Free printable jigsaw puzzles, sudoku, crossword, mazes, puzzle generators

Puzzle Day is Jan. 29. Do you love puzzles? I've been working jigsaw puzzles since I was very young. I love crossword puzzles, Sudoku, word searches, cryptograms, mazes and all sorts of word games. But the best are jigsaw puzzles. Back in the olden days, aka when I was a kid, you had to ask mom or dad to buy you a new jigsaw puzzle when you'd finished one. Or you redid your old puzzles, over and over again. Oh to have make-your-own jigsaw puzzle generators.   Free printable jigsaw puzzles, sudoku, crossword, mazes, puzzle generators

Free printable Polar Express activities: Christmas holiday party games, crafts

Are you throwing a winter birthday party for a child? Or maybe you're in charge of planning a Christmas holiday party for kids. How about a unique winter or Christmas holiday party theme with literary, educational connections? Here's a free printable party kit from "The Polar Express" complete with games, crafts, party decorations, invitations, greeting cards, party favors and more. This party theme kit is based on the beloved book "The Polar Express" by Chris VanAllsburg. That book is a classic now and is celebrating its 30th birthday! "The Polar Express" is also a classic holiday movie. This free printable Polar Express party kit is perfect for those looking to host a secular Christmas holiday party and avoid religious Christmas themes.   Free printable Polar Express activities: Christmas holiday party games, crafts | Examiner.com

Free Printable Educational Card Games and Board Games

Card games and board games are an excellent teaching tool. They're are interactive and hands-on. Children practice many skills when playing card or board games. They learn to count, add, subtract, prioritize, plan, organize, sort, coordinate and evaluate. Card games can be created to teach content area and subject matter and help students memorize information. I remember teaching and homeschooling before Internet and computers. I made dozens of card games for students. That's pretty labor intensive, With the Internet we have access to free printable activities to use as lesson plans. This saves time and money. Simply print, laminate and cut apart. Here are links for free printable card games.


The Kidz Page There are free printable word games, math games, sudoku games and lots of other educational learning games. They are brightly colored, cheerful games.
Planet Pals has a free printable animal matching card game. You can play this game as a regular card game also, finding pairs and sets.
Print Games has several cute card games. Some are styled on vintage card games. There are board games to print also. These make excellent family games and party games.
Mom's Minivan has a great assortment of free printable travel and car games. There are bingo games, Battleships games, matching games, cootie catchers, connect the dot games and more.
Mom's View has a nice assortment of educational games, math, geometry matching and more. There are free printable game tokens, playing pieces and dice.

Altogether there are 100+  free printable games for classroom, homeschool or family fun. Follow instructions carefully to be sure you print the right number of game sheets. Making printable games has the added benefit of being a craft project for kids. I recommend you print a paper copy of the cards, game pieces and game boards. Then use copier to print the game onto card stock. Laminate the entire sheet before you cut out the pieces. Save printing ink by setting printer preferences to economy and black and white setting. Have kids color games--now you have cut and paste craft, coloring activity and game! Better and better!
For more free printable activities, visit my blog Free Coloring Pages 4u.
For free printable lesson plans visit me at www.freeprintablelessonplans.blogspot.com . Happy printing!

Free Printable Educational Cut and Paste Crafts and Games

Summer is an excellent time to explore the wonderful world of free printable projects and activities. Cut and paste activities are perfect for day care, kids at home, road trips, rainy day fun and summer craft camps. During the summer, teachers and homeschoolers have an opportunity to make educational games and activities for their classrooms. Free printable activities are the perfect resource for educational games. Free Printable Educational Cut and Paste Projects and Activities

Free Printable Travel Games and Puzzles for Children

"When are we going to get there, Mommy? Daddy, I'm bored!" What kiddos start that, you know it's going to be a long car ride. Well, parents, sigh no more. Your travel woes are over. I've got a kids' boredom buster first aid kit right here--free printable travel games and puzzles for children. Make road trips fun with these car game printables. Free Printable Travel Games and Puzzles for Kids

