When doing addition problems, give children a divided plastic plate. They can make sets in the small sections and then join them together and count in the larger section. Hint! You can also use divided plates for onsets and rimes. Write onsets on 1 ½ ” squares of paper and place in one section. Write rhymes on 1 ½” x 2 ½” rectangles and place in the other small section. Children choose a card from each section and put them together in the larger section and read the word they have made. (It can be a “real” word or a nonsense word.) Click photo for larger image.

Reinforce coin value by adapting “high five.”
“high penny” – children touch pointer fingers in air
“high five” – children open palms and touch five fingers
“high dime” – children open both hands and touch ten fingers with their partner

Use sticky notes to encourage writing and reinforce functional print. “Get a sticky note and write it down so you don’t forget.” “Put a sticky note on your desk about riding home with your aunt.” “Put a sticky note in the book when you find the solution.”
Hint! Many times doctors or dentists have sticky notes from pharmaceutical companies that they will be glad to share with you.

In addition to saving writing samples and self portraits in a “portfolio” each month, have children complete an “interest inventory” by filling in sentences similar to the ones below:

I am good at______.
I like to _____.
I want to work on _____.
My favorite book is _____.
I wish _____.
Hint! Younger children could just dictate their responses to an adult. An interest inventory would also be something interesting to share with parents at a conference.