Covering a wide range of subjects, including math, science, language arts, history, and more, many of these websites offer interactive exercises, games, and quizzes that make learning fun and engaging. Some websites also offer personalized learning plans, adaptive practice, and progress tracking to help students monitor their progress and stay motivated. 

Apart from the many drill and practice games and activities, a few drill and practice websites can be a useful tool for students looking to improve their academic performance and succeed in their studies, they can make a great addition to traditional classrooms. So, below are 10 websites that can help students reinforce the learning of traditional classrooms in a fun and engaging way. 

Drill and practice websites that are a must-try for students

Drill and Practice websites can make so much difference to the regular learning process. Here are 10 drill and practice websites that can suit learners of different ages and needs.  

1. Iknowit

Aimed at elementary-level mathematical knowledge, I know it is a platform that contains extensive addition drills in various formats. The platform contains arithmetic drills within 10 for kindergarteners learning addition and is just perfect for students trying to reinforce newly learned mathematical concepts.

Be it simple addition or mixed-fraction addition for 5th graders, I know it has all the factors to make learning more interactive and better. With the timer and the answer tracker, students can manage their speed as well as the answers that were right and that were wrong. The platform also contains stepwise instructions to solve mathematical expressions. Both teachers and parents can use the platform and get students to take the membership. 

2. Homeschoolmath.net 

Homeschoolmath.net is a website that provides resources for homeschooling parents and students to use as practice and drills for math concepts. The website provides a wide range of resources that can be used to reinforce math concepts and skills essential for drill and practice.  The resources on the website are organized by grade level and topic, so it is easy to find materials that are appropriate for a particular student’s needs.

One of the key benefits of Homeschoolmath.net is that it provides a structured approach to drill and practice. The worksheets and other resources on the website are designed to be used in a specific order, which helps to build a strong foundation of math skills. In addition to the structured resources on the website, Homeschoolmath.net also offers a variety of interactive games and activities that can be used for drills and practice. These games are designed to be fun and engaging, which helps to keep students motivated and engaged as they work on their math skills.

3. Quizlet

Quizlet is a website that allows users to create and use digital flashcards to study and learn a variety of subjects, including chemistry.  For instance, “Chemical Elements Symbols 1,” is a collection of flashcards that contain the symbols for various chemical elements. This set is designed to help students learn and memorize the symbols for these elements. 

The website is effective for drill and practice because it allows users to customize their study sessions by selecting the specific flashcards they want to review, as well as the order in which they are presented. Quizlet also offers a variety of study modes, including multiple-choice quizzes, matching games, and written quizzes, which can be used to provide a range of practice activities for students.

In addition to the customization and variety of study modes, Quizlet is also effective for drill and practice because it provides feedback on user performance. As students work through the flashcards and other study activities, Quizlet tracks their progress and provides feedback on their performance. This feedback helps students to identify areas where they need to focus their efforts and track their progress as they improve their skills.

4. AAA Math

AAA Math is a website that provides a variety of interactive math activities and exercises that can be used for drills and practice. The website is organized by grade level and topic, making it easy for students to find resources that are appropriate for their skill level and interests. The activities on the website cover a wide range of math concepts, including basic arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and more.

In addition to the interactive activities, the website also includes resources for teachers, such as worksheets and lesson plans. These resources can be used to supplement classroom instruction and to provide extra practice for students. Overall, the website’s engaging and interactive activities, as well as its wide range of resources, make it a valuable tool for helping students improve their math skills.

5. ABCya!

ABCya is a virtual playground filled with educational games and activities that help kids have fun while they learn and practice important skills. From math and reading to spelling and beyond, this website has something for every curious mind.

The website includes interactive games, videos, and printable worksheets, which provide a variety of ways for students to practice and learn. It’s organized in a way that makes it easy to find exactly what one is looking for, and the games and activities are so much fun that kids won’t even realize they’re learning! Undoubtedly, ABCya is a go-to destination for teachers and students who want to make the most of their drill and practice time.

6. Sheppard Software

Sheppard Software is a virtual wonderland of educational games and activities that help kids have a blast while they learn and practice important skills. These games are organized by subject and are designed to be fun and engaging, for example, in the math section of the website, there are games that cover a wide range of math concepts, including basic arithmetic, fractions, decimals, and more.

These games provide a variety of ways for students to practice and learn, such as multiple-choice quizzes, matching games, and interactive puzzles. The math and various subject games on Sheppard Software are suitable for students of all skill levels and are a great way to reinforce and practice math skills.

7. IXL

IXL is a comprehensive online platform that offers a plethora of interactive math and language arts activities that are perfect for drill and practice. It is organized in a way that makes it easy for students to find resources that align with their skill level and interests, and the activities are designed to be enjoyable and engaging to keep students motivated. For instance, a UKG child can find many drills on counting, vowel sounds, etc.

While a class 2 student can find activities on addition, nouns, tense, etc. One of the key features that make IXL an effective drill and practice website is the variety of resources it offers. Additionally, IXL tracks students’ progress and provides feedback on their performance, which helps them identify areas they need to focus on and track their improvement.

8. World Geography Games

World Geography Games is a dynamic online platform that offers a variety of interactive geography games and activities. Some of the resources available on World Geography Games include interactive games, videos, and printable worksheets.

These resources cover a range of geography topics, such as maps, continents, countries, and more. In addition to these interactive resources, the website also includes information and explanations about various geography topics, which can be used to supplement and support students’ learning. This website’s system is a valuable tool for helping students stay motivated and engaged as they work on their skills.

9. Math Playground

Math Playground is a website that provides a variety of math games and activities for students to practice and improve their math skills. The website includes a range of topics, including basic math operations, geometry, and algebra. It is designed to be a fun and interactive way for students to learn and practice math concepts. One of the standout features of Math Playground is the variety of games and activities that are available. These include traditional math games like “Math Lines” and “Math Man,” as well as logic puzzles and brainteasers like “Sudoku” and “Hex Blocks.”

In addition to these interactive games, the site also includes a collection of math videos that cover a range of topics, from basic arithmetic to more advanced concepts like algebra and geometry, which help in the drill and practice approach to work. Overall, Math Playground is a useful resource for students who want to improve their math skills or for teachers who are looking for additional resources to use in their classrooms.

10. Math Games

Math Games is a treasure trove of a variety of math games, puzzles, and other interactive activities, for students to use as a tool to practice and improve their math skills. Some of the types of activities that are available on the site include math games, logic puzzles, math videos, and math worksheets.

One of the standout features of Math Games is the wide range of math topics covered on the site. These include basic arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and even more advanced topics like trigonometry and calculus. Games like Math Slither, Launch the Llama, and King of Math can provide fun-based learning for young children. 

Strategies to use the drill and practice websites for the best outcome

Drill and practice websites can be helpful and effective tools for reinforcing skills and concepts learned. Here are a few tips for getting the most out of these types of websites:

1. Identifying goals: What skills or concepts one wants to improve? It’s important to make sure the website one chooses aligns with their goals.
2. Setting aside dedicated practice time: It’s important to make time for regular practice in order to see progress. Students can set aside a specific time each day or week for drill and practice.
3. Working at your own pace: Students shouldn’t feel like they have to rush through the exercises. It is important for them to Take the time they need to understand each concept before moving on to the next one.
4. Getting immediate feedback: Many drill and practice websites provide immediate feedback on answers, which can help students identify areas where they need to improve.
5. Keeping track of progress: It can be helpful to keep track of one’s progress over time. This can help students see how far they’ve come and identify areas where they may need to spend more time practicing.
6. Mixing it up: While drill and practice can be helpful, it’s also important to consider various learning activities. Incorporating other types of learning, such as reading and writing, into the study routine can be effective for overall academic improvement.

Conclusion

Drill and practice websites offer a convenient and flexible way for students to hone their skills in a particular subject. These interactive tools provide immediate feedback and allow learners to work at their own pace. While drill and practice websites can be a valuable resource, it is important to also utilize a variety of other learning methods for a well-rounded education.

Manpreet Singh

An engineer, Maths expert, Online Tutor and animal rights activist. In more than 5+ years of my online teaching experience, I closely worked with many students struggling with dyscalculia and dyslexia. With the years passing, I learned that not much effort being put into the awareness of this learning disorder. Students with dyscalculia often misunderstood for having  just a simple math fear. This is still an underresearched and understudied subject. I am also the founder of Smartynote -‘The notepad app for dyslexia’, 

The post 10 Interactive Drill And Practice Websites appeared first on Number Dyslexia.

With the right tools, educators can facilitate social-emotional learning activities and lessons in the classroom, and parents can also use them to further strengthen classroom learning at home. In this article, you will find a collection of some useful SEL websites which you can access to help students learn vital social and emotional skills. 

Useful websites teachers and parents can refer to teach social-emotional learning to students

1. Flocabulary

Flocabulary by Nearpod is a student-centric website that teachers can use to teach various aspects of social-emotional learning. It has a good collection of engaging material such as videos, quizzes, vocabulary cards, games, etc., covering topics such as building empathy, managing worry, including others, and many more. Teachers can sign up for complete access to lesson plans and other features at $11.50/ month. They also offer custom pricing for schools and districts. We suggest you try it out using their free 30 days trial to see how much you and your students enjoy using the program. 

