Creative Family Fun

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Learning Activities for Kids

Printable Candy Cane Sight Words

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Do you know all the sight words your kids need to learn?

There are just so many, but mastering these words will bring them one step closer to being a super-star reader.

These Candy Cane Sight Word Cards can help you and your kids master these words. Print, have fun, and let’s get learning.

Practice Dolch sight words with these fun printable Candy Cane Sight Word cards for pre-k through 3rd grade. Print and play, learn and have fun!

Disclosure: This post contains Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Page for more details.

Dolch Candy Cane Sight Words

These printable Candy Cane Sight Words cards contain all of the Dolch sight words (a popular list used by many classrooms). It’s divided by level: pre-k, kindergarten, first grade, second grade, third grade, and nouns.

You can print out all the words or just the set that you need. Print on cardstock or laminate for extra durability.

You can get access to these fun printable sight words by subscribing to the Better Than Homework weekly newsletter in the form below. Don’t worry, I won’t clog your inbox, but I do love to send you fun learning ideas each week.

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Practice Dolch sight words with these fun printable Candy Cane Sight Words cards for pre-k through 3rd grade. Print and play, learn and have fun!

Fun Ways to Use Your Candy Cane Sight Words

Play a Memory Game

In order to play memory, you just need to print out 2 copies of the sight words. There are 10 cards per page, so only printing two copies of one page would make a perfect memory game. Play using the traditional Memory Game rules.

Play Hide and Seek

Earlier I shared a fun word family hide and seek activity. You can play this same game using these Candy Cane Sight Words.

Use With a Salt Tray

Print and use these sight word cards alongside a salt tray. A salt tray is a great way to write without picking up a pencil. Or you can use these alongside something more festive like this Candy Cane Sensory Writing Tray from The Imagination Tree.

Move and Learn

Take the words outside and spell them on a driveway letter grid or even walk the words. Moving and learning is so much fun.

What other ideas do you have? There are a million ways to use these sight word cards, so subscribe, download, print and have fun!

Practice Dolch sight words with these fun printable Candy Cane Sight Words cards for pre-k through 3rd grade. Print and play, learn and have fun!

You may also like one of these reading activities:

Word Family Four Square

Stacking Rhyming Words

10 Fun Ways to Practice Spelling Words


Finger Painting Spelling Words

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When’s the last time you’ve finger painted? I’m not sure I have since I was a kid and I know it’s been a long time for my girls too. I don’t know why. They love to finger paint!

So today, we’re going to have some fun, get a little messy, and practice by finger painting spelling words.

Grab the paint, have fun and get a little messy while you practice spelling words with this fun idea, Finger Painting Spelling Words. #spelling #CreativeFamilyFun #education

Disclosure: This post contains Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links links. Please see my Disclosure Page for more details.

To set-up

You’ll need some washable paint, paper, and a kid ready to have fun.

You don’t need to buy special finger paint, any paint can be used. But, I would make sure to use washable paint. It’s so much easier to clean up!

Grab the paint, have fun and get a little messy while you practice spelling words with this fun idea, Finger Painting Spelling Words.

Have fun finger painting spelling words!

Once you’re ready to go, have your child go through their spelling list and finger paint all their words. Simple messy fun.

This is probably one of the simplest ideas in this series, but it’s was one of the most popular ones with my own kids. It just make practicing spelling words so much fun!

Grab the paint, have fun and get a little messy while you practice spelling words with this fun idea, Finger Painting Spelling Words.

Thank you for joining me as we try to make spelling fun. I’m a big believer that learning can and should be fun. Think outside of the box and encourage your kids to do the same by finger painting spelling words or another fun idea.

You may also like one of these fun spelling ideas:

Disappearing Spelling Words

Rainbow Writing Spelling Words

Write Spelling Words with LEGO Letters

Buy the 31 Ways to Practice Spelling Words Ebook

You can purchase a printable form of this book for $7.50 The book is designed to print and turn into a half-page size booklet. It’s perfect to keep at your homework station. Your kids can flip through and find a fun way to practice their spelling words.

The ideas will be convenient and ready to use. No need to turn on the computer every day for ideas.

Most activities require little to no prep time. And, if you make sure you have all the supplies on the Master Supply List (included in the book) on hand, you’ll be able to do any of these fun spelling word ideas any time.

