Free worksheet for kids about the history of Father’s day. A special thank you to all those loving fathers out there! Click here for the free printable PDF: Father’s Day
What You Need to Know About Father’s Day
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Tag Archives: Elementary School
Teaching Yes/No & Cardinal Directions to Lower Grades
One smart kindergarten teacher uses simple signs in her classroom that teach her kids some crucial things that can’t necessarily be mastered in one lesson. She posts signs that say “yes” and “no” on opposite sides of the room. She often has her kids point to a response and look at the sign when voting (thus reinforcing the site word).
She also puts up signs for the cardinal directions (north, south, east and west) and asks students to point to a certain direction to get their attention. She says things like “if you can hear me, point to the north. If you can hear me, point to the east.” Great way to do a tiny bit of map reading skills!
She says by the end of school kids are pretty good with both yes/no and cardinal directions. Not bad for a few seconds a day, huh!?
30 Fun Writing Prompts for Kids
1. Imagine you had a hundred dollars, but you couldn’t keep it. You had to give it away to a person or charity. Who would you give it to? What would you want them to do with it?
2. Describe one time when you were brave.
3. If you could cook any meal for your family, what would you cook? Describe the meal and tell how you would make it.
4. Imagine you woke up and saw a dinosaur in your backyard. Write a story telling what you see and do.
5. Imagine you opened your own restaurant. Tell the name of your restaurant. Explain what the restaurant looks like, who works there, and what you serve.
6. Describe your favorite character from a book, a movie, or television.
7. Write a story titled, “My Journey on a Pirate Ship.” You and your friends can star in the story.
8. If you could have any animal for a pet, what would it be? Describe the pet and how you would take care of it.
9. Do you have any brothers or sisters? If you do, tell what they’re like. If not, tell whether or not you would like to have a brother or sister.
10. If you could have lunch with any famous person who would it be? What would you talk about with this person?
11. Write a story titled, “The Bat Who Couldn’t Fly.”
12. Imagine you were a wonderful painter and your parents would let you paint anything you wanted on your bedroom walls. What would you paint? Use lots of details to describe your artwork.
13. Describe the oldest person you know.
14. Describe the youngest person you know.
15. Do you think a monkey would make a good pet? Explain why or why not.
16. How old were you four years ago? Describe some things you can do now that you could not do then.
17. Imagine you worked at a football stadium. What would your job be? (examples: quarterback, cheerleader, coach, referee, ticket seller) Describe what you would do while you were on the job.
18. What do you like best about your home?
19. If you could be on any game show, what would it be? Describe what happens when you’re on the show.
20. Describe your favorite season (fall, spring, summer, or winter). Tell what kinds of things you like to do during that season.
21. Write a story titled, “The Baby Dragon.”
22. Describe several ways a person your age can earn money.
23. Would you want to visit the moon? Why or why not?
24. If you could spend an afternoon with one member of your extended family, who would it be? Tell why you chose this person and tell what you do together.
25. Which superpower would you most like to have– invisibility, super strength, or the ability to fly? Describe what kids of things you would do with your powers.
26. Think of a time when you’ve won something. Tell what you won and how you won it.
27. Invent a new kind of sandwich. Describe what is on it and how you would make it.
28. Describe one thing you’re really good at.
29. Imagine you were twenty feet tall. Describe what life would be like.
30. If you were a doctor, what kind of doctor would you be? (examples: children’s doctor, veterinarian, eye doctor, dentist) Tell what your job would be like.
Expository Writing Prompts for Kids
What is expository writing? Expository writing is used to present reasons and explanation about a topic in a step-by-step process. The expository essay should contain a main idea (thesis), supporting details (with transitions) and a conclusion in a logical fashion. Be sure to check your work for grammatical correctness as well! Happy writing!
For Elementary School Kids
- Explain how you play your favorite game.
- Explain whether you like or don’t like staying with a baby sitter.
- Explain/describe the smile of your mother.
- How do you feel when you visit your grandparents?
- What is the best thing about your brother/sister?
- Explain the best thing about your most favorite person/pet in the world.
For Middle School Kids
- What are the good things and bad things about living in your town? Explain with logical reasons and examples.
- What does the phrase, “There are two sides to a coin” mean to you?
- Explain your feelings and thoughts when someone picks on you or your friends.
- Do you think families are important? Explain with valid reasons and examples.
- Is it important to be honest?
- Explain how will you strive to be a role-model for your younger siblings as well as peers.