2. Closegap 

It is usually not possible for teachers to check the mental status of their students regularly. To make this task possible, Closegap brings you this SEL website where students can record honest answers about their feelings and challenges. They also receive prompts to answer questions related to diet, sleep, and peer interactions. Students can ask for help when they need it and access SEL activities at their own pace to learn emotional regulation. Teachers can refer to the class roster every day and provide quick interventions to students who need them. The features of Closegap Essentials are free to use. However, if a school wants to access social-emotional data and other advanced features, they can sign up for Closegap Insights or Closegap Transform.

3. Emotional ABCs

Here is an award-winning emotional skills program. This interactive and evidence-based program helps students learn about emotions and their regulation through a selection of age-appropriate SEL games, activities, printables, music, and videos. Students learn to identify their emotions, understand why they feel these emotions, and what they can do to regulate their emotions by making good choices. The program is curated for children aged 4 – 11 years old. They have different membership plans for parents and teachers to avail of the program at home or school. The good part is that these are monthly plans that one can cancel at any time you please. 

4. Harmony SEL

Harmony SEL is a free program to support social-emotional learning. It is suitable for Pre-K to grade 6 students. Educators, youth organizations, and after-school programs can use it at no cost. The program aims to teach students essential skills to develop healthy identities and relationships through effective tools and strategies which can be implemented within the classroom in as little as 10-20 minutes every day. The program consists of storybooks, games, songs, and lessons to help educators conduct social-emotional learning in class. Students learn skills to thrive in a social environment and work towards their goals with confidence. 

5. EVERFI

Here is another website with free resources to support school and at-home social-emotional learning. It has programs specifically designed for high school, middle school, and elementary school students. Topics such as mental wellness, bullying prevention, digital wellness, and safety, etc., are a part of this SEL curriculum. Each topic is further divided into lesson plans to cover different aspects of the topic. Students and teachers can register and create accounts to get access to all the free resources. Teachers can also monitor student progress by using the Gradebook available on their account. Everfi is a reliable SEL program that helps instill a positive growth mindset in students. 

6. Move This World

Move This World is a program that addresses five core competencies of social-emotional learning. The website has multiple programs for students catering to early elementary all the way to high school students. You can find a well-equipped digital library containing SEL resources, enrichment workshops, and SEL training and development programs to assist educators to navigate teaching challenges smoothly. Schools must contact their support team to discuss the pricing and payment options of this comprehensive SEL program. The program also gives access to a family engagement toolkit to involve parents in the social and emotional development of their children. 

7. Ringbeller

Here is a digital platform that has a collection of interesting, 5-minute social-emotional videos that are funny and entertaining for students. All lessons are designed in accordance with CASEL‘s evidence-based framework. The videos also feature artists, TV personalities, inventors, etc., who can inspire students to do well in life and develop better attitudes about themselves and their environment. All you need to do is sign up on the platform, and you can access all the videos to show them in your classroom. Your students will have a nice time watching these videos while learning essential skills.

8. Empatico

Empatico is a little different from other SEL websites. It is designed to connect students residing in different parts of the world through virtual pen pal networks. Kids can explore the world by connecting to new people and getting involved in live exchanges and activities. It provides several community-building tools for educators to support the meetings. The main aim of Empatico is to teach students how to maintain and engage in cross-cultural relationships, which is a need in today’s multicultural world. The platform is suitable for kindergarten to grade 8 and is free to sign up for. 

9. Do2Learn

The Do2Learn website includes multiple resources for students, including social-emotional skills. You can find activities and worksheets which teachers can use in the class for a group or individual activities. Teachers can simply print out the worksheets and use them for their students. Topics covered include emotions, stress, about me, stress triggers, and so on. By conducting these activities in class, you can help students understand the emotions of self and others so they can become emotionally-healthy individuals. 

10. Centervention

Another website that has over 90 free social-emotional activities is Centervention. The resources include printables, activities, and lessons that cover skills like emotional regulation, impulse control, empathy, communication, and more. The resources are best fit for students studying in elementary and middle schools. Most activities are easy to conduct and need nothing more than things you can find in your classroom. The best part of this free resource website is that they constantly update the page with new activities on a regular basis for the benefit of the students. 

Wrapping up, 

All websites mentioned in this article have useful resources to engage students in social-emotional learning at school and at home. You can sign up for the free resources and use them as and when you need to promote social-emotional competence in students. You can also choose to sign up for paid programs that are extensive and offer more value. Finally, we must realize that a collaborative approach between teachers and parents is crucial to equip future generations with appropriate skills to become emotionally balanced adults.

Priyanka Sonkushre

I am Priyanka Sonkushre, a writer and blogger. I am the person behind “One Loving Mama,” a mom blog. Equipped with a Bachelor’s degree along with an MBA, my healthcare background helps me deeply understand learning difficulties. I know how challenging it can be for parents to find the right resources to help their children excel in life. So, here I am to blend my healthcare expertise with my parenting experience to create valuable and helpful resources for parents and teachers supporting children with learning differences. If you wish, you can follow me on Facebook and LinkedIn.

onelovingmama.com

The post 10 Useful Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Websites For Educators To Checkout appeared first on Number Dyslexia.

Additionally, reading helps children develop and understand emotions. When they read about a particular person, an incident, or a fable, they are more likely to create relatability with the context. Children also receive an opportunity to understand different perspectives. It engages their mind and they develop critical thinking abilities. 

While reading a book is a good habit, the web gives a universal approach to reading. Certain websites are specifically developed for reading stories, narrations, comprehension, and other texts. Children can also hear the stories while they read, thanks to the web. Hence, here’s the list of helpful websites that engage kids in reading different subjects and their topics of interest.

Free reading websites for kids

Reading is an important activity for kids as exposure to different words enhances their vocabulary. The more they read, the more information they grasp. While books do a great job, check out these free reading websites designed for kids. They have visually appealing pictures and an easy user interface for parents, teachers, and adults.

1. Story Jumper

This is a helpful website to make kids read and also understand various stories. Go to the menu and click on the library. This page of the website offers books in different categories – family, friends, pets, or Minecraft. Kids can also select their preferred language from 7 available languages on the site. Another tab of the collection is filled with books collected under a particular subject matter.

Kids can browse through various books after clicking on the specific subject matter. Under each category, there are several books listed. With an auto-rotate view, Kids can start reading stories and easily navigate to another page with the option provided. Each book is a classic piece filled with information, illustrations, and colorful scenarios.

Another fascinating feature of the website is the option of read-aloud books. With this category, kids understand the words and pronunciation while the system reads it thoroughly. The Read aloud feature allows kids to re-listen certain texts and words to understand the sound and correct pronunciation. Even the read-aloud books have creative sketches, illustrations, and attractive plots to engage children in listening and reading together.

Official site

2. Storynory

Storynory is a classic website for kids who wish to participate in reading and active listening. Reading different stories and comprehension also helps them build concentration and focus. This website is home to fairytales, educational books, classic audiobooks, specifically categorized stories for juniors, and stories related to myths and the world. Interestingly, the website also gives access to poems and music for kids.

As the stories are divided into various categories, kids get to learn about the history of the world, ancient adventures, original stories, and beautifully drafted fairytales. One of the amazing features of the website is the combination of reading and listening to the stories. 

There is an option where kids can choose the system audio to play the recording. As it starts playing, the story is entirely written below it. It allows kids to keep track of words, punctuation marks, and voice, and also look at the high-end graphics. Kids can also browse through poems and rhymes at the Storynory website. 

Official site

3. StoryPlace!

As the name suggests, the Story place website is home to various stories and rhymes. The website is filled with creative pictures and easy-to-read fonts. On the home page, there are 3 different categories to choose from with reference to their themes. Under each theme, there are features. Firstly, each theme has a short story in the form of an animated video. Kids can hear them, see the text, and try to read them aloud with the video.

It can be a bit tricky to navigate different tabs and get the right material. Hence, click on the menu and choose “Preschool Activity Library.” This will lead to various themes wherein you can select a desired one. Along with the readable stories, the website offers video links wherein different humans explain rhymes and poems through creative stickers stuck on the board. There are various online activities and take-home activities to enhance reading skills. 

Official site

4. Children’s Digital Library 

This is a helpful website for parents and teachers to browse from a plethora of books. The website has a subtle look with a simple user interface. The site aims to offer various books that can be categorized by languages, shapes, formats, and genres.

There are more than four thousand different books available on the website. For any book, simply click on the name of the book. After that, you will be navigated to the book purely available for reading. Here, every book has a different font, writing style, and illustrations. Kids get a good opportunity to browse through thousands of books and also understand how each book benefits them in the reading process. The books on this website are vintage in look giving a historical touch to the readers. One needs to see through various books to understand which one fits the best.

Official site

5. Children’s Storybooks

This is an easy-to-use website with a variety of online books. These books are further categorized as young children, older children, and young adults. Kids can find a plethora of online books about animals, alphabets, and other topics. The website interface is simple to navigate and is filled with colorful pictures. 