Patriotic, Educational Outdoor Party Games for Memorial Day

Memorial Day means family picnics, backyard BBQs and parties. Here's a complete DIY patriotic water fun park with 10 activities that you can set up in your backyard. Games are educational, with history and social studies connections. All the guests, young and old can enjoy the fun! This guide includes printables and complete game tutorials. If Memorial Day is too cold for outdoor water play, save for 4th of July.Red, White, Blue and 'Green'! 4th of July Backyard Water Park

DIY Educational Games from Recycled Materials for Earth Day

Want to encourage cooperative learning among students? Want to develop hands-on games and teaching materials? Need fast, easy, cheap homeschool materials? Need active learning games to help students learn content? Want to use recycled materials to make teaching tools? Whew, that's a long order. But no worries--I've got you covered. Here are homemade game ideas using recycled materials--perfect for Earth Day! DIY Educational Games: Easy and Cheap to Make from Recycled Materials

Throw a back-to-school bash with games, crafts for kids

Labor Day is a bittersweet holiday. It's a time of summer endings and fall beginnings. Why not start the school year off on a fun note with a back-to-school party? Here's an easy and cheap kids' party plan for students in preschool to middle elementary.

* Choose a positive theme. This gets kids excited about school. Make it a shoe theme with the slogan "We're putting our best foot forward." Or do a football theme--"Kicking off a great year." Get your creative groove going and involve kids. Here's more on crafts, food, activities and games. Perfect for home-school and public school and parochial school kids! Throw a back-to-school bash for your kids

Free Summer Reading Activities, Book Crafts, Literature Games

Summertime and da livin' is easy! Kids rejoice when released from school for vacation. But what about learning lags from too much time away from books? Here are reading activities and book-based crafts and literature response lessons. Use these games and activities for back-to-school kickoff events, too! Free Reading Activities, Book Crafts, Literature Games

Reading Language Arts Games Using Cartoons and Graphic Novels

Years ago, I made a file folder game that has traveled with me to elementary, middle school, special education, adult education and homeschool classrooms. This language arts- reading game uses cartoons, comic strips and graphic novels. I call this game Cartoon Cut-Ups.  Laminate colored comics from Sunday newspaper cartoon section, then cut comic strip into individual frames (usually six to eight).  Write cartoon name number order on the back of each piece in permanent marker. Place frame pieces in envelope (label envelope with name). The object of the game is to reassemble the mixed-up cartoon frames back in their original order so that the cartoon makes sense. Graphic novels work well also, but generally have more frames. Assembling a graphic novel cartoon will be more challenging. Here's more on this game. Reading Language Arts Games Using Cartoons and Graphic Novels

Free Printable Rainbow Magic Fairy Crafts, Games

"Rainbow Magic" is a series of books from the UK, about fairies, created by a collection of authors writing under the pseudonym "Daisy Meadows." Rainbow Magic is illustrated by Georgie Ripper. There are several dozens stories. Here are free printable fairy crafts from Rainbow Magic. Rainbow Fairies Crafts, Printables

Free Printable Star Charts, Constellation Maps for Astronomy, Earth Science

Astronomy is one of the most fascinating sciences to share with kids. Stars are only visible at night, but kids can enjoy star-gazing each night mostly anywhere and it costs nothing. Looking for free printable star charts and constellation patterns to teach kids about space science? Here's a galaxy of printables that are free for educators, homeschoolers and families to use.  Throw a star-gazing party! Use for family game night! Great for long winter evenings. Lots of interactive fun for kids. Read more

Choosing Best Kids' Toys and Christmas Presents

One of my favorite parts of Christmas is buying gifts for kids. I love choosing toys, but I'm very picky. I demand that toy gifts I buy have some intrinsic educational value. And there are a lot of junk toys on the market. How do you wade through the chaff to find the best gifts for kids? Focus on interactive, active and hands-on. Avoid anything with a screen and battery! Here's the complete guide from a 25-year veteran teacher and 24-year mom of four.  Read more