Back to School Bus Bulletin Board
It’s always helpful to get to know your students at the beginning of the year. Here’s one bulletin board idea that will help each student express themselves and be a part of the classroom. First, have the students make their bus (using the directions in this post and printed on the page below the bus).
Click here for the free printable: Back To School Bus Bulletin Board
Decorate your bus according to these directions:
- Draw each member of your family inside the bus. Make sure to draw yourself in the first window. You may need to put more than one family member in a window if your family is large. Use colors to decorate the people.
- Write your name inside the stripe in the middle of the bus.
- Draw each of the following things in the bottom section of the bus:
- Your favorite food
- Your favorite school subject
- Your favorite thing to do outside of school
- What you want to be when you grow up
- If you prefer ice cream instead of cake, draw stripes in the wheels. If you prefer cake instead of ice cream, draw dots in the wheels. Use your favorite color.
- Color in the top section of the bus (above the stripe and around the windows) using your favorite color.
Once all the students finish, have each student present their bus to the rest of the class. If your class is large, limit each student to 1 minute to share or allow students to only share their bus with those near them. Then put each bus up on a bulletin board and call it something clever (“Mrs. Smith’s Superstar Fleet”, “Travelling Down the Road to Success”, or something…).
Paint A Pony Craft
My I posted my paint a pig craft, many of my readers asked for more crafts like this. Since My Little Pony is so popular these days, I made a Paint a Pony craft. So here it is! First I found a free coloring page of a horse. Here’s one if you don’t have time to hunt for one. Then decorate your pony (feel free to add a horn to make it a unicorn!). Glue it to some construction paper and decorate the scene for your pony. This craft was a huge hit with my kindergarten girls; many of them wanted to do more than one!
Teacher Memes/Cartoons – 14
40 Descriptive Writing Prompts for Elementary School
1. Describe a place you always wanted to visit.
2. Describe the most beautiful scene in nature that you can imagine.
3. Describe a kitchen that you have seen or would love to see.
4. Describe the ocean. Think about what it looks like on and below the surface.
5. Describe a storm. This could be a thunder storm, a snow storm, a hurricane, a tornado, a hail storm, a rain storm, or any type of storm.
6. Describe a place where you feel safe and protected.
7. Describe a toy you love(d). Think of all its good points.
8. Describe your ideal playground.
9. Describe the perfect shopping mall.
10. Describe a place where people congregate (like a zoo, a church, a circus, etc.)
11. Describe your bedroom the way you want it to be.
12. Describe your favorite dessert (or food).
13. Describe a beach (a desert, a mountain, a city, or a plain).
14. Think of your favorite animal and describe that animal.
15. Describe your best friend so that the reader can picture him or her.
16. Think of your favorite place. What do you like about this place? What do you do there? How does it look, smell, and feel? Now write an essay describing your favorite place so that your reader will be able to picture it.
17. Some people prefer dogs as pets, some like cats, and others prefer birds, snakes, fish, rabbits, pigs, horses, and other animals. What is your perfect pet? What does it look like? Is it soft or hard? Does it make any sounds? Now describe your idea of a perfect pet so that your reader can picture it.
18. Different teachers decorate their classes in different manners. Think of your idea of the perfect classroom. Is it colorful? Does it have desks or tables? What does it look like? How does it smell? Are there any sounds in it? Write an essay describing your idea of the perfect classroom.
19. Each season of the year is beautiful in some way. Think of which season is your favorite: winter, summer, spring or fall. Think of what your town looks like during that season. What does it feel like? Is there a smell or taste to it? Now write an essay describing an outdoor scene during your favorite season of the year.
20. Everyone has a favorite object that they treasure. Think of some object in your room that you really like. It could be a toy, or a doll, a game, a stuffed animal, or a book, but whatever it is, it is special to you. What does it look, feel, smell, and sound like? Now, describe this object to your reader so that he or she will be able to picture it clearly.
21. Every person has a favorite place to play. Think of your favorite place to play. It may be your backyard, or a playground, or a nearby woods, or an open field. What does this place look like? What are the sounds you hear there? What does it feel and smell like? Describe your favorite place to play so that your reader can see it without being there.
22. Almost all houses have kitchens. Some are big and some are tiny. Think of the kitchen at your home. Think of how you might change it to make it even better. What is in it? What does it smell like? Now, describe this perfect kitchen to your reader so that he or she can see it clearly.
23. There are trees everywhere, even in the middle of big cities. Think of a tree you have seen. What does it look, feel, and sound like? Describe that tree so that your reader can picture it too.