Every book has different illustrations with the text given at the bottom of the book. Kids can view different scenarios of the story, read the text, and also connect with the characters. The arrow button helps to easily move from one page to another. Some are really short versions divided into 10 lines while some stories contain numerous pages. Since every story offers different formats and visuals, it creates an engaging learning environment for readers. Certain story books are also equipped with audio for boosting active listening skills.

The websites also offer various online games, quizzes, and riddles for kids. Teachers and parents can also check coloring books and mazes for an entertaining and amusing learning experience.

Official site

6. Free Kids Books

This website is a helpful site for kids and toddlers. Teachers and parents can also use this website to enhance the learning experience. Here, the books are categorized as toddlers, children, older children, and young adults. Furthermore, one can find books according to authors, languages, publishing house, age group, and ESL English level.

With every book, kids get to understand the book with a short summary before moving ahead. One of the good parts about the website is the download feature. Most of the books can be downloaded as a free PDF. These books can also be viewed online. While some books are elaborated with texts and illustrations, some books are simple and only have relevant information on a particular subject matter. 

Towards the end of the page, there are various categories of books – values, animals, science, fiction, superheroes, nature, rhyming, and others. Such an option enables teachers and parents to choose a different book every day.

Official site

7. Just Books Read Aloud

Presenting another website that has a huge collection of storybooks for kids. The website has thousands of books listed under a plethora of categories. Initially, the website allows users to choose books according to their length, authors, narrators, reading level, and languages. As the name suggests, these are read-aloud books along with nicely animated videos.

Here, kids are not only reading the book but also watching the plot and animations through the videos. There are 1127 books spread across more than 50 categories to choose from. According to these categories, books are displayed and as you click on it, a video is presented on the screen. Teachers and parents can opt to turn on/off the captions. As kids go through the stories, they also read captions and learn to coordinate their reading with the pace of the narrator.

Additionally, the website allows users to watch these stories through YouTube. One can also copy the link and share it with other classmates. Teachers can use this as an activity for students as it is completely free. 

Official site

8. Fun Brain

Introducing another fun website to engage kids in reading. The website is free and it also allows you to download books into the system. Teachers and parents can browse books by grade starting from kindergarten. 

The website offers a plethora of reading books designed under the category of animals, humans, imaginary characters, and stories with morals. Each book is different with respect to illustrations, sketches, fonts, and the overall format. This feature allows teachers and parents to find a new book every time while reading. The arrow button helps kids move from one page to the other. 

While it is purely watching the text and reading, certain books are filled with creative and visually appealing graphics. Kids also learn to understand stories and read images through critical thinking. Such a website helps kids read different words, enhance vocabulary, and also develop an interest in a particular category.

Official site

9. Commonlit

This website is a place to browse multiple storybooks, popular texts, and passages for novels. The website interface allows users to browse through content depending on their grade, genre, and subject interests. Each book mentions the grade and type of content in the book. Since books are listed in various categories, each one has different illustrations and important life lessons.

For an additional engaging experience, parents, teachers, or students can log in for free. This free login enables you to listen to the books through an audio system. What’s an interesting part of the books? While kids read these books in the text format, there are certain assessment questions given below. Along with this, difficult words have listed meanings towards the end of the text.

Such a website engages kids to carefully read and elaborate their understanding through answering assessment questions. The meanings of difficult words are also categorized as verbs, adjectives, or nouns enabling kids to better understand grammatical concepts.

Official site

10. PBS Learning Media

This is a unique website where you can expose kids to various subject matters that might be tricky to teach. The website focuses on various topics however, kids can benefit from their collection section. Here, there are various videos in a story format dedicated to – Getting Ready for School, Routines and Transitions, Emotions, Building Relationships, and Happy and Healthy Behaviors. 

Such a broad category offers rhymes and stories with captions. Here, kids can read along with the videos that are animated and colorful to grasp attention. This website is good for reading because videos are combined with sound, changing scenarios, and easy-to-read captions at the bottom. Certain topics covered on emotional intelligence, empathy, and relationships are helpful for kids to read and comprehend their meanings in an effective manner.

Official site

Best ways to use these websites for kids 

Kids are not automatically inclined toward a particular activity till the time they find time and interest in it. Parents can initially introduce the art of reading, storytelling, and being imaginative through these websites. Such sites can be the very first step of introducing an imaginary world to the child while keeping it colorful, vibrant, and easy to understand.

These websites can also be used by teachers during reading sessions. While kids are often shown different stories, such websites offer a plethora of stories from across the world. It helps teachers and educators give a universal approach to teaching. You can also ask kids to read along with the audio and that’s how they will learn to sync their audio with the tone, modulation, and pace of the recorded material.

While these websites can be used by parents and teachers, adults involved in homeschooling can also take advantage of such websites. You can present stories and comprehension as a part of an activity. Allow the kids to at least read one story/paragraph in a day and ask them to explain it the next day. Such activity creates involvement, promotes imagination, and enables the child to connect with characters, plot, and different actions.

Summing up..

While reading is a crucial part of learning, reading the right book or paragraph also plays a role in child development. It is important to analyze the type of content each book presents to kids. As kids read, they also comprehend and process the information. Hence, teachers and parents should stay connected with websites that help them find the right books with creative illustrations to engage the child.

Websites are helpful in encouraging kids to read, however, one platform for reading can be a bit monotonous for little ones. In such situations, teachers and parents can always look for different reading activities and online games. Teachers may also include engaging classroom activities for reading as kids are more likely to respond in a challenging activity environment. In the end, kids should be given proper reading material and one should always check if they are able to understand the information.

Manpreet Singh

An engineer, Maths expert, Online Tutor and animal rights activist. In more than 5+ years of my online teaching experience, I closely worked with many students struggling with dyscalculia and dyslexia. With the years passing, I learned that not much effort being put into the awareness of this learning disorder. Students with dyscalculia often misunderstood for having  just a simple math fear. This is still an underresearched and understudied subject. I am also the founder of Smartynote -‘The notepad app for dyslexia’, 

The post 10 Free Reading Websites For Kids appeared first on Number Dyslexia.

As a middle school student, it can be difficult to find fun and informative vocabulary resources. However, there are many websites available that can help you improve your vocabulary skills. In this post, we will introduce some websites that can help augment your vocabulary. 

Vocabulary websites: Features to look out for

As an educator, you know that a strong vocabulary is essential for success in both reading and writing. You also know that it can be difficult to find high-quality vocabulary resources online.  Below added are some essential features to look for when evaluating a Vocabulary website. With these tips, you can choose the best site for your student’s learning needs and help them build a foundation that will support their future academic success.

1. Simple UI – It should always be kept in mind that the students will spend the maximum time on these websites. Hence, it becomes imperative that the user interface of any website that your kids involve into, comes with as simple a UI as possible. User Interface Design is critical since it has the potential to build or ruin the participation of an individual. In addition, it reduces difficulties, doubles interests, improves functionality, and establishes a strong bond between language education and your kid.

2. The age range of the site: Some sites are geared towards younger children, while others are better suited for older kids. Make sure to choose a site appropriate for your child’s age.

3. The content of the site. Some sites focus on teaching academic words, while others focus on more everyday words. Choose a site that offers the vocabulary you think your child needs to learn.

4. The format of the site. Some sites offer games and other interactive activities, while others provide more traditional lessons. As per the age, grasping ability, and usability of your child, parents must pick websites that suit their needs in particular. Choose the format you think your child will be most interested in and engaged in.

5. The cost of the site. Some sites are free, while others require a subscription. Choose the option that fits your budget and your child’s needs. With so many different vocabulary websites available, one is sure to be perfect for your child.

Take the time to explore your options and find the site that offers your family’s right mix of features.

Websites to improve vocabulary for Middle schoolers 

Vocabulary is key to being successful in middle school and beyond. These seven websites will help students learn new words and definitions in an engaging and interactive way. Have a look below.

1. EdClub 

EdClub is a teaching and learning platform that concerns Vocabulary & Spelling activities. The game comes with a School and an Individual Edition. Teachers and schools can use the School Edition. Whereas, the Individual Edition can be used by students. The latter comes with a dashboard and customization options to play and learn vocabulary.

Each sequence of Common Core-aligned tasks of this activity game is divided by grades. Students begin with a visually appealing course video that is divided into:

• word parts
• definitions, and
• word usage.

Once the video is over, students have to answer brief questions in concern to the words taught in the video. Next, students play games and can gain stars, points, and badges.

Official site

2. Vocabulary.com

This website, as the name suggests, assists students in improving their vocabulary using games and enjoyable learning exercises. The website also offers a dictionary with thousands of sample phrases from contemporary newspapers, journals, and literature. Vocabulary.com, in addition to the dictionary, provides vocabulary items, word challenges, often misunderstood terms, exam prep, vocabulary jams, and various other educational activities.

Whether searching for a specific term or just exploring, you’ll discover a world of helpful explanations and entertaining games. Teachers can engage their students in an incredibly quickly Vocab Jam or provide fully prepared word lists for hundreds of books and themes.

