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The Barnes and Noble summer reading program for kids gives kids a free book when they read 8 books over the summer.

Looking for more summer reading programs that will score your kids some freebies? Check out my list of the best summer reading program freebies that includes rewards from Half Price Books, TD Bank, and more.

How to Get Free Books From the Barnes and Noble Summer Reading Program

Visit Barnes and Noble summer reading program to download and print a reading journal.

The journals are available in English and Spanish. Fill out the student information on the bottom of the first page of the journal. A parent must sign on this page in order for the child to get a free book.

In the reading log, your child will need to record the title and author, along with their favorite part of eight books to get their free book.

Bring the completed and signed reading journal into your local Barnes and Noble bookstore between May 15, 2018, and September 3, 2018. Present it to an employee and they will let your child choose a book from the free book list.

The Free Books Available From the Barnes and Noble Summer Reading Program

There's a wide variety of free books available for kids from the Barnes and Noble summer reading program. Here's what's available in 2018:

Children in grades 1 and 2 are eligible to receive one of the following books:

The Absent Author (A to Z Mysteries Series #1)

Fancy Nancy and the Delectable Cupcakes (I Can Read! Series)

Flat Stanley at Bat (I Can Read! Series)

Jorge el curioso construye una casa en un arbol (Curious George Builds a Tree House)

Pete the Cat: Pet's Big Lunch (My First I Can Read! Series)

Sunbeam's Shine (Unicorn Princesses Series #1)

The Stories Julian Tells

Weather (National Geographic Kids Series)

Where Is the Amazon? (Where Is? Series)

Kids that are in grades 3 and 4 can pick out one of these books:

The 13-Story Treehouse (The Treehouse Books Series #1)

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

The Haunted House Next Door (Desmond Cole Ghost Patrol #1)

I Survived the American Revolution, 1776 (I Survived Series #15)

Judy Moody and the Bucket List (Judy Moody Series #13)

Judy Moody esta de mal humor (Judy Moody Was in a Mood) (Judy Moody Series #1)

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh

The Trumpet of the Swan

Those children that are in grades 5 and 6 can choose from this list of books:

Artemis Fowl

Book Scavenger (The Book Scavenger Series #1)

The Fairy-Tale Detectives - 10th Anniversary Edition (The Sisters Grimm Series #1)

Greenglass House

Jack: The True Story of Jack & the Beanstalk

One for the Murphys

A Tale Dark & Grimm (Grimm Series #1)

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

Other Features of the Barnes and Noble Summer Reading Program

The Barnes and Noble summer reading program website also has parent and educator activity kits. These kits include fun activities about reading that can be completed with a child.

Limits to Be Aware Of

The Barnes and Noble summer reading program is only available to school-aged children in grades 1-6.

Only one book is available for each child who completes a reading journal and choice must be made from the selected books available at the store.

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Kids Can Earn Free Books From Barnes and Noble This Summer

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The Barnes and Noble summer reading program for kids gives kids a free book when they read 8 books over the summer. Looking for more summer reading programs that will score your kids some freebies? Check out my list of the best summer reading program freebies that includes rewards from Half Price Books, TD Bank, and more.

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For the final installment in my parent handout series, I tackle Building Writing Skills at Home. Included are two handouts - one maps out ...

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For the final installment in my parent handout series, I tackle Building Writing Skills at Home. Included are two handouts - one maps out ...

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Clever Classroom BLOG FREE Dolch Word List Poster BUNDLE.pdf

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Mandy's Tips for Teachers: What to Do When They Don't Understand

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Really Good Teachers™ Blog and Forum | A Really Good Stuff® Community

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At Really Good Stuff, we know that teachers and parents have limited time when it comes to finding free, high-quality online resources for their children. When we first published the 11 Free Reading Websites for Kids article, we had no idea the response it would have. In fact, the cry for more resources encouraged us to publish 11 Free Math Websites for Kids. We hope you find this article and the free resources in contains helpful!

Free resources are always a teacher's dream, but when it comes to free sites to use during reading instruction the choices can be few and far between. Whether you are looking for a site to use during the Daily 5's "Listen to Reading" time or want to provide students with a fun early-finisher activity, the sites below are ideal. Designed for elementary age students, these reading sites are both free and kid-friendly.

As always, it is strongly recommended that teachers view the sites before introducing them to their students to make sure the content is appropriate for the grade/age level.
Be sure to check out 11 Free Math Websites for Kids and 11 Free Science Websites for Kids too!
11 Awesome Reading Websites for Kids

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At Really Good Stuff, we know that teachers and parents have limited time when it comes to finding free, high-quality online resources for their children. When we first published the 11 Free Reading Websites for Kids article, we had no idea the response it would have.

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Technology is an amazing thing! With smart phones, tablets, and the internet - there are so many incredible resources right at our fingertips. Living in the digital age definitely has its perks when it comes to parenting and motherhood, too. There are so many teaching tools available, if you know where to look. And what mom wouldn't love a little help teaching and entertaining her kids? Am I right? So to honor ALL moms out there, we decided to round up...