Free Printable Toddler Activities, Websites

Need to keep an energetic toddler occupied so you can get your holiday preparation underway? Here are 15 safe, school approved websites for young children. These sites are child-friendly, family-oriented and have lots of educational games and free printable activities for young learners. read more

Free Health Games, Printable Food Journals, Exercise Trackers

I don't know about you, but I find tracking my weight, counting calories and monitoring exercise boring. And I'm an adult. I feel sorry for kids trying to lose weight or improve fitness levels. But we're seeing the terrible toll that juvenile obesity is wreaking on our youth. Improved health, nutrition and exercise are crucial. What if we could address these health concerns in a fun, non-threatening way? How about about making them into games? Games make everything more fun (and less onerous!) Here are links for free online health activities written at kid level. They offer free printable food journals, online fitness trackers and nutrition planning tools. Websites are kid-friendly with games, quizzes, interactive activities and graphic cartoon novels. Geared for elementary to high school age kids, these programs teach self-sufficiency and basic life skills related to health.  read on

Free Printable Diwali Games, Hindu Games

Diwali is the Hindu new year "festival of lights." Diwali is also celebrated by Sikhs and Jains. Diwali honors the deities of Lakshmi (goddess of prosperity) and Ganesha, the elephant-headed goddess (shown left). For five days, prayers and meditation, called puja (or pooja) are said. Diwali 2012 will be observed on November 13-17 in the western calendar. In the Indian calendar, Diwali is celebrated in late Ashwin (September-October) and ends in early Kartika, around October-November. Diwali is a time of feasting and fun. Here printable games to enjoy during this most festive season. Free Printable Diwali Games, Hindu Activities 

Free Printable Doctor Who Coloring Pages, Crafts, Games, Activities

BBC's sci-fi show "Doctor Who" celebrates its 50th birthday in 2013. My youngest daughter discovered Doctor Who in 2005 when she was seven. The then-current Time Lord was the Ninth Doctor, Christopher Eccleston. The current Eleventh Doctor is Matt Smith. If you love galaxy hopping in the TARDIS, and battling Cybermen and Daleks here are free printable Doctor Who coloring pages to extend your adventures. Play online Doctor Who games. Use these free printable activities for a Doctor Who-themed party! There are also free printable Doctor Who masks for Halloween--the Weeping Angels, the Doppelganger Twins, Silence, Silurians, Peg the Doll and other enemies of the Doctor. Free Printable Doctor Who Coloring Pages, Crafts, Online Games, Activities 

Best Free Online Spelling, Vocabulary Games to Boost Reading Skills

Looking for free online reading games and spelling activities? I'll share links, but you have to promise not to tell anyone about my secret. See, I have a confession to make--I love online word games. For all the articles I write warning parents and kids about the dangers of obsessive game playing, I should be the last one to fall prey to online gaming. But I admit there are advantages. Playing word games helps boost my visual tracking, perceptual acuity and typing skills (or so I tell myself). Mostly, I use them as a brain break from writing and research. For  great reading games (for kids and adults) click here Best Free Online Spelling, Vocabulary Games to Boost Reading Skills

Free Printable File Folder Games

Free Printable File Folder Games for All Grades File folder games are a teacher's best friend in classroom resources. If you teach special needs students or like to use hands-on, interactive resources, make some file folder games. Here are free printable math games that can be easily made into file folder games. You can print these games and glue the game board to a file folder. Cut out the pieces and laminate game board and pieces. Place game pieces in a Ziploc bag and attach bag to game file folder. The websites listed have free printable file folder games for number recognition, counting, skip counting, money math, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, math facts, fractions, decimals, story problems and other math concepts. Read on...

Free Printable Sudoku Games and Online Sudoku

Free Printable Sudoku Games and Online Sudoku What is sudoku? Sudoku was invented in 1979 and is similar to solitaire and word search. Players must fill in number one to ten in vertical and horizontal rows. Here are free printable sudoku games and online sudoku. Sudoku boards range from easy to very difficult. Read more