Official site

3. Breaking News English

Breaking News English is a website that provides English language learners with breaking news stories. The stories are written using simple, easy-to-understand language, and they include audio clips so that learners can also listen to the story. Each story also includes comprehension questions and vocabulary lists.

Breaking News English is a ideal resource for English learners because it provides them with current, real-world examples of the language. The stories are also short and focused, which makes them easier to understand than longer, more complex texts. In addition, the audio clips help learners to improve their listening skills. Finally, the comprehension questions and vocabulary lists help learners to consolidate their understanding of the story and expand their vocabulary knowledge.

Official site

4. The International Children’s Digital Library (ICDL) 

The International Children’s Digital Library (ICDL) is a non-profit organization that provides free, high-quality children’s books from around the world through its website. The ICDL Foundation believes that all children deserve access to books regardless of their geographic location or economic circumstances. It offers over 10,000 digital books in more than 60 languages. These books can be read online or downloaded for offline reading.

The ICDL website helps kids who are beginners in learning English. The books are engaging and the site is easy to use. If you’re looking for a way to help your child improve their English skills, the ICDL is an ideal option.

Official site

5. Online Etymology Dictionary

The Online Etymology Dictionary is a resource for middle schoolers looking to improve their vocabulary. The dictionary provides definitions for over 16,000 English words and etymologies ( origins) for each word. This can help students understand the meaning of words in context and learn new words by understanding their roots. In addition, the dictionary includes audio pronunciations for each word, so students can hear how the word is pronounced.

Official site

6. Flocabulary

Flocabulary has a very different twist and takes on this purpose. It is a site that uses rap/hip-hop songs to assist students in building cross-curricular academic vocabulary. In addition, Flocabulary provides a wide range of pre-made courses and activities to assist students in progressing toward mastery. These include the Vocabulary Game, Vocabulary Cards, Lyric Lab, Quiz, and various additional games. 

Teachers may form classes, ask kids to participate, and begin exchanging lessons and homework. They can also evaluate students’ replies, offer timely feedback, and track their learning progress. This is a must-take-in tool for teachers, making their job easy and smooth.

Official site

7. Memrise.com

It’s all about repetitions and memorization at Memrise.com. You start in a “course” and progress through several levels by studying 5 sentences or words at a time. Memrise will constantly bring back previously learned words to help them stay in your mind! In addition, teachers or parents can motivate their children and students by setting daily goals and earning points to motivate them. 

Memrise is a useful language and vocabulary learning tool, especially for beginners discovering new characters and fundamental vocabulary. The fact that it is more than flashcard software keeps it interesting. It has a variety of lessons, videos, and a lot more!

Official site

Conclusion

For middle schoolers, it’s the perfect time to incorporate better and more sophisticated words into their vocabularies. It helps them become better English speakers and writers in the longer run. They even get to discover their style of writing and experiment with it alongside. With constant support from teachers and parents, middle schoolers are bound to fall into such processes of learning new words, and that is the key to becoming proficient in the English language.

Manpreet Singh

An engineer, Maths expert, Online Tutor and animal rights activist. In more than 5+ years of my online teaching experience, I closely worked with many students struggling with dyscalculia and dyslexia. With the years passing, I learned that not much effort being put into the awareness of this learning disorder. Students with dyscalculia often misunderstood for having  just a simple math fear. This is still an underresearched and understudied subject. I am also the founder of Smartynote -‘The notepad app for dyslexia’, 

The post 7 Cool Vocabulary Websites For Middle School Students appeared first on Number Dyslexia.

Students may encounter the concept confusing because it contains matching separate letters or groups of letters to the sounds of spoken English. For example, the letter k can be written as c, k, ck, or ch. In this case, students can be confused as the car has the sound of k with the letter c. When trying to write a word, Phonics helps students acknowledge the sounds first and then write the corresponding letters. Hence, when students are introduced to the right sound, they are more likely to write correct spellings.

As Phonics can be a confusing part of grammar, several free websites help students, parents, and teachers understand the concept better. These websites enable teachers and parents to acquire knowledge, browse fresh activities, and get downloadable material for students.

Free phonic websites for kids

Free websites help students practice reading words wherein they recognize the letters and blend all the corresponding sounds. Check out these websites and ace at Phonics through free knowledge and notes available on the web.

1. Reading Bear

This is an excellent website for kids to access various free learning materials for understanding phonics. The website offers innovative learning techniques to engage children in a fun learning environment. With more than 1200 vocabulary items, it is an encouraging website filled with fundamentals of Phonics.

The website’s home page provides an understanding of the letter sounds. Students can either opt to view engaging presentations to understand the concept or take the quiz on multiple topics including digraphs, syllables, and blends. Human audio used in presentations makes it easier for students to comprehend the pronunciation and meaning of words.

Additionally, the website provides videos under the training videos tab. It includes introductory videos, parts of module training, and generating quiz review tests. The website is helpful for children to operate single-handedly as it is easy to navigate with entertaining graphics.

2. ABC Fast Phonics

An engaging all-online website offers easy access to learning with sounds. With Flash software available on most devices, students can hear the sounds, engage in grammatical concepts, and develop reading skills.

The website uses different cartoon characters and animated pictures to make learning fun for students. As it includes these visually appealing graphics, students can generally learn Phonics without additional help from parents or teachers. These pictures are clickable and produce sound to make students understand the concept. The home page offers various learning lessons on Vowels, letter sounds, consonants, two-letter types, and other phonics-related aspects.

Each lesson opens a new window to introduce students to the world of learning grammar and using the correct letters by listening to the sound. It develops their listening skills and improves their imagination.

3. Teach Your Monster to Read

Presenting an entertaining website best suited for students who love graphics and gaming. While most students love to engage in gaming experiences, this website offers to learn and read through storytelling concepts. The story revolves around a monster wherein children need to play games and find answers to understand Phonics.

The website content is developed to enable students to comprehend their phonics understanding through reading. As students read a story format, they also get an opportunity to play the game. Students can find games for number skills and reading for fun. Each section has a different set of games to offer interactive learning sessions.

Students can log in with student details, or parents can create an account for kids. The website is completely free only on the computer. Children get broad exposure to world education by playing games involving distinctive concepts.

Helpful websites for parents and teachers

While certain websites are more beneficial to students, here are the websites developed for instructors, parents, and adults to access study material and informative topics on Phonics. Check out the websites and take help from the free resources available in each one of them.

1. Phonics.com

Phonics.com is yet another engaging and helpful way for parents and teachers to engage in teaching Phonics. The website is absolutely free for users across the globe as it aims to impart important lifelong skills to students.

The home page is divided into 4 tabs – Phonics Alphabet, Phonics Play, Workbooks, and Blogs. The home page provides an opportunity for different lessons on Phonics. Each lesson offers teaching notes, downloadable revision worksheets, playful games, and workbooks. The best part about the website is that the data is well structured and easy to navigate to the lessons and download materials. This way, parents and teachers can assign these games to children as a part of their classroom or home-based learning activity.

This website is highly beneficial for Homeschoolers as the revision worksheets and workbooks offer visually appealing graphics, descriptive explanations, and entertaining activities for conceptual learning.

2. Lalilo

Lalilo is an interesting website to engage in experiential teaching for teachers. This website is absolutely free for teachers across the world. The website offers multiple training resources and materials excellent for teaching the concept of Phonics. Well, the website offers a lot more than phonics learning.

Teachers need to sign up with their credentials for lifetime access to the website. Various phonics worksheets are easily downloadable by teachers. The website also offers innovative strategies for classroom management, student study plans, sheets for tracking progress, and advice on different subject matters. It offers a bundle of lesson plans and printable to teach Phonics, letter sounds, and other grammatical concepts.

Additionally, the website is home to high-end blogs throwing light on teaching methodologies. The website offers literacy-driven exercises for students and structured planning tools for instructors.

3. Free Phonics Lesson

It can be challenging to compile relevant words and letter sounds for Phonics. Hence, this website is one of the ideal resources for parents and teachers to get exposure to multiple lessons.

On the home page, different sections offer interactive videos, references, and lessons. Teachers and parents can use these links to access multiple Phonics concepts. It covers the prominent lessons on Vowels, suffixes, blends, spelling patterns, digraphs, and silent letters. Each link leads to a lesson and some exercises and activities for students.

With such a website, parents and teachers can easily engage children in solving the exercises as a test or classroom activity. The lesson includes detailed explanations, examples, and reading practice statements at the end. It helps children improve their reading skills, improves concentration, and they find it entertaining with animated graphics.

Features to look out for in a website for phonics

As parents and teachers struggle with finding or creating the course content, it is always a good option to use free websites for teaching grammatical concepts. When using any website, you should keep in mind certain features that are highly essential in teaching children.

