critical thinking

Make Easter extra special with a fun and educational Easter Egg pattern matching activity perfect for three-year-olds! Older kids can color and decorate the eggs, then the younger kiddos can match patterns, shapes, or colors for hours of engaging play. …

Looking for a fun way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day that challenges young minds and fosters teamwork? A brain-teaser scavenger hunt is the perfect holiday activity! This creative twist on a classic scavenger hunt will keep elementary-aged kids engaged, working …

Partner Match– Cool Game for Questioning, Thinking, Chatting, Moving & More:

Boost fun and learning with riddles and brain teasers for elementary kids! These playful puzzles encourage critical thinking, creativity, and laughter, making them perfect for classrooms, family gatherings, or any time kids need a brain-boosting challenge. Riddles inspire curiosity and …

The Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge invites middle school students to unleash their creativity and problem-solving skills. This is a premier science competition offering students the opportunity to innovate, collaborate, and compete for scholarships and the title of America’s …

With a small amount of planning you can give your kids an easy fun way to focus on what they need or want and not be overwhelmed by all the choices available when you make your trip the library. Kids …

Help your kids not only understand math better but actually LOVE math. Give them the foundation to be super successful in STEM classes and beyond to the real world outside of school. I am the only child “language arts” offspring …

Geocaching wraps learning cardinal directions, following clues, and map reading in all the excitement of an old-fashioned treasure hunt. Players, known as Cachers, try to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, using a smartphone or GPS. They can then share their …

how kids can and should help in the garden | teachmama.com | kids in the garden | backyard learning | get kids in the garden

“I’m bored,” are often two of the most terrifying words heard by parents.   But with a little brainstorming, they don’t have to be.  Instead, you can turn boring into a wonderful time of fun, learning and adventure! Growing up …

think aloud while reading | reading comprehension tips | think-alouds | early literacy | teachmama.com | reading tip 9 #raiseareader

birdwatching math puzzles: super challenging and tricky | teachmama.com

fun summertime learning for kids: tabletop surprises

matchstick math: patterns, puzzles and critical thinking | teachmama.com

Much like our Christmas Guess the Word Game, the New Year’s Eve Guess the Word Game totally rocks. Okay. There you have it. Plain and simple. Rocks.  The kids loved playing our holiday version on the way to see their …

        I’ve always tried to make a big deal about certain text features when we see them in fiction that we’re reading, especially bold and italics. I’m cool like that. There’s something about bold and italics that …

This post about fun with food and fractions is written by Jen of Beyond Traditional Math. Hopefully after reading it, you’ll never look at food quite the same! Thank you, Jen, for your time, effort, and expertise! ____________________ Fractions with …

      It’s been busy here for the last few days, with our insane weather and with FutureCity, Toy Fair, and National Center for Families Learning Summit all in the last week. But somewhere in between all of this …

The following guest post is written by Natalie, of Afterschool for Smarty Pants.   Natalie shares ways she enriches her daughter’s learning at home, after school.  Check it out. —————————— As you can guess from my blog title, Smarty is a …