The BEST Apps, YouTube channels,

Yep, we've gathered all the BEST fun AND educational resources for kids into one place. Because we love you. And we want to make YOUR life as a mom a little bit easier.

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. To learn more about 'em, click here.

So just pin this bad boy to your mommy Pinterest board for future easy access. Then whenever the kids are crying "I'm booooored," (or whenever you just want to teach them something new) you can pull this sucker up lickety-split and save the day.
To make browsing easier, we've divided this post into categories and sections. That way you can just scroll down to exactly what you're looking for when you need it. Below you'll find...
Something for everyone! So whether you're looking for help teaching your child to read, or just want to have some fun singing songs together online - you'll find what you're looking for.

Ready? Set... SCROLL!

We were seriously blown away with all of the amazing apps that are out there. If you haven't checked out the app store recently - you are missing out! It really is true - whatever you're looking for... well, there's an app for that! BUT we know that browsing through allllll those apps can be overwhelming. So we gathered up our very favorites and divided them into categories for you. These are the apps that we love, our fellow mom friends love, AND our kids love! Now you don't have to worry about reading through all those reviews and weeding out the bad ones. You're totally welcome.

Before we get started - here are a couple of quick tips. If you have an iPhone make sure to check out Guided Access. It's a built-in feature that allows you to disable external buttons and select parts of the screen that cannot be clicked on. It's pretty much a life-saver if you have little ones using your phone. Just enter a pass code to turn it off when they're done. And here's some good info about how to child-proof your iPad. Finally, if you're going to let your little one play with your mobile devices, you might consider getting a durable, kid-proof case. I've heard great things about this Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn iPhone case and the Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Apptivity iPad case.

Okay, now that that's out of the way, let's get started...

You can subscribe to 7. ABC Mouse- ABCmouse.com from within this app, and have different accounts for each of your children. If you haven't heard of ABC Mouse, you should definitely check it out. It's the #1 learning program from ages 2-7.

Endless Numbers - A great app for teaching your child numbers. The free version is limited but every little kid I know loves it, so I think it's well worth the money for the full version in the long run!

Explore a working model of the body. Every part is animated and interactive: the heart beats, guts gurgle, lungs breathe, the skin feels, and eyes see. Designed for young kids to discover what we're made of and how we work.

Social Studies Apps for Kids

A fun app for drawing and sharing pictures and stories with children all over the world. Children can pick a theme and then use their imagination to fill the screen.

This barnyard-themed music creator features sounds from a collection of barnyard animals and objects. Ever wondered what a pig sounds like singing in the key of C?

56. ChatterPix Kids- Chatterpix Kids can make anything talk - pets, friends, doodles- whatever!
Just take any photo, draw a line to make a mouth, and record your voice.

58. Toca Builders - Kids can drop, spray, smash, and lift blocks to construct new objects. They can even join builder friends and create a whole new world with blocks - whatever they can imagine!

You've probably seen lots of funny and inspirational YouTube videos as you've scrolled through your Facebook feed, but did you know there there are whole YouTube channels dedicated to kids? I don't know about you, but I'm pretty picky about what I let my kids watch online. And we all know that searching on YouTube can sometimes pull up inappropriate ads and videos. That's why I love being able to subscribe to our favorite, kid-friendly channels. My girls love singing along with the kid songs and the TV channels have saved me from a couple of toddler melt-downs during long road trips.

Educational Kid YouTube Channels

Smithsonian - The smithsonian is collection of 19 museums - plus a zoo & 9 research centers. Learn from experts in art, design, history, culture, science and technology.

Kid TV YouTube Channels

Kid Music YouTube Channels
Baby YouTube Channels
It amazes me how early kids are learning to use computers these days. I remember going to the computer lab once a week at school to do typing lessons and play Oregon Trail. But my first grader uses the computer every day and knows how to log-in to her classroom website to review her math lessons and study for a test. I love that there are so many great resources online. And I love that kids can use them to have fun AND learn at the same time. Here are some of our favorite educational websites. Some of them are great for you to use with your pre-schoolers getting ready for Kindergarten. And some of them are great for school-aged kids for after school fun OR to keep them busy and learning during the summer months.

86. ABC Mouse is a paid subscription, but it's well worth the price! They offer a full curriculum in a carefully designed program of more than 450 lessons in six levels. As your child completes each lesson, he or she is guided to the next one and is motivated to continue learning by a ticket and reward system.

Did we miss any of your favorites? If you have a favorite, tried-and-true kids app, YouTube channel, or website that we didn't list - let us know in the comments below. We're always looking for more!
For more kid fun, make sure to check out these popular posts... 101 Summer Boredom Busters 60 Spring Break Boredom Busters for Kids 101 Winter Boredom Busters 101 Rainy Day Ideas 10 Indoor Playdate Ideas 85 Indoor Activities for the Whole Family

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100 of the BEST Apps, YouTube Channels & Websites for Kids!

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Technology is an amazing thing! With smart phones, tablets, and the internet - there are so many incredible resources right at our fingertips. Living in the digital age definitely has its perks when it comes to parenting and motherhood, too. There are so many teaching tools available, if you know where to look.

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Sight words are one of the first ways your child begins reading. As a parent, I first thought that memorizing words