• The website should be easy to navigate and offer a user-friendly interface to access the material and study-related articles.
• Websites containing various high-end graphics and engaging animations should also have a mobile compatibility feature to access data in real time.
• Ensure the website offers detailed instructions for games and certain activities, as it can be confusing to figure out things without guidelines or a manual.
• Websites with search bars help teachers or parents get the exact details on a certain topic or teaching concept.
• When looking for a phonics website, ensure the content matches the requirement as certain websites might display irrelevant content, wasting time.
• Instructors and parents can look for websites that offer study materials or books that are easy to download or print for a quick learning session.

Summing up

As Phonics is one of the fundamental grammatical concepts that shape a child’s reading and writing skills, teachers and parents should engage in interactive activities and online games to teach this concept. The website mentioned above combines multiple worksheets, study materials, entertaining games, mobile applications, and well-structured articles.

It is important for instructors to also offer easy exercises to students that are available on the web. This helps students develop reading skills and improves memory. Students receive an excellent opportunity to be a part of an educational community followed by individuals worldwide.

Shweta Sharma

I am Shweta Sharma. I am a final year Masters student of Clinical Psychology and have been working closely in the field of psycho-education and child development. I have served in various organisations and NGOs with the purpose of helping children with disabilities learn and adapt better to both, academic and social challenges. I am keen on writing about learning difficulties, the science behind them and potential strategies to deal with them. My areas of expertise include putting forward the cognitive and behavioural aspects of disabilities for better awareness, as well as efficient intervention. Follow me on LinkedIn

The post 6 Free Phonics Websites You Must Bookmark Right Now appeared first on Number Dyslexia.

The advantage of online handwriting practice is that the pupils can get varying options for free. Also, the fonts are customisable and often don’t need paper to practice. Here we listed out a few websites you can try right away to ensure online handwriting practice.

Can online websites help?

Multiple options like handwriting notebooks and stencils have been effective in giving out a disciplined practice to little ones. Therefore, the need for websites for the same can be a question for some, Can they help?

The answer is a big fat yes! These websites provide you with a range of services, from learning how to trace the letter to familiarize yourself with the alphabet, then moving a step forward with small words, small sentences, and then at the end with multiple sentences. Most of the sites also allow you to customize handwriting worksheets. All of these pointers quite smoothly help us in concluding that using online websites to improve one’s handwriting is a great idea.

Websites to practice your handwriting skills

1. Gynzy

This website provides an online whiteboard through which students are able to practice their writing. It also has a content library that has numerous pre-made and specialized lessons that will help kids improve their handwriting. It allows you to practice print writing as well as Cursive writing. 

Having a couple of options for writing can be a positive sign to improve fundamental skills. The fonts: D’Nealian and Zaner-Bloser fonts can be effective for children.

2. HandWriting Worksheets

Focused on improving the writing skills of children, this site offers worksheets to practice. These sheets come in varying formats and complexity levels. Users can download, and use these sheets anytime in school or at home. 

Users can choose among three writing styles: print, D’Nealian, and Cursive styles. An added edge is that the individual also has the provision to customize their worksheet- making it user-friendly.

3. Worksheet Works

This is a service that allows you to make and print your worksheets. The site teaches and guides learners with a set of worksheets. These can be either customized or can be downloaded for practice later. 

The customizing options here include changes in text size, lines, style, and many more. This implies that the user can get a set of fonts to practice. The process of customizing is also effortless, one can easily slide the bar to change sizes and choose from predetermined options provided.  

4. Letter Trace by abcya.com

Abcya site comes with a gaming lesson for children to learn alphabets, and shapes by letting them trace on the screen. Opening the page, users can see options to choose from to trace: Capital, Lowercase, or numbers. Later they can choose a type of music to play as background music As the training starts, the students are asked to draw a curve or line one after another to finish an alphabet. Background music plays when the user is appropriately drawing the letter. This site can be preferable for young learners as it ensures multisensory learning.

5. Donna Young

This site comes with a unique approach by first explaining the basics of writing and then diving into various activities. Starting with styles, it has separate activities for three different manuscripts. Later, it comes with detailed lessons and worksheets for different related attributes like color rules, gray lines, and card-themed worksheets.

The website also provides you with letter animations that can help you learn how to draw a letter perfectly. With this feature, one can learn the perfect strokes of each letter. 

6. ESL Writing Wizard

Acting as a support for homeschooling parents and also teachers, it comes up with multiple types and complexities of practice. Starting from simple alphabets, it can vary up to multi-word worksheets. With this mix, the site can be chosen for multiple age groups. 

Also, this site assures to support ESL students to master their handwriting skills with easy assignments and worksheets. An added advantage is that users can also avail free workbooks to practice after school.

7. Sky Writer by ICT games

The fundamental part of writing letters and symbols is to understand the curves and shapes.  To teach these tips to young children, this site comes with an interesting animated lesson. For every alphabet, an airplane with smoke goes in a particular shape to form a letter, observing which the student can write alphabets themselves.  

Opening the page, the user can see all the alphabet on each button on the top of the screen. Below that there are options to change the sky color and choose a cursive style. The student can press/click on any of the alphabets, to see how it is written. Also, there are three colors- red, white, and blue smokes to choose from.

8.  Handwriting Worksheet For Print Practice

This site can be a good friend for teachers by helping them to create timely handwriting assignments. It let users make minor changes and customize worksheets for free. The edge here is that the site not only allows alphabets, it also encompasses special symbols, signs, and other language parameters. 

With this site, the users can create sheets in both portrait and landscape modes. Also, they can fabricate flashcards with bigger fonts. 

Winding up…

It is fair to comment that handwriting is one of the eminent and fundamental skills for an individual. Neat and impressive handwriting can instantly create a good impression on the reader. Also, it is important to neatly present the views on paper. With the advanced technology, handwriting practices can be availed online too. With these sources, one can practice in the comfort of their phones and laptops too. Check out the sites stated above and see which of them is the best fit for your child to relish.

Manpreet Singh

An engineer, Maths expert, Online Tutor and animal rights activist. In more than 5+ years of my online teaching experience, I closely worked with many students struggling with dyscalculia and dyslexia. With the years passing, I learned that not much effort being put into the awareness of this learning disorder. Students with dyscalculia often misunderstood for having  just a simple math fear. This is still an underresearched and understudied subject. I am also the founder of Smartynote -‘The notepad app for dyslexia’, 

The post Top 8 Websites To Practice Handwriting Online appeared first on Number Dyslexia.

Online Cuisenaire Rods is a virtual manipulative provided by a website that provides information and activities related to Cuisenaire rods and other tools. These websites can assist a student in their practice or a teacher in demonstrating the concept virtually or in class. The list given below is the eminent choices of these sites as of our research. 

Online Cuisenaire rods-  How does digital manipulative assist?

Digital Manipulative is a great way for kids to learn about the subject through technology. 

• The program allows students to check various websites on their smart devices and use them to create interactive stories or animations. They can also create games and interact with other students. 
• With digital manipulatives, children will be able to take control of what they’re learning and grasp important concepts such as colors, letters, numbers, shapes, and basic mathematical operations. 
• These online Cuisenaire websites can be easily accessed with any device. Since the websites are pretty basic- you don’t need a system with high specifications. 

The online Cuisenaire rods are easy to use as

• You don’t have to buy a physical Cuisenaire rod, hence you can save money.
• The online rods don’t need any kind of handling issues.
• The progression made on online Cuisenaire rods can be saved and shared.
• No additional space is required to store them.
• You can take help with the website if required.

Websites for learning how Cuisenaire rods work

With the presence of smartphones and tablets in the hands of kids, using Online Cuisenaire rods is the simplest way to keep the children’s interest in learning different mathematical concepts. If said crisp and clear- using Online Cuisenaire Rods enhances the child’s interest while learning math and logical concepts. Because playing with colors makes them attached to the subject.

Here are a few websites that the students can engage in to get a better hang of cuisenaire rods.

1. Cuisenaire Rods by cuisenaire rods.surge

Opening with a black gridded screen this web app has an easy-to-use interface with more activity space. Launching it, users can find a few options on the right side of the screen to operate the rods. 

There are particular, three different options a user avail:

1. Rods: Users can come up with new rods from this section. There are five different rods each of varying length and color. Based on the requirement, the user can press/click on that rod to see it appearing in their workspace.
2. Settings: This section has four handy customisation options: zoom in, zoom out, toggle gridlines, and toggle grid numbers. With these options, the child can change the sizes of the activity and also remove grids and reference numbers if needed. 
3. Delete Button: Pressing on this button, the whole formation is cleared bringing back the blank screen to restart again.

The operation of rods is also easy on this site. One can easily press on them to drag and leave at the desired location. One important con that we noticed is that the rods here can only be placed horizontally only. This feature is not a major constraint for many users. 

2.  NRICH by Maths.org

NRICH is an easy-to-use basic digital manipulative which is supported by the University of Cambridge. The interactive Cuisenaire environment in this site comes in handy yet with a large number of features to access and customize. 

Launching the site, the user can see tender greyish working areas with multiple options on the right and bottom of the screen. On the sidebar on right, they can find settings to change background, size, and appearance. Below that child can find options to add ten different rods of varying sizes and colors. And then a bin button where you can drag the rod to delete it. 