Fun Rhyming Activities for Kindergarten

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The cat put on a hat.

The frog sat on a log.

Let’s rhyme!

Rhyming words are just one of the many building blocks for early literacy success. Which means it’s one of the many things you may need to work on at home with your kids.

There are so many fun rhyming games that you can try. There’s no need to print out a worksheet, when you can try one of these Rhyming Activities for Kindergarten.

Rhyming can be so much fun when you try one of these Rhyming Activities for Kindergarten. You'll find over 10 hands-on literacy activities for kids.

Disclosure: This post contains Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Page for more details.

Rhyming Activities for Kindergarten

Play Rhyming Dominoes. With just a few simple supplies, you can turn a set of dominoes into a fun rhyming game. You can find the details here at Teach Beside Me.

Take rhyming outside when you play Find & Rhyme from No Time for Flashcards. It’s a great way for kids to run and get their energy out all while practicing rhyming.

Get moving indoors with a fun game of Sweep Up a Rhyme. Find all the details for this game and printable rhyming words here at Inspiration Laboratories.

Create a simple Rhyming Ring Toss Game with a few supplies. Check out Growing Book by Book for all the details.

Stack your rhymes. Go to our post here to find out how to make and play Stacking Rhyming Words.

Rhyming can be so much fun when you try one of these Rhyming Activities for Kindergarten. You'll find over 10 hands-on literacy activities for kids.

More Rhyming Activities for Kindergarten

Transform some old Duplos into a fun word family sorting game. This simple idea from This Reading Mama is a great way to practice rhyming.

Unlock the rhyme. Match the correct key to the lock using rhyming words with this fun idea from No Time for Flashcards.

Play Word Family Four Square. This simple word family game we shared here is also great for rhyming practice.

Practice by playing BINGO. You can get some fun, printable Rhyming BINGO boards over at Growing Book by Book.

Connect the rhymes on a Rhyming Peg Board. Find out how to make this fun learning tool at No Time for Flashcards.

Finally, read some rhyming books! The more you read the more you know. Here’s a great list from Fun-A-Day of fun rhyming books for kids.

Rhyming can be so much fun when you try one of these Rhyming Activities for Kindergarten. You'll find over 10 hands-on literacy activities for kids. #literacy #reading #kindergarten #BetterThanHomework

You may also like one of these fun reading activities:

IN Word Family Game: Hide and Seek Words

The AT Hat Word Family Game

Easy Ways to Encourage Reading Comprehension at Home

Valentine Word Families


Three Digit Addition With Playing Cards

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It seems that once your kids get past first or second grade, learning becomes a lot less hands-on, especially with math.

Of course, part of the reason is that things just get harder and so much of it involves putting pencil to paper. Take three digit addition for example. It takes a lot of loose parts to find 356 + 729, not to mention, it’s way too time consuming. Can you imagine?

It’s not impossible, though, to make things a bit more interesting. There’s no need to work an endless page of addition problems, when you can grab a set of playing cards and get the same amount of practice.

Let your kids use a set of playing cards to practice Three Digit Addition. It's a fun way to practice that is Better Than Homework!

Disclosure: This post contains Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Page for more details.

Set up this three digit addition activity

First, you’ll need a deck of playing cards with the Kings, Queens, Jacks, and Jokers removed.

Shuffle the cards and lay them face down in a pile.

You’ll also need a paper and pencil.

Let your kids use a set of playing cards to practice Three Digit Addition. It's a fun way to practice that is Better Than Homework!

Hands-on three digit addition practice

Instead of solving three-digit addition problems on a worksheet, we’re going to use our playing cards to find our math problems.

Draw three cards and lay them out next to each other. Then, draw three more cards. Lay them out underneath the first three cards.

Now we’ve got our two different three digit numbers.

For example, in the photo below, we have the numbers 348 and 687.

Use the paper and pencil to solve the addition problem.

Keep drawing cards to work several more three digit addition problems.

Let your kids use a set of playing cards to practice Three Digit Addition. It's a fun way to practice that is Better Than Homework!

Special note:

When doing this three digit addition activity, you need to keep in mind you child’s level in math. If they haven’t learned regrouping yet, you will need to control the cards. Instead of randomly drawing cards, lay out a few addition problems instead.