24. People gather at places like malls, fairgrounds, schools, gymnasiums, sports fields and swimming pools. Think of a place in your town where there are lots of people. How does it look, sound, smell, and feel to be there? Now, describe that crowded place so that your reader can feel as if he or she is there.
25. Every child enjoys playing on a playground. Think of the playgrounds you have played in. Think of what makes them better. Maybe you’ve already seen it, but think of what makes the perfect playground. Think of how it looks, sounds, feels, and smells. Now, describe your idea of a perfect playground so that your reader can see it clearly.
26. Even in the desert it rains sometimes. Think of what the world looks like outside your window when it rains. Think about how it looks, smells, and feels. What sounds do you hear? What does rain taste like? Describe what the world looks like outside a window when it rains.
27. Flowers always make a yard or a room look very pretty. Think of a garden or a bunch of flowers you have seen. Make it even better and prettier in your mind. What does it look and feel like? Does it smell? Describe the garden or a bunch of flowers so that your reader can see it and smell it in his or her mind.
28.Cities and towns have lots of things going on in them, lots of stores, traffic, people, churches, schools, parks, and maybe even a zoo. Think of your city or a city you have visited. As you walk down the sidewalk in the middle of that city, what do you see, hear, smell, taste, and feel? Describe that city for your reader and what it is like to be there.
29. Even in big cities, there are parks where there are woods (or forest). There are woods everywhere in this big country of ours. Think of a forest you have been in or played in. What does it look like? Now describe this forest so that the reader can see it.
30. Alice visits Wonderland in Alice in Wonderland. Wonderland is the land of her dreams. What is the ideal place for you? What place do you dream about? What does it look like? Does it have a smell? How does it feel? Do you hear sounds there? Describe the ideal place of your dreams in such a way that the reader can picture it, too.
31. We all eat to stay alive, but everyone has a favorite food. What is your favorite food in the world? What does it look like? How does it smell and taste in your mouth? Describe your favorite food so that your reader can see it and almost taste it as well.
32. Many people love the beach and others love the mountains for a vacation. Which do you like better; the beach or the mountains? Even if you have never been to either, you have seen pictures. Choose one— either a beach or the mountains. What does the place look like? Does the place have a feel to it? What smells are there? What sounds do you hear? Describe your beach or mountains so that your reader can picture the scene you see in your mind.
33. Everyone has a favorite game, dominoes, checkers, cards, Clue, Chutes and Ladders, Monopoly, and so on. What is your favorite game? What does it look like when you play? What sounds do you hear as you play? Describe your favorite game so that the reader can see it and hear the action as you play.
34. Everyone has to shop for food or clothes sometime. Think of a store to which you like to go. What does it look like inside the store? Are there sounds? What do things feel like there? Does the store have a smell? Write a description of a store you like to visit so that your reader can feel as if he or she were there.
35. People live in houses, apartments, tents, cabins, trailers, and other buildings. Where do you live? Think of your ideal living place. Perhaps it’s where you live now. What does it look like? Does it have a smell? Describe your ideal living place or the place where you live so that your reader can picture it clearly.
36. Imagine that you were on a ship in the middle of the ocean. What does your ship look like? How does the ocean look? What does the sky look like above you? What do you see, hear, feel, smell, and taste as you look about? Describe your ship in the middle of an ocean of water.
37. Everyone has been in a thunder storm. Think back to when you last experienced a thunder storm. What was it like? What were the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and feelings during the storm? Describe a thunder storm so that your reader can experience and picture it.
38. Imagine that someone gave you a very special ring. What does this ring look like as it sits on your finger? How does it feel? Is it heavy? Is there a taste to it? How does it sound if you rap it on the desk? Does it smell? Describe this ring down to the last detail so that your reader can picture it on your hand.
39. Our country has a flag with fifty stars representing the fifty states and thirteen stripes representing the thirteen colonies. Your state has a flag, too, with things that represent important historical events and items of your state. Imagine that you had a flag which represented you. What would it look like? How does it feel? Does it have a smell? Does it make a sound as it waves in the breeze? Think of some images it would have on it to represent you to the world. Now, describe your personal flag so that your reader can see it clearly.
40. Almost everyone has had an encounter with a spider, has read the book Charlotte’s Web and has seen pictures of spiders in their webs. Think of a spider and web you have seen. It could have been real, in a book, or in your imagination. What do this spider and web look like? Do they make a sound? What do they feel like if you touch them? Do they have a smell? Now, describe your spider and its web so vividly that your reader can see it as if it were right in front of him or her.
Squarehead Teachers 