There are some controls and other options at the bottom of the screen like a couple of options to move and rotate each rod can be seen. Then, there are options to save, and add grids and labels to the activity. What makes this tool special is the options which makes the availability of preinstalled activities to practice and also a chance to collaborate with peers across the world. 

3. Modeling Fraction Cuisenaire Rods by PBS LEARNING MEDIA

For those who are looking to practice problems with digital cuisenaire rods, this tool may be a better take-in. Launching the tool, the user can make out the serene UI with minimal options and easy operation. 

It gives a question on the top of the screen, User needs to answer it using the digital tool given below. There are ten different rods to choose from the left side of the screen, The player can drag the one towards the activity areas at the center. On the right side of the activity areas there are four options: Hint, Clear, Help and delete. 

There are a total of eight questions that the users can shift by option at the bottom of the screen. Not only for solving these questions but the tools can also be used for other practices too. If the students want to learn about fraction models, this tool can get to the top places of your list. 

4. Math Bars by Math Playground

Math Bars is the cuisenaire manipulative offering from Math Playground. With a focus on improving the interaction of the child, it came up with some unique ways of operating. These make using tools easy and effective. 

The tool screen has an activity area on the top and a few options at the bottom of the screen. In the options bar, there is a rod selection menu, where the user needs to drag the bar to determine the size needed. Then, they can drag the rod to the activity plane. Users can choose if the rods should be labeled with their lengths. Other options include removing rods, clear, grid options, and crumble colors. 

With easy gameplay and a colorful interface, children may like spending their time learning operating cuisenaire rods digitally. Other handy options here include sharing to google classrooms and saving for future use. 

5. Graph Color Bars by TOY THEATER

Looking for a simple tool without any options and effortless operations, this tool by toy theater is a good take-in. Launching this page users can see a simple and serene user interface where there is an activity plane on top and ten rods at the bottom.

All the user needs to do is to drag the desired rod to the activity area and perform their practice. To remove any rod, they can drag them back to the origin.

For handy operations and practice, this tool comes with almost no options making it quite easy to get hands-on. Also, this makes it suitable for young toddlers as well. 

6. Rods by Math Bot

Math  Bot comes with a versatile tool for Cuisenaire Rods. Getting into this tool, the user can clearly make out a plethora of options available. This makes it a unique choice in this list.

The tool has options on the top and an activity area below it. On the left-bottom side, users can make quick access to rods with definitive length and color. Here are some handy options that this tool provides:

• The size of the Rod can be varied to a length of 100 units and also its colors can be customized. 
• Values and letters can be displayed on each rod for high-end calculations. 
• Grids can be applied or removed
• The activity can be Zoomed in and Zoomed out as per convenience
• Rods can be rotated by pressing the Rotate button
• There is an option for the Text box on the rightmost side of the menu. Enabling this option, the user can place a question on top of activity areas to solve it easily.

With all these professional features, it is a good choice for high-grade learners as well. An added advantage here is that the user can choose any color rod of any size, taking it to a next level of customisation. 

7. Cuisenaire Rods by GeoGebra

This tool from Geogebra comes with a simple yet unique operating style. Getting into the site, users can see a list of a few options on the top and an activity area below it. To avail of any of these options, the child needs to click on it and then again click on the area where they want to employ it. 

If the pupil wants to have a 2-units long rod, they should click on the options in the bar. Then come to the activity area and click again to get it there. Similar is the case with other options like edit and erase too.  

At any time, the player can undo a move by pressing the undo option at the top-right side of the screen.  This operating style makes it easy to use across devices 

Wrapping up,

The effective use of a Cuisenaire rod, in the correct form, allows children to perform various mathematical operations. Online options are further assistive with added convenience.  With access to all devices like phones and laptops, these choices may turn out to be easy options.

With the advent of technology, kids can make the most of these websites as they can be a good blend of activity hours along with learning. Check out the list above and see which of these websites may be apt for your little to take them nearer at a click away.

Manpreet Singh

An engineer, Maths expert, Online Tutor and animal rights activist. In more than 5+ years of my online teaching experience, I closely worked with many students struggling with dyscalculia and dyslexia. With the years passing, I learned that not much effort being put into the awareness of this learning disorder. Students with dyscalculia often misunderstood for having  just a simple math fear. This is still an underresearched and understudied subject. I am also the founder of Smartynote -‘The notepad app for dyslexia’, 

The post Top 7 Websites For Practicing Cuisenaire Rods Concepts Online appeared first on Number Dyslexia.

 A brain break is often exactly what it sounds like: a short respite that rejuvenates learners to continue the session. These intervals can have an online influence as well. For instance, the learner can interact online as a brain break or get ideas for activities. A few websites can assist pupils with the same. Accordingly, here, we will explore our ten choices of websites for learners. 

Brain breaks: Why is it crucial?

It may often require mental effort to concentrate on a job. This is also true for youngsters who are still establishing their attentional processes. In the case of young learners who are excited to learn about their surroundings, attentional skills and patience may need a boost up. They often attempt to pay attention but may strain to get through the long tasks. 

Accordingly, between classroom assignments, brain breaks or movement breaks can be employed as part of a sensory diet or as a whole-classroom exercise.

The main objective of a brain break is to provide students with gaps throughout learning times so that their minds are saved from being stressed from extended periods of continuous study. Students may take advantage of brain pauses to breathe, relax, recharge, and refocus. Pupils can experience physical and emotional stress as a result of their focus; here brain breaks may help to get rid of this tension, allowing them to stay at the instructional level of learning.

Short brain breaks have been demonstrated to be beneficial for elementary children as well^[1]. These can assist children in focusing and being more productive. Brain breaks can also help children learn to self-regulate and recognize when they’re becoming irritable or losing track of what they’re doing.

Websites for brain breaks: How are they helpful?

Brain breaks can be ensured for the learners in multiple ways, among which websites may be an eminent choice. This is not only because it drastically decreases the role of the mentor but also because of diversification. Here are a few edges that you may prefer to have a look:

• Learn to operate Smartphones: Most children spend hours of time on various websites and develop a habit of using smart gadgets. When children are being given smartphones during the breaks, they will take this as a reward and study more efficiently when they know they will be rewarded for it. 

• Source of Recreation: These websites may often prove to be entertaining for the children and, at the same time, release their stress. It proves to be an effective stress booster in removing stress if any in these little brains. 

• Better Visual Learning: when kids take brain breaks, their neurons will be able to grasp the visual information in a much better way. This further enhances their learning process as they are easily able to retain information when their mind is refreshed.

• Free to access: The websites are free to access and can be easily used by anyone at any time of the day. You just need a smart gadget and a reliable internet connection, and you are good to go.

• Learners can get into a Community: The websites teach kids new things and help them in developing their likes and dislikes of various options available to them, be it dance websites, cooking, playing games, etc.

Brain break websites to freshen up & refresh

 Understanding how websites may turn associative, you may be enticed to make a search for the best choices. To make your expedition effortless, here we elucidate a list of websites for you. These options may be a better choice for your little one.

1. Go noodle

Go Noodle is a website that offers free desk-side brain break exercises for the entire class. It includes short, music-filled movies that introduce games and activities to pupils. There are three main sorts of brain breaks that you might employ at different times during the school day. 

You can use AirTime to quiet students down before a test, To The Maximo to focus students’ minds via yoga, or run with us to make them more active. 

Further, activities based on dance, food, and video games ensure diversity for users to choose. With an interactive interface and video explanations, this site can be a good choice for brain break activities. 

Official Website

2. TED

TED organizes thought-provoking presentations presented at events across the world on the basic subjects of technology, entertainment, and design – but actually spanning almost every facet of human existence. All of the videos of these speeches may be found on the TED website.

The website opens with a serene white and red theme. The user can get a glance at recent releases, talks, and features. Further, a few options on the top-right side of the screen can assist the viewer in accessing other content as well. 

Children might be inspired while learning about different people’s lives and tales by viewing these videos. These videos will motivate them during their breaks, making them even more productive.

Official Website

3. Iron kids

Iron kids website provides various options such as races, training, programs, virtual cycling etc. for kids. It has motivating visuals of little kids being energetic and performing physical activities.

IronKids has everything a child needs to safely and efficiently increase strength, balance, and fitness; prepare for sports success, and remain playing by avoiding injury. It includes video instruction on 9 core, upper body, and lower body exercises, as well as strength training advice and tools for creating unique routines.

As physical activity is the most effective brain break a child can take. Using this website, children will become more active, and their stamina will increase. This will reduce their stress and anxiety and make them more energetic.

Official Website

4. Audible

This website includes ample books, and the visuals are attractive, with options of various books to choose from. 

Getting the children to listen to audiobooks is an underappreciated leisure activity. Children must practice reading at whatever level they are capable of. This not only enhances their reading skills but also broadens their vocabulary and worldview.

 Children can use audible websites to listen to audiobooks when they are tired. They can listen to the audiobook in any genre that they like as they have a wide variety of options to choose from.

Official Website

5. Disney now

When you start Disney now, firstly kids have to make their profile by choosing a cartoon sticker. Children then see the attractive and colorful website wherein they have various options like playing games, watching shows, etc. 

