining a sense of clarity as my pen moves across the paper.

As much as I love writing, though, I do not love writing about myself. It’s just…uncomfortable.

And it’s uncomfortable for a lot of children too.

Which is why I wanted to share this simple All About Me writing prompt for kids. It’s a simple, non-intimidating way to break into writing about self, even for younger students!

This would be a wonderful activity for the first week of school, but it could also be a great icebreaker anytime a new student joins the class.

Read on to see how to get your copy free! Plus, check out Travel Tales! a simple vacation writing activity for more ways to get students writing!

All About Me! Simple Writing Prompt for Kids

To use this simple writing prompt for kids, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

What I love about this simple writing activity is that most of the work is already done for students. They don’t have to figure out what to write about, which is what trips up a LOT of writers.

They can simply fill in the blanks!

As the teacher, be sure to fill one out too! That way, your class can get to know you better.

These could even make an excellent bulletin board display! Hand out different colored pencils and let students complete them on their own.

Then arrange them as an “All About Our Class” display!

Scroll down to get your copy of our All About Me! Simple Writing Prompt for Kids!

Don’t miss these other posts to help students get writing!

And be sure to follow my Fun Language Arts Ideas for Kids board on Pinterest!

To get your copy of All About Me! Simple Writing Prompt for Kids for free, click the image or the link below to visit my Teachers Pay Teachers Store!

Move and Learn! Printable Movement Cards for Kids

>>> Printable Move & Learn Movement Cards <<<

How Do I Print The Printable Shape Flashcards?

How Can I Use Shape Flashcards for Learning?

More Resources for Learning Shapes

Shape Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers

Books for Teaching Shapes

>>> Shape Identification Flashcards <<<

Printable Weight STEM Challenge Cards for Kids

Nocturnal and Diurnal Animals Sorting Activity

Kids’ Books about Nocturnal Animals:

Resources about Nocturnal Animals:

>>>Nocturnal and Diurnal Animals Sorting Activity<<<

>> Digital Nocturnal Animals Sorting Activity <<

>> Print + Digital Nocturnal Animals BUNDLE <<

Printable Bird Identification Flashcards

How to Use Printable Bird Identification Flashcards

>>> Bird Identification Flashcards <<<

>>> Bird Identification Cards – Teachers Pay Teachers <<<

Snowball Emotions Board Game for Kids

>>> Snowball Smiles! Emotions Board Game – Teachers Pay Teachers <<<

Free Printable Flashcards: Long Vowel Flashcards

More Resources for Learning Long Vowel Sounds:

Candy Bag Skip Counting Activity for Kids

>>> Candy Bag Skip Counting Activity <<<

Oak Tree Life Cycle Activity

All About Me! Simple Writing Prompt for Kids

>>> All About Me Writing Prompt for Kids <<<