If you teach multiple children at home or in a school setting, you know how valuable and needed independent activities are. I don’t really see how you can teach multiple children on different levels without having some independent activities for kids to be doing while you’re teaching other students.
Last year, my oldest son drew and colored some clip art for an independent activities choice board for my preschooler and Kindergartner and I was asked if it was a free download on the blog. This year, our independent activities choice board has been revamped a bit and I am offering it as a free download. {Download is towards the end of this post.}
*This post contains affiliate links.
I will say upfront that I have two options you can download and use, but I do not plan on making more for individual needs as I am the one who drew the clip art. If you like the idea, you can easily use the template on pg. 3 of the download to create your own for home or the classroom. It’s very simple.
Three Quick Tips When Using Independent Activities
Before we jump right into the choice boards, I wanted to quickly highlight three very important pieces to independent activities:
1. They need to be independent! I know that sounds like a big “DUH!”, but so often we place new activities in front of kids and wonder why they keep asking us for help. The materials and learning ideas need to be things we’ve already taught them. Things they can do on their own.
2. Learning activities need to be self-checking. This means the child knows where to find the answers to check his own. We definitely don’t want to have our kids practicing skills the wrong way!
3. Kids need to know what you expect. It doesn’t help to have a wonderfully thought out activity if kids don’t know how you expect them to behave or clean up after themselves. Cleaning 200+ alphabet beads scattered everywhere isn’t the most exciting use of your day. {Ask me how I know.}
Take the time to walk them through your activities and model what you want to see. Give them a chance to try it and give feedback on how they did.
Independent Activities Choice Board
I am VERY passionate about providing kids choices whenever we can. Kids have enough decisions made for them and it’s nice for them to feel some sense of control over what they do. Providing kids choices can also boost their interest and motivation…a HUGE key in learning!
To set up our independent activities choice board, I simply printed it onto card stock and laminated it. I taped it to a magnetic cookie sheet.
The reason I chose a cookie sheet is because I wanted to use our Power Magnets. I assigned a color to each of my kiddos {ages 3, 5, and 6}. Because we have a homeschool co-op day on Fridays, leaving 4 days at home, I only included four of each color.
When my kids want to pick an activity {activities can last anywhere from 15-30 minutes}, they simply take one of their color magnet and place it on the picture.
The next day, they pick their second magnet and move it to another choice. This helps them {and me} visually see where they have and haven’t been. At the end of the week, the magnets are put back in place and see start all over again.
Ideas for Independent Activities
Again, these are just the activities we using this year. I’m sure next year will change. But I thought I’d include a few ideas and links if you choose to use our choice boards.
1. Playdough
- Alphabet Playdough Mats
- Seasonal Playdough Mats
- Short Vowel Playdough Mats
- Shape Playdough Mats {Confessions of a Homeschooler}
- Number Playdough Mats {Homeschool Creations}
- Playdough “I Can” Ideas {Pre-K Pages}
Playdough mats can be kept in a notebook and slipped into plastic sleeve protectors so you can just pull the notebook out and give it to them. We also like to add extras to playdough time like jewels, small beads, or Cootie pieces to change it up a bit.
2. Reading
- Provide independent reading bins
- Create a fun, comfortable, and quiet place to read
- Provide lots of reading choices – I have a bin for library books, a bin for books that I’ve read aloud that they can revisit, big books, and then they have their independent reading bins.
- Let them keep a fun book log
3. Free Choice
- My kids choose from the bins of toys we have in our schoolroom or they can play with our kitchen play set in the playroom or jump on our indoor trampoline. You can adapt this to use toys and items you already have, but keep it simple and as no prep as possible!
4. Computer or iPad
Some of our favorite websites are:
- Starfall {I bought the membership}
- ABCya
- Cool Math 4 Kids
- PBS Kids
- Peep and the Big Wide World
- Keyboarding Without Tears {My Kindergartner and 1st grader have memberships – read our review}
- Fun Brain
Some of our favorite apps are:
- Alphabet Sounds App
- Short Vowel Word Study
- Long Vowel Word Study
- Teach Me Series
- Samson’s Classroom Sight Word App
5. Learning Activity/Center
These can be learning centers or simple activities that practice handwriting, spelling, reading sight words, letters, fine motor, writing, phonics, math, and more! The key is that they are review concepts, so kids are practicing something they need to practice without needing you sitting by their side.
6. Art
This can be as simple as an art easel and paintbrush or placing a few craft supplies out and letting them go to town making something. Make sure you work extra hard on the clean-up procedures on this one!!
{Download these Independent Activities Choice Boards HERE.}
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~Becky
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