Most children are fans of the Disney characters Mickey and friends. This is the place to keep kids occupied during their leisure time since the site offers infinite opportunities to study while having fun. The coloring sheets, activities, and films will keep the youngsters entertained while indirectly improving their hand-eye coordination, memory, and color matching skills.

Official Website

6. The Kidz page

This website is essentially a playground for children, with over 5,000 pages of engaging activities and games. The parents will have a difficult time deciding what to do with all of the endless joy and information. While opening the website, you will see various options for coloring, stories, videos, playing games, etc. 

The website also offers various activities related to each festival. Children can choose their favorite occasion and play the games accordingly. Online coloring pages, word games, and jigsaw puzzles are among the most popular parts among children. 

Surprisingly, the site has whole areas dedicated only to keeping youngsters entertained throughout their brain breaks.

Official Website

7. Lil’ fingers storybook

 This website offers activities like storybooks, games, coloring, etc. for young kids in their free time. Lil’ Fingers is a great way to introduce children to the world of reading as well. 

Lil’ Fingers contains large buttons and vivid colors to entice a kid to stories such as Bears In Bed and One Little Rabbit. The site also recommends books that parents should consider adding to their child’s library or borrowing from the library. There are also activities and films to keep a young mind occupied.

Official Website

8. Fuel up to play 60

Fuel up to play 60 is a nationwide initiative aimed at assisting children in becoming healthy. They assist instructors in introducing brief activity breaks throughout lessons as part of their job. 

The site opens up with an interactive white-green theme. Users can access multiple videos demonstrating a brain break activity. There are two filters that viewers can apply: Healthy eating and physical activity. 

As the name depicts, physical activity filters get activities on the screen which may be used as brain breaks. By choosing healthy eating, learners may go through valuable insights about eating habits to retain health. 

Beyond health and fitness, Fuel Up to Play 60 has a lot of advantages for kids. All of the resources are available on the websites in the form of videos that the children can play at any time. They can watch diet videos, exercise videos, etc. during their breaks.

Official Website

9.  Kidz world

This website includes videos and activities full of animations and heroic pictures meant to temp children. The website offers the options of playing games, watching videos, etc. 

Children can use this website for their entertainment purposes. This app is full of engaging and interesting stuff for kids. Learners can play videos or watch movies of various genres. They can also play online games on this website. Solving puzzles or quizzes adds up to the collection. 

Children can choose from a variety of options and give rest to their brains using this website, making this a good choice in the list. 

Official Website

10 Cosmic kids

This website starts with the home page, wherein Martin greets the children. There are various options on the website. Kids may watch videos or posters of yoga poses.

CosmicKids features videos that students may watch and learn from. This website concentrates on yoga and flexibility. Children can watch the training videos on websites and do those exercises. They can perform yoga during their break as it will calm their mind. 

Performing yoga relaxes the mind, and their concentration and sense of calmness improve. It can also help if the student is struggling with anxiety.

Official Website

Conclusion

Going harder and longer may result in increased production with good breaks. With fitting recreations the capacity to be productive and absorb new knowledge retains. This is especially true for younger students, who are in the process of developing attentional skills for longer durations. These websites may act as a great tool for kids to have brain breaks. Check these above-mentioned choices to see if any of these can be the one for you.

References:

1. Godwin, K. E., Almeda, M. V., Seltman, H., Kai, S., Skerbetz, M. D., Baker, R. S., & Fisher, A. V. (2016). Off-task behavior in elementary school children. Learning and Instruction, 44, 128-143.

Manpreet Singh

An engineer, Maths expert, Online Tutor and animal rights activist. In more than 5+ years of my online teaching experience, I closely worked with many students struggling with dyscalculia and dyslexia. With the years passing, I learned that not much effort being put into the awareness of this learning disorder. Students with dyscalculia often misunderstood for having  just a simple math fear. This is still an underresearched and understudied subject. I am also the founder of Smartynote -‘The notepad app for dyslexia’, 

The post Top 10 Websites To Consider For Brain Breaks appeared first on Number Dyslexia.

Depending upon the types of learning styles, the students need to have a repertoire of resources in hand. In this post, I will talk about visual learning and the relevant websites and apps that support the needs of learners who are comfortable with this style.

Visual learner says ‘I learn by seeing‘

Show me and I will remember it! This seems to be the mantra of acquiring knowledge for visual learners. The visual learning method comprises the use of books with rich imagery, charts, flowcharts, diagrams, videos, etc. The keyword is ‘Show’ for imparting visual learning. Often, you come across people who find it difficult to keep with the verbal instructions meted out to them. They rather ask, ‘show me how it is done, or ‘show me where it is.’ They can recall the learning quite effortlessly when they acquire information by seeing the process, location, model, etc.

Here are a few characteristic signs of a visual learner:

• Quite interested in Lego, model-making and solving puzzles
• Recalls a movie scene as it is even if watched just once
• Remembers a location of a place perfectly once visited
• Uses lots of flowcharts to brainstorm ideas
• Loves reading books with illustrations and rich imagery
• Interested in computer-aided learning methods
• Usually good spellers

To make learning easier for such types of learners, the digitally transformed education sector has proved to be effective. The technological revolution in Education has led to the introduction of websites and apps that complement visual learning styles. A few of such resources are annotated here.

Websites and apps for visual learners

1. Lucid: Learn Visually

Lucid is for visual learners that can acquire knowledge more easily by seeing. A lot of visually stimulating study materials are included in this app. With visuals at the core of the product, the app provides engaging material to students. Learners who want to do courses in the field of psychology, technology, health, history, finance, and even leadership can benefit from this educational support.

You may find a lot of insights that walk the learners through several concepts elaborated through visual explanations. Apart from insights, daily quizzes are offered to students to check their proficiency levels. It is also useful for doing professional courses on psychology, UX designing, etc. Additional learning support comes in the form of visual guides to some of the bestselling books, such as Atomic Habits by James Clear, The Beginner’s Guide to Stock Market by Matthew Kratter, etc. In essence, this app can provide a wholesome resource for learners inclined to the visual style of acquiring knowledge.

App Link: App Store

2. Mindly (Mind Mapping)

Visual learners learn through pictures, flowcharts, and diagrams. They are used to making flowcharts for organizing their thoughts. Mindly offers handy support for such learners to prepare for various tasks. They can use it for structuring their thoughts. A few of the striking features of this app are – a color scheme for various elements, a visual clipboard, notes or icons to highlight elements, etc.

Mindly helps achieve various objectives at work. The users can employ it to plan a project or prepare a speech. Idea collection, brainstorming, summarizing, and outlining a meeting plan are some of the functions one can perform on this app. It serves the visual learners’ need of storing and processing information in the format they relate to the best.

App Link: Playstore | App Store

3. Picmonic

Picmonic is an app that focuses on the learning needs of K12 grade students and those interested in the study of medicines. The name is coined after combining pictures and mnemonics. Thus, it is a collection of rich imagery and various mnemonics that can simplify memorizing of complex terms peculiar to the medical field.

The app allows learning more in less time. The users’ ability to retain memory reportedly increases three times by leveraging the pluses of this app. Quizzes are offered in a spaced repetition manner to provide a soft alternative to the activity of mugging up answers. The app is designed keeping several pre-medical, medical, and paramedical courses in mind. Overall, it eases studying medicine and helps in exam preparation too.

App Link: App Store | Playstore

4. Drops: for Language Learning

Take language learning to the next level of ease and fun with Drops. This app claims to have removed the word ‘boring’ from the task of learning vocabulary and is absolutely right too! A huge collection of various international languages is included in this app. The visual learners grasp the meaning through word-picture association. Thus, you can visualize the meaning as well as use and gain better retention of the words learned.

Not only the languages but the dialects too can be learned with this language learning app for visual learners. It teaches languages in a gamified manner, by giving challenges to beat to the learners. Users may not require more than 5 minutes a day to practice the words and enrich their vocabulary further. There are alphabet courses also available for language beginners who want to master Chinese, Japanese, German, etc.

App Link: App Store | Playstore

5. BrainPOP

BrainPOP helps conquer all learning challenges by providing an engaging way of acquiring skills. Whether you want to brush up on your reading, writing, math, general awareness, or take the topics as a beginner, this website offers reliable support. Transform the screen time into a learning hour by exploring and doing activities related to the subjects of your choice.

Designed for Grades K-3 to 8+, this website is enriched with lessons, quizzes, and tons of tips and tools that can prepare kids holistically. From basic language skills to gaining knowledge of demand-supply, ecosystem, mindfulness, and others, the site acts as the one-stop learning destination for homeschoolers as well as school kids.

Website Link

6. Visuwords

‘Wish there was a visual dictionary to help me become a spelling nerd!’ If you feel stuck with the limited resources for building vocabulary using visual means, Visuwords helps you have the one. This happening website offers a visual dictionary where the hints are provided through pictures. By presenting ideas around any word in a color-coded manner, and using link diagrams, the learners visualize the words and ingrain their meaning, usage as well as related phrases.

