Kids Online and Remote Learning Blog

Do you tend to put your assignments off until the very last minute? Or maybe you are so swamped with schoolwork or homework that you need to carefully plan when to complete each task in order to have them submitted on time. Either way, you always need to know what TIME something is due as well as what day so that you can make sure you aren't submitting your work late. It's quick and easy to check what time your Google Classroom assignments are due to be submitted using the St

I have found some of the most engaging, child-friendly resources on internet safety for you to use with kids at home or school.

As always, I'm here to help with any questions floating around regarding online learning and today I have come across many of you asking about what exactly 'handed in' and 'turned in' mean when using Google Classroom. In this post, we will find out how to hand in and turn in work on the popular online learning platform Google Classroom and whether the two are in fact the same thing. I spent some time exploring and trying it out myself on Google Classroom so that I could put t

What is Google Classroom and what do parents need to know about it? A new academic year is upon us and if you're using Google Classroom for the first time, whether for full-time distance learning or for some of your schoolwork, you are bound to have some questions. I answer the most common Google Classroom queries as simply and clearly as possible in this Google Classroom FAQ for parents. Teachers: Download this FAQ page as a PDF to share with parents here. What is Google Cla

Browse over 100 fun, colourful and child-friendly video backgrounds for kids to use in video calls on Zoom or Microsoft Teams. Choose backgrounds from your favourite movie or TV shows or incredible images of the natural world from this list to help make online learning more fun for your kids! Click here to read step-by-step instructions that I wrote on how to set a customised background on Microsoft Teams and on Zoom. Please note that none of these backgrounds belong to me an

This is my list of links to the best live webcam streams of animals in the wild, in zoos and in rescue centres that children can watch anytime. Kids can get a close-up view of rare species, far-flung habitats and cute and cuddly creatures from home to learn more about the natural world. During my recent distance learning experience, I took the opportunity to show the kids in my class some of these awesome live animal streams. The kids LOVED it and were absolutely fascinated b

If you're wondering which tablet is best for kids - especially kids that are using learning and educational apps at home and/or doing distance learning - you're on the right page. During distance learning, several kids in my class used tablets or iPads to stay connected with me and with their classmates and so I got to know what was good and bad about using tablets for home learning as well as which tablets are best for home use. This page contains affiliate links which means

For older kids learning online or first-time computer users doing homework, Chromebooks can be incredibly cost-effective but child-friendly and durable devices that will meet your kids online learning needs. Let's find out what makes them such a great choice, how to choose a Chromebook for your kids and which ones are the best suited to children. This page contains affiliate links which means that you can click to go directly to products that I talk about. If you end up makin

Boom Learning is a website where teachers create educational task cards for kids that are fun and interactive. You can play Boom Cards from the Boom Learning website or through the Boom Cards app. The Boom Cards app is free and to get started with interactive Boom Cards you'll just need to sign up for a free account first. Boom Cards App The Boom Cards app is available for Apple and Android devices and for Kindle Fire: Boom Cards App on the Apple Store for iPhone & iPad Boom

Here's a list (with links) of the best videos on Youtube for kids learning to blend and segment CVC words at home. Simple, clear videos help kids by sounding out the words, some put the CVC words into song and some have storylines. For parents showing their kids any of these videos, I would recommend watching them through yourself first so that you can think about whether to pause and play in certain places or whether you could mute the video and let your child have a go firs

Which is the best laptop for school students? I'll explain what I know about how kids use their devices for learning and for school as well as doing a bit of research into what's available right now to help you decide which are the best laptops you can buy for kids. This page contains affiliate links which means that you can click to go directly to products that I talk about. If you end up making a purchase, a small commission goes to me. Best Laptops for Beginners Children a

What does Digital Literacy mean? Being literate is defined in the dictionary as being able to read and write but literacy is also much more than just reading and writing. Something that is digital is done with the use of computer technology. Digital literacy, or being digitally literate is about being able to compose or create effective content or media on a digital device that might be resourced or informed using the internet and also possibly published or shared electronica

I have spent years in Early Years classrooms so far but have had much less experience in Primary. Come September though, I'll be teaching year 2 and recently I've been wondering about whether year 2 do phonics and if it's anything like what I'm used to teaching in preschool. It turns out they do and that usually, children in year 2 spend the whole year doing the final phase - phase 6 - of phonics. Read my overview of the 6 phases of phonics here. I've been doing some more res

What does 'compare numbers' mean? In Key Stage 1 Maths children learn how to compare the sizes of different numbers. Children start by comparing small numbers up to ten and work their way up to comparing numbers up to 100 by the time kids are in year 2. Comparing numbers simply means that children look at numbers, recognise how big or small they are compared to one another, and therefore know which number is bigger, or more and which is smaller or less. Kids also practise put

Child-Friendly Font Contenders I did some research to find out which are the best fonts for kids and then, along with the child-friendly fonts that I'm already familiar with, put together a list of 10 contenders that I'll be comparing in this post to help you decide which is best for you. Here's my list of 10 child-friendly fonts for kids: 1. Comic Sans MS 2. Sassoon Primary 3. Gill Sans Infant Std 4. Andika 5. Futura 6. KG Neatly Printed 7. Mulish 8. Architect's Daughter 9.

What is Phonics? Phonics is a method for teaching children how to read and write where kids learn the phonetic sound of each letter. Kids then blend these sounds to read words and segment them to write. The objective of Phonics is for kids to be able to recognise all words automatically and therefore read fluently. What are the phases of Phonics? Phonics is broken up into 6 phases with each phase concentrating on different skills and children should be comfortable with what t

Family Workout Videos We know that screen time isn't dangerous to kids as long as it doesn't interfere with the habits they need for a healthy lifestyle such as getting enough sleep and having a balanced and varied diet. One way to make sure kids maintain a healthy lifestyle is to make sure that they keep active and aren't stationary for extended periods of time and a great way to motivate kids to get up and move is with fun exercise videos like the seven that I have listed h

Digital Name Tracing Practise for Kids It is very common for kids three years and up to begin to practise tracing their own names at school. It doesn't matter if kids haven't yet covered the sounds in Phonics or if they aren't picking up pencils and writing legible letters on their own yet - name tracing is a great way to get kids strengthening those hand and finger muscles that will allow them to form recognisable letters and for them to learn to recognise their own name. Th

Digital Task Cards for Maths (5 Deck Set) Pre-K, Preschool, Kindergarten & Reception There are five decks of Boom Cards in this set which all help children learn about early addition through number bonds. These cards are appropriate for kids ages 3+ and are in order of difficulty, with the easiest being number one and the most difficult being number 5. If you're not sure what number bonds are or why they are so important for kids Maths, check out this article I wrote explaini

What are Digital Task Cards? Digital Task Cards are online activities which are made up of many screens or slides which contain interactive activities for kids to complete. Boom Cards are perfect for kids to learn online and are so quick and easy to access. What are Boom Cards? Boom Cards are digital task cards for kids that can be found on Boom Learning, a website where teachers create and share their decks of Boom Cards. They're called 'cards' because of how they come in se