The holidays are once again upon us. It is always an exciting time for our young ones. Unfortunately, it is also a time when struggling students lose some of the educational advances they have just gained. It is very important to continue to work on basic math facts and writing skills throughout the holiday season.

Writing is easily accomplished with a holiday or thank you letter to a friend or relative for a special visit, a treat or a gift. You can find wide-lined border paper on this site or others to make writing easier and more fun. On an outing, use a stick to practice spelling by writing in the snow, sand or dirt.

Math facts can easily be lost in a very short time so continue working on them over the holidays. Card games are a great way to practice math facts — play snap but instead of finding two cards that are the same, find two cards that add up to an even number or add up to a specific number or see who can call out the addition, subtraction or multiplication answer first. Traveling in a car can be a great time to call out math facts especially the doubles eg., 2+2, 3+3, etc.

Remember when buying games to look for fun educational ones that help teach basic skills.

Have a happy holiday,
Linda.