Free Learning Resources for Fun-damental Skills Practice
Freebies and printables and activities—oh, my! Teacher Tools help you get started and stay organized throughout the year. Cross-discipline and literacy resources provide flexibility for in-class, after- or before-school, or at-home enrichment.
Use the links to explore foundational skills learning resources in the categories below.
- Write & Reflect |
- Teacher Tools |
- Reading |
- Recognize, Reward, Reenergize |
- Handwriting
Write & Reflect
These literacy resources provide opportunities for students to reflect on their experience as learners and express their thoughts in writing.
- Gratitude Journal Prompts (2—6)
Cultivate mindfulness and gratitude with a quick writing prompt near the end of the school day. - School Memory Sheet (K—6)
Capture this year’s facts and help students think and talk about how they’ve grown. - Book Recommendation Cards (2—6)
Create your own classroom book club! Use these cards to recommend books to students and encourage them to share with each other. - Proofreading Marks Flyer (2—6)
Reinforce good writing habits while engaging in writing and reflection.
Teacher Tools
Download helpful resources for teachers to assist with day-to-day lesson planning, organization, and décor, plus big picture items for staying true to the course.
Big Picture
- Mission Statement
Create your own vision of success with a downloadable worksheet. Refer to it during the year to ensure you’re prioritizing the things that energize you.
- Meet the Teacher
Editable PDF provides a welcoming introduction to your students and families. Keep it on hand for new additions to the class throughout the year.
- Classroom Posters
Download colorful posters designed to inspire your students and classroom visitors.
Confidence | Kindness | Perseverance
Day-to-Day
- To-do lists
Stay organized and prepared for each day with these printable planners.
Daily Planner | Weekly Planner - Virtual Backgrounds
Bring some fun and whimsy to your next Zoom meeting with our collection of virtual backgrounds.
Pencil Kaleidoscope | Lined Paper
Reading
Supersize Reading Fun! These Superkids-derived free learning resources speak to any child who is learning to read. Use in small-group work or send home to encourage family-time enrichment.
- Blending Puzzles (K—2)
Invite students to put puzzles together to form a word, say the letter-sound for each puzzle piece, and then blend the letter-sounds quickly and smoothly aloud. - Six Syllable Types (K+)
Printable cards define the syllable types and provide a few examples of each one. Use them as visual aids as you practice syllabication. - Reading Aloud Together (K—2)
Four-step routine includes comprehension questions adults can ask to check understanding and encourage discussion in class or at home.
Language Skill Activities (K—2)
Activities provide practice with essential reading and language arts skills for developing readers. Each downloadable PDF has multiple fun activities that require very few materials.
Sounds
- Auditory Discrimination Activities
Build your child’s ability to hear and distinguish between environmental sounds. - Phonological Awareness Activities
Help your child understand that spoken language is made up of meaningful units of sounds. - Phonemic Awareness Activities
Help your child understand that a word is made up of a sequence of small units of sound.
Letters
- Print Awareness Activities
Help your child understand that spoken words can be written using letters and spaces and that we read text in the same order and direction. - Letter Recognition Activities
Help your child learn the 26 letters of the alphabet, name each letter, and recognize the uppercase and lowercase form of each letter.
Phonics
- Letter-Sounds Activities
Build your child’s understanding that letters in the alphabet stand for sounds and learn these letter-sound relationships.
Structural Analysis
- Reading Longer Words Activities
Help your child use their knowledge of base words, suffixes/endings, prefixes, and syllables to read longer words and determine their meanings. - Compounds and Contractions Activities
Provide practice recognizing, reading, and understanding compound words and contractions.
Fluency
- Word Recognition Activities
Provide practice that develops fast, accurate word recognition, focused on Memory Words—high-frequency, sight words. - Fluency with Connected Text Activities
Help your child develop fluency in reading words that have been put together in sentences.
Vocabulary
- Vocabulary Development Activities
Introduce your child to new words that are interesting and useful in discussing texts, their own experiences, and the world around them. - Word Relationship Activities
Build your child’s vocabulary by helping them think about relationships among words. - Word-Learning Strategy Activities
Enable your child to figure out the meaning of unfamiliar words on their own by learning to use context clues and a dictionary.
Recognize, Reward … Reenergize!
Temperature Check: What’s the climate in your classroom today? Keep these resources at hand for highlighting good work here, promoting positivity there.
- DIY Destress Activities (K—6)
Originally designed to help prevent pre-test stress, this handy PDF includes links to hands-on activities that promote positive thinking and reduce anxiety. - Affirmation Cards (K—6)
Prompts and resources for encouraging and rewarding good practices inspired by SEL core competencies. - Super Coupons (K—3)
Sometimes small rewards lead to big “aha” moments! Reinforce good choices with classroom coupons you can download and distribute. - The Golly Game (K+)
Download and print a Superkids-themed game similar to bingo. Fun for all ages!
Handwriting
Extra! Extra! Slip in some extra fine-motor skills development/practice with Zaner-Bloser Handwriting manuscript (PreK–2) and cursive (grades 3–6) resources.
Handwriting Fun on Pinterest
Pinterest activities are great for hands-on work in the classroom or to send home for more remediation. Expand the sections below for suggestions or see the full collection here.
Grades PreK–2
- Which Hand?
Choose this fun activity to determine handedness for grades K–2 students! - Sand Shapes
Traceable textures encourage students to explore letter shapes. - Letter Walk
Create a “foot’s-on” walkway for students to learn their letters.
Grades 2+
- Muscle-Relaxing Exercises
Develop good writing position and understand when it’s time to take a writing break. - Talking About Left-Handers
Celebrate left-handedness! - Evaluating Size
Learn a technique to establish uniform letter height for improved legibility. - Evaluating Slant
Use parallel lines—and paired exercises—to practice cursive writing.
Postcards
Download themed postcards to sneak in some handwriting skills work while staying in touch. Print, color, and mail, or take a photo of the finished card and send electronically. Great for any grade!
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