Books and Giggles
Playful learning activities for young children
Inside: The Mitten activities to go with the picture book by Jan Brett. Includes crafts, printable resources, games and more for preschool, kindergarten, and elementary students. Raise your hand if you love Jan Brett! Her now-classic version of The Mitten is a favorite classroom read aloud every winter. This cozy picture book is perfect for…
Inside: A free printable sight word activity that goes with the book The Mitten by Jan Brett. (Disclosure: Books and Giggles is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.) If your students…
Inside: Ways to incorporate wintertime fun into CVC activities for PreK and kindergarten. This time of year means snow, sleds, and hot cocoa — so why not use those ideas to add some winter fun into your CVC activities! When it comes to teaching CVC words, engagement is key. 6 CVC Activities to Try This…
Inside: This summer name activity blends name recognition practice, fine motor skills, and science into one fun craft perfect for a sunny summer day. I could feel the sun baking my sunscreen-less arms, burning on a farmer’s tan. My mom was visiting from out of town, and we’d driven down to our Texas coast for…
Inside: A preschool apple activity for practicing alphabet letter matching and lowercase letter tracing. (Disclosure: Books and Giggles is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.) When I think of fall, I…
Making sidewalk chalk paint is a classic summer activity. Messy and fun, it’s a great way to get kids writing as well as exploring color and creativity. Even better, it’s easy to make! When the days are warm and sunny, but not too hot yet, we love to spend time outside with sidewalk chalk. When…
This smores sequencing activity is cheap and simple to prepare, and it makes for an engaging pretend play activity. Plus, I’ve made you a free printable crown that’s perfect for preschool or kindergarten camping theme literacy centers. (Disclosure: Books and Giggles is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program…
Here’s an engaging Llama Llama activity for you that’s just right for preschoolers and early kindergartners. It goes with a brand-new Llama Llama book inspired by the late Anna Dewdney. I was super excited to be invited to join the blog tour for Llama Llama Loves to Read, and doubly thrilled to get the generously…
I have two friends whose kids adore making all kinds of slime. I can’t believe we waited as long as we did to try mixing up our own. It wasn’t nearly as messy as I expected, and my kids enjoyed it. Right away I realized how slime could be an activity to go with children’s books….
These printable polar bear hats are perfect for motivating children re-tell the story Polar Bear, Polar Bear What Do You Hear by Bill Martin, Jr. and Eric Carle. (Books and Giggles is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees…
These “Peace on Earth” ornaments are fun and educational to make at Christmas or really any time of year. They can go along with a new book that I think you’ll love. (Disclosure: Books and Giggles is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means…
Today we’re sharing a fun counting book along with an easy yet engaging Pete the Cat activity. When you play with this sleek yellow slime you won’t want to put it down again. It’s filled with bright, smooth plastic buttons clink together pleasantly. You can s-t-r-e-t-c-h the slime out and watch some of the buttons pop…
Your kids will love to get their hands on these creative playdough activities. Each one is inspired by a favorite children’s book. First, a little note unrelated to playdough — My house flooded in Hurricane Harvey. In the storm’s aftermath, help descended on us in so many amazing ways. First, a group of teachers, complete…
This fish theme felt board activity was inspired by a wonderful story for preschoolers called Fish Wish. The book is filled with simple text and large colorful images that take you on an ocean adventure with a little friendly fish. Extend the story with this fun, hands-on activity on the felt board. My house…
Inside: a glue dot worksheet to give kids practice controlling their glue bottles. Glue practice is also great for strengthening little hands and improving fine motor skills in general. Here we’re sharing a special, story-inspired glue practice activity. (Books and Giggles is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means…
I’m excited to share our favorite educational summer activities for kids ages 2-8. I hope they’ll soon be your favorites too! Learning outside can be so engaging for kids. There’s plenty of space for playful and creative activities, and you don’t have to worry about making a mess. Plus, you get to be outdoors in lovely hot weather!…
These outdoor educational activities will surely make learning fun this summer! Sometimes changing the environment is all you need for little minds to absorb what you’re trying to teach. These 15+ Outrageously Fun ideas are perfect for spending tons of time outside this summer yet still preventing the dreaded summer slide. 15+ Outrageously Fun Outdoor Educational Activities When I…
These water learning activities are a fun way to work on letter recognition or sight words over the summer! I love hot weather, and so do my kids. Every year we look forward to playing in water in the summer time. From water table to swimming pool, they’ve always enjoyed water play in our hot Texas weather. So if…
These fun sandbox learning activities are an engaging way to take education outdoors. Whether you’re looking for a literacy, STEM, sensory, or even geography sandbox learning activity, we’ve got you covered. Sandbox Learning Activities Give preschoolers a fun introduction to maps with our sandbox geography activity. Sensory play with pine cones in the sand box has all…
This story extension activity is just right for warm weather! I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own. Books and Giggles is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and…
These beach learning activities will keep your kids learning and having fun all summer long! Beach Learning Activities Kids learn everywhere! You can enrich a day, or a week, at the beach and still have loads of fun. We live close enough to the beach to make a day trip of it. That means we go pretty…
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #KidfreshFavorites #CollectiveBias Reading is everywhere. The teacher in me can’t help but take advantage of teachable moments in our daily lives. Lately, I’ve been guiding my girls to read recipes, food labels and package directions. Liam, my oldest,…
This week we’re kicking off our summer fun learning series with 30 AWESOME sidewalk chalk games for literacy learning. Whether your kids are working on letter recognition, letter sounds, handwriting, or sight words, we’ve got you covered. Time to get outside and LEARN! Super Fun Sidewalk Chalk Games When the weather is warm, I love being outside with…
This Easter egg alphabet activity is a fun story extension for a cute book. You can set it up as an invitation to play or as a more directed activity. Disclosure: Books and Giggles is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to…