K5 Learning Blog

We keep working on expanding our free worksheet pages, and today we’re introducing a new section of free and printable flashcards.  We’re beginning with flashcards for the basic math facts – addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. 

The idea is that you print out the pages, fold each page down the centre and then cut each individual card out with a front and back for each card.

More will follow as we have plans to offer flashcards for the alphabet, sight words, numbers, telling time, homophones, skip counting, and more.  Let us know if there are any specific areas you’d like flashcards for, and we’ll include those in our plans.

Continuing our series on the skills our kids need to succeed, today we’ll focus on the ability to self-regulate.  What is self-regulation and why is it important for our kids to have this skill?

In a nutshell, self-regulation is the ability to control one’s own feelings, thoughts and actions.  According to Dr. Claire Cameron Ponitz of the University of Virginia “Self-regulation underlies our daily decisions and long-term behavioral tendencies.  When people make poor choices - for example about health, school, work, or relationships, it is usually because of a failure of self-regulation.”

And why is it important our kids learn to self-regulate?  Ponitz continues:  “With regard to early development, children who learn to control themselves and make good choices do better socially and academically than children who are overly angry, aggressive or impulsive.”

By Sheila Welch 

For February, Black History Month, I’m offering four books that  capture the essence of the African-American experience in our country. Children of any background will be enthralled by the determined spirit of the real people who’re featured in these stories.  

Coming Home: from the life of Langston Hughes written and illustrated by Floyd Cooper is a fictionalized account of the childhood years of the famous poet. In combination with lush, golden- toned paintings, the text tells about Langston’s lonely early life and his dreams to find a place to call home. This is the perfect story for children ages six to ten. It makes a good bedtime read-aloud and might encourage children who are dreamers to write their own poems.

Freedom River written by Doreen Rappaport is illustrated with deep-hued, collage and watercolor illustrations by Bryan Collier that emphasize the river theme and are as dark and scary as the story. The hero, John Parker, was born a slave. After buying his freedom, he became a successful businessman who risked his life – over and over – to help slaves escape to freedom across the Ohio River. Children from eight to twelve will be thrilled to read this suspenseful tale.

As parents we want to protect our kids from all bad things from happening to them, but unfortunately we can’t be there for them all the time and, what’s more, as they grow older we need to be there for them in a different way – not cushioning them from falling, but helping them to find the resolve to pick themselves up.

Our kids will deal with problems big and small – ranging from adapting to a new classroom, to bullying by classmates, or even more traumatic events.  To boot, there are the uncertainties of growing up.  The ability to thrive despite these challenges depends on your child’s resilience.