Fun variations to this activity

Is your child still working on two digit addition? Just draw two cards for each number. Or maybe they’re already up to four digit addition. Just draw the amount of cards you need.

Test your answers with subtraction. Subtract one of your numbers from the total to see if you solved your addition problem correctly.

Work in pairs. Each child would draw their own set of cards (6 in total) and solve the problem. Who has the biggest total? Who has the smallest total.

Do you have any fun variations to try?

Let your kids use a set of playing cards to practice Three Digit Addition. It's a fun way to practice that is Better Than Homework!

If you enjoyed this three digit addition activity, the above photo is perfect for sharing on Facebook. Or you can save the photo below on Pinterest.

Let your kids use a set of playing cards to practice Three Digit Addition. It's a fun way to practice that is Better Than Homework!

You may also like one of these math activities:

Perimeter Lab

Math Paper Plate Games

5 Fun Ways to Learn with a Daily Weather Report

Double Digit Subtraction Game at Line Upon Line Learning


Secret Code Spelling Words

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Spelling words. Let’s talk about spelling words.

It’s likely that your child will have spelling words to practice just about every week. Each and every week.

So let’s mix things up a bit and add a little fun to our homework. We’re going to make some Secret Code Spelling Words.

Fun! Right?

For a fun way to practice spelling words, turn them into a secret number code with this fun idea, Secret Code Spelling Words.

Disclosure: This post contains Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Page for more details.

Supplies Needed:

Secret Code Printable Sheet

Pencil

Paper

Calculator (optional)

Spelling Words

For a fun way to practice spelling words, turn them into a secret number code with this fun idea, Secret Code Spelling Words.

How to do this Secret Code Spelling Words activity

First you’ll need to gather your supplies and make sure your have your Secret Code Printable Sheet. You can click the link below this paragraph to download and print.

Download your Secret Code Printable Sheet here.

If you take a look, you’ll find that the code is really simple. Each letter equals a separate number, 1 through 26.

Take your spelling list and transform each word into a series of numbers. The word “team” becomes “20 5 1 13.” Easy peasy. Do this for each spelling word.

The great part about this activity is that it’s so appealing and so much fun, but at the same time, your kids are taking a close look at each of their words when they translate it into a secret code.

For a fun way to practice spelling words, turn them into a secret number code with this fun idea, Secret Code Spelling Words.

Extend the fun with one of these ideas:

Sneak in a little math practice by adding up all the letters in each word. For example, the word “team” adds up to 39. Grab a calculator (or do without) to figure it out. Which of your spelling words adds up to the smallest amount? Which one is the largest amount?

Work backwards. Decode a list of numbers to figure out what the word is. For example, “19 13 1 12 12” is actually the word small.

Write secret messages. Use your spelling words in sentences and write them using the secret code.

No matter what you do, have fun with these Secret Code Spelling Words.

For a fun way to practice spelling words, turn them into a secret number code with this fun idea, Secret Code Spelling Words.

If you enjoyed this Secret Code Spelling Words activity, the above photo is perfect for sharing on Facebook or  you can save the photo below on Pinterest.

For a fun way to practice spelling words, turn them into a secret number code with this fun idea, Secret Code Spelling Words.

You may also like one of these activities:

10 Fun Ways to Practice Spelling Words

Punctuation Game: Cut and Graph Sentence Strips

Salt Tray Spelling Words at Creative Family Fun

Spelling Word BINGO at Creative Family Fun

Buy the 31 Ways to Practice Spelling Words Ebook

You can find many fun ways to practice spelling words when you purchase this printable ebook, 31 Ways to Practice Spelling Words, for $7.50 The book is designed to print and turn into a half-page size booklet. It’s perfect to keep at your homework station. Your kids can flip through and find a fun way to practice their spelling words.

The ideas will be convenient and ready to use. No need to turn on the computer every day for ideas. You’ll find fun ideas such as Watercolor Resist Spelling Words, Writing Words With Paint in a Bag, and LEGO Letters. Some ideas are artsy, some get your kids moving, and all are fun.

Most activities require little to no prep time. And, if you make sure you have all the supplies on the Master Supply List (included in the book) on hand, you’ll be able to do any of these fun spelling word ideas any time.