arts and crafts

Making Learning Fun For Everyone: Tips From a Teacher

reward chart with black and rainbow markers
New Year means back to school! Whether your child is schooling in-person or virtual, a good schedule and rewards system can help the transition back to school. OOLY has great supplies to make distance learning from home more fun and engaging! Making learning fun this back to school season is easy with these ideas. craft supplies on wooden table To get started, you will need the following:

black and rainbow markers with school schedule on white surface

Daily Schedule!

A good schedule can not only keep your child on track, but help you as a parent stay up-to-date with their daily activities! No more late zoom calls or sessions cut short. Follow these simple steps to create a hanging schedule. Step 1: Grab a white sheet of paper from The Paper Works. I cut one inch from the bottom and right side so it could be framed, but this is optional! Step 2: Write your title using the Rainbow Sparkle Glitter Markers. These are not only smooth to write with, but the shimmer catches light that will also catch your child’s eye-bringing constant glances and a higher chance of staying on schedule! Step 3: Color code your day! School-aged children find color coding easy to process, and this also can give them another visual cue to what they are doing. Orange means food, blue means reading, and red means math! This way, children can rely on colors to direct their day if they are budding readers. Step 4 (optional): Frame on a black sheet from The Paper Works for contrast, and boom! Now you and your little one have a sparkling, eye catching schedule to keep you on track.

paper note on laptop with letter stickers

Laptop Agenda & To Do!

Virtual learning means your child is most likely using a laptop and spending a lot of time with it. For a quick reminder, make a small agenda to tap to the hand rest section of the laptop keyboard! Step 1: Cut a 2” by 2” square from The Paper Works. Step 2A: For students who thrive with sensory input, the Itsy Bitsy stickers offer popping graphics and texture students can feel during class or work time. This will help them focus even more! Spell out the daily to do and jazz it up with some stars or hearts from the same sticker sheet. Step 2B: For the self-sufficient students who love to check things off, grab your Switch-Eroo markers! These change colors when they meet the white end. Write the agenda on a square, and as they pass, color over them with the white end. The colors will change! Red, orange, light green and blue all change to a yellow, making it even easier to see what has and has not been tackled. Step 3: Tape your square down with some painters tape (to protect the surface of your device) and you are ready to rock.

reward chart and rainbow markers

Rewards Chart!

No matter the age, children are somewhat motivated by rewards. Create your own “scratch off” with the magic of Switch-Eroos! Writing with the invisible end first and coloring over will still bring the color changing magic. Step 1: Pull out a grid sheet from The Paper Works for easy boxes! Create as many as you’d like. Step 2: With the white end of any Switch-Eroo marker, draw in your prizes! For added suspense, draw in a few doodles in a couple cells. This will make choosing a box even more fun! Step 3: When it comes time for your child’s reward, have them color over a cell with any of the Switch-Eroo colors to reveal their prize! Pro Tip: You can make a miniature sized chart for the laptop space as well. Just follow the above steps on a 2”x2” square instead! This will be great for in-the-moment reinforcement. Happy new year and happy back-to-school season! The above tips are sure to get your children amped up for their second semester and bring great joy and reward as they transition into spring. Happy crafting!

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