It is a unique concept built for teaching words in a way that makes sense to visual learners. Since learning English requires a lot of indoctrination, the learners can overcome the confusion and learn the words as meant to be. It offers the best answer to all questions that may pop a visualizer’s mind and helps to keep the focus on learning instead of letting it meander aimlessly.

Website Link

7. TedEd

A visual learner sees some content such as a video or a movie and is most likely to remember all its events. That quality can be put to use by providing them videos on the topics they feel inclined to. TedEd offers the convenience of accessing video lessons by choosing the subject as well as age. It is a storehouse of information and walks the users through interactive sessions that ensure that learning is much more elaborate and sustainable.

Learners can create their own video lessons, interact with others to discuss the topic, or talk about experiences. This serves the need for community learning and breaks the monotony of reading from books and writing Q&As.

Website Link

Visual learning supports available at websites and apps

How do websites and apps make the feat easier for visual learners? It is through several engaging features that may strengthen the corpus callosum and make it more helpful in integrating inputs to decode the underlying information^[2]. You may find features, such as:

• Infographics
• Videos
• Memes
• Mnemonics
• Pictures and illustrative explanations
• Interactive lessons
• Flowcharts and flow-chart making support, and lots.

These features supplement the auditory and sequential learning tools that a visual learner may find insufficient. While suggesting the tool, it is advisable to decode the learning style correctly first. That helps pick the options that bring in favorable outcomes.

Conclusion

The learning styles of children are not the same; hence the instructional methods need molding. Education needs to be more learning-oriented and should be accommodating to a wider audience. Websites and apps help bridge the gap between the learners’ needs and the educational tools’ features. While the screen time, the engagement ability, and the outcomes continue to be the question of debate, these tools prove to be the stepping stone towards a transformed educational space.

References:

1. Othman, N., & Amiruddin, M. H. (2010). Different Perspectives of Learning Styles from VARK Model. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 7, 652–660. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2010.10.088
2. Marta Pietrasanta, Laura Restani, Matteo Caleo, “The Corpus Callosum and the Visual Cortex: Plasticity Is a Game for Two”, Neural Plasticity, vol. 2012, Article ID 838672, 10 pages, 2012. https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/838672

Pratiksha Bhatt

I am Pratiksha Bhatt, Bachelor of Life Science, and Masters in Management Studies. I have done certification courses in early education counseling. I am a writer, a mother of a child with spelling difficulties which drove me to alternative resources of education like manipulatives and participatory activities. My areas of expertise are learning difficulties, alternative learning methods, and activity-based learning.

The post 7 Helpful Websites And Apps For Visual Learners appeared first on Number Dyslexia.

From math formulas to English grammar, flashcards help with almost every subject. But, are you still buying your flashcards? Well, making them can also be a great option! But have you thought about making them hassle-free online? 

If you run searches on the internet and even search on the app store of your mobile, you will find that there are a host of websites and apps that will help you make your own flashcards. Make creative flashcards using the templates and other features available on these graphic designing tools like images, icons, themes, and symbols. 

After you are done making your flashcards, these websites will allow you to download and print them out too. On this note, let’s check out some similar websites in this post! 

Flashcards: A crucial learning manipulative

Flashcards are learning aids and have information that students need to know, remember, and recall later. These cards are, therefore, memorization tools. Schools have used flashcards as study aids for years and years now. 

If you want to introduce kids to new concepts and toddlers to new words or images, flashcards are one of the best ways to engage them for teaching so. They are playful means to teach children something new. There are a few remarkable advantages of using flashcards for teaching-learning in class. Flashcards are used to reap the benefits of repetition and develop children’s memorization capability. 

When learners are at a very young age, they learn better through play. Teaching and learning using flashcards is so much fun. One can also use digital flashcards to boost early childhood education as an educator. 

When teaching preschoolers, the main benefits of flashcards are that they help in cognitive development, make a toddler more aware of the world, develop fine motor skills, inculcate thinking skills, and help in instilling confidence.

Websites that lets you create flashcards online

Since traditional flashcards have been effective and successful study aids, these handy tools have also evolved themselves to be more adapted in today’s age of social media platforms and functional applications. 

No more spending hours making flashcards using index cards and markers; You can make digital flashcards in shapes and sizes of your choice. All one would need is either a smartphone, a laptop or desktop, or a tablet. If you want to hold these flashcards physically, most of the top websites will let you print your digital flashcards. 

If you want to create unique flashcards, the following websites are your best bet:

1. Brainscape

Brainscape ranks number 1 in our list, and it has also managed to garner millions of subscribers. Its smart interface has made it a favorite among people. There is a daily card limit, though, and for creating unlimited flashcards and adding audio and images to them, you will have to opt for a paid membership.

There are color-coded flashcards that can be used on a wide variety of subjects. Brainscape’s sensible class structure helps to track a learner’s progress. 

The standout feature is that it pays importance to problem areas in later sessions. Students and educators can make their flashcards easily using their android, iPhone or even an iPad. 

Official Website

2. Cram

If you are a novice at making online flashcards and looking for a simplistic online tool for it, signing up at Cram is a must. After setting up your free account, you have to make a new set of Flashcards. This can be done for any subject. There is a flashcard editor which will help you to add information at the front and back of the flashcards and also to add pictures or any text. 

After creating a set of creative flashcards, you can use them for evaluating your students by playing a quiz or a game using them. Educators can also use them to teach information to students. 

The Cram app works on Android and iOS devices too.

Official Website

3. Flashcard Online

The flashcard generator in Flashcard Online is also very easy to understand. The best thing is users do not have to sign up for an account at all. You can still make flashcards from wherever you want. The steps of creating the flashcards are very easy to follow. 

While creating your teaching material, Select a design out of a large number of templates. Educators can save them as PDFs once they are done. Users will be able to download them for free too. Keeping a PDF file handy is helpful when you would want to print them out.

Official Website

4. Quizlet

The flashcard creator on this website is very organized and another ideal one for beginner flashcard makers. Way back in 2005, Andrew Sutherland had created this educational website. This online flashcard maker is extremely straightforward. 

If you want to create flashcards on Quizlet, you will simply have to provide the necessary definitions and information. To make the flashcards more effective for teaching, you can add pictures to each card. Both students and teachers can visit Quizlet to learn about different studying materials and methods. On top of that, the website is completely free!

Official Website

5. GoConqr

If you want to teach some key information to your students, make the ideal flashcards by using the GoConqr website. The flashcard-making procedure is quite advanced on this platform. The website has a lot of free content and also features like a calendar and groups. To use the premium features, one would have to buy a subscription to the website. 

Teachers who are teaching a certain subject or grade can share the information once they create their profiles. You will be able to make flashcards by clicking on ‘Create.’ You can use both the sides of flashcards and also format the background, text, and so on using the editor. Users can also import cards on GoConqr.  

Official Website

6. StudyBlue

StudyBlue is now Chegg after Chegg has acquired this student education platform. Here not only experts but students can make and review flashcards according to their needs. A student can create an accounting by sharing where and what they are studying. These pieces of information are useful in recommending appropriate flashcards. 

While studying or teaching, you can flip these flashcards in any order and can also use them for quizzes. If you are a student, the result given at the end of every session will definitely help with improvement.

Official Website

7. ProProfs

This is another of the top sites where you can create flashcards using a free account. You will get the option of creating a flashcard using a template that must be selected beforehand. With this online flashcard maker, you will be able to make five flashcards in minutes. 

ProProfs is one of the best flashcard makers because there are great features like the ability to share the flashcards through emails, embed code, shareable links, and on social sites. Users can play games and quizzes and see the website’s knowledge base. You can put both images and texts on flashcards and also edit your previous stack of flashcards as you want to. There is a lot of flexibility.

Official Website

Why should you make flashcards online?

The biggest plus point of making flashcards online is that it saves paper. It also saves one from spending money as an educator when you make flashcards online. This is also because most websites will let users create creative flashcards for free. 

Flashcards are handy tools for revision. They support the techniques of constant repetition and assist in fast learning. By making online flashcards, you will help your students to remember grammar rules, important dates and notes, equations and formulas, and so on. Teachers can also use them to conduct quizzes. 

Conclusion

On the internet, you will find multiple ways of generating flashcards. Thanks to the advancement of technology, all of the above-listed websites will help you. They provide hassle-free tools to make flashcards without paying any money. These websites also have some helpful features that make them special and worthy of being called the best websites for making online flashcards. 
Individuals who like to teach with the help of flashcards or are going to attempt it for the first time should visit one of these websites. Boost your classes while you teach by using flashcards you have made. Try these sites to make flashcards according to your teaching needs.

Manpreet Singh

An engineer, Maths expert, Online Tutor and animal rights activist. In more than 5+ years of my online teaching experience, I closely worked with many students struggling with dyscalculia and dyslexia. With the years passing, I learned that not much effort being put into the awareness of this learning disorder. Students with dyscalculia often misunderstood for having  just a simple math fear. This is still an underresearched and understudied subject. I am also the founder of Smartynote -‘The notepad app for dyslexia’, 

The post 7 Websites For Making Creative Flashcards Online appeared first on Number Dyslexia.