Workbooks for Kiddos

That's right.  I AM a teacher and I did use the "w" word.  *gasp*  Ok, now that we're all over that... let's move on to my fun post!  I am all about using the multiple intelligences when teaching/learning.  I am all about using hands on experiences and manipulatives.  I am all about differentiated instruction and meeting the kid where he or she is at.  I am all about exploring, seeing, hearing, and doing while learning.  However, we live in a pencil and paper kind of world.  While all those things are great (and if you know what I'm talking about by all that teacher-ese, then you also know from this blog that I do those things), sometimes you just have to use worksheets and workbooks.  It's how kids have to show what they've learned in the classroom.  Even though there is a huge swing to try to get rid of or use less pen and paper activities, it is still there.  Plus, it's the real world too.  Think how many adult jobs have to show what they know by "writing a report" or doing some sort of pen and paper work.  I think people (ok, probably teachers), sometimes get on their high horse about workbooks and worksheets and forget the reality of the situation.  (Now, mind you, I don't think using only worksheets is a good idea either.  I'm just saying you can't throw them out the window completely!  Balance! They are not evil.)

All that to say... Little Man and I do workbooks as one way to learn and reach our goals.  Lucky for me, he L-O-V-E-S them!!  We don't do them every day.  Actually, we don't even necessarily do them every other day.  We do them very randomly, but I try to do them at least once a week.

Ok.  Sorry.  I thought I was off my preaching and ready to show you a book, but I have my own soap box I need to stand on for a minute.  It drives me cuh-razy that parents out there don't know and realize they have to work with their kids.  It's utterly confusing to me how someone can think, "I send my kid to preschool.  They'll teach them everything they need to know."  Really?  Really?  You have no idea how many kids I have tutored simply because mom and dad did nothing with them at home.  Yes, preschool will teach them things.  Yes, they will learn in Kindergarten.  Yes, that is what school is for, but you also have to put some work in here people!!!  ((kindly steps off soap box))

Back to the point of this (all over the place) post...

I thought I'd share with you some workbooks that we use and that I, as a teacher, think are good.  The following is one of those books.

I started teaching Little Man how to use and hold a scissors correctly soon after he turned 3.  I wanted him going into preschool with at least a basic knowledge of what was going on.  It is one of his favorite things to do now.  And honestly, sometimes he cuts better as a 3 (now 4) year old than some of my first graders did.  I started with just a piece a paper and worked on actually getting it cut.  This is much harder than you think.  Then I drew a line on on a piece of construction paper and had him try to cut along the line.  K eventually bought us this book.  It's awesome.  If you have a 3 year old, I recommend it.  (or a 4 year old.  or a 5 year old that still has problems cutting.)  It's great for fine motor skills and it progresses along nicely.

It starts off just having you follow a path with a pencil or crayon.

There are a few pages like this.

Then it moves on to tracing lines.  Again, there are a few pages like this and each page gets progressively harder.

From there you move on to tracing and coloring shapes.

Then comes the cutting.  This book is made for classroom use as well, so there are activities back to back.  I copied all of the pages that needed cutting, as to not cut the back side at the same time.  This also allowed me to copy it multiple times if there was a page that Little Man was struggling with.

Cutting getting a little harder...

Moving on to cutting shapes.  You also have to color each shape a different color, which is another good skill to be practicing.

I cut the directions out and taped them on a piece of construction paper, and then taped the shapes on to the construction paper and dated it.  That way, if K wanted to save it she could, but also she could see how he did as well.

Lastly, you had to use all the skills together--trace, color, cut out a shape and then glue.

It has 48 reproducible, easy to tear out pages and can be purchased for $7 on Amazon, or $5.50 here.