Homeschool Freebies

Every child, at some point, dreads the endless vocabulary lists he or she is required to learn for each school subject or for each new topic covered.  As adults, we’re well aware of how important it is to have a varied and extensive vocabulary, but sometimes it’s not easy to impart on our children the importance of having a solid vocabulary.

Kids want to have fun and to blow through those lists of vocabulary words so that they can get on to the fun subjects like music or art or that science experiment they’ve been anxious to try.  It’s our duty as parents and teachers to help our children not only recognize, but also understand the words that relate to the material we’re teaching them.  If copying lists of words or drilling the words repeatedly doesn’t suit your child’s learning style or your teaching style consider using word searches or crossword puzzles instead.

Step outside of your curriculum or lesson plans and give your child a more creative way to learn for a while.  You might be surprised at the lack of grumbling you hear when it comes time to learn the science terms for the unit you’re currently studying or when your kid gets to fill in a crossword puzzle custom-made to suit his vocabulary list for the week.

Here are a couple of sites that you can visit to create custom puzzles or use pre-made or randomly generated puzzles with various themes and word lists.

First off, we have a create-your-own word search .  This puzzle maker makes word searches a snap. Your child can spend his time poring over his spelling list to familiarize himself with the words he’s looking for and he’ll be burning them into his memory without even realizing it. If you’re not interested in making your own, the site owner has collected a wide variety of user submitted word searches on topics you’re sure to be studying with your child at some point.

Next up, we have a site jam-packed with all things crossword .  Crossword puzzles are perfect for vocabulary words that your child must know the definition to.  You can choose from thousands of randomly generated puzzles that use family-friendly dictionary words or you can create your own with hints that pertain to the subject matter.

Enjoy!  I’ll be back tomorrow with some Christmas history and a movie review.

Trackback URI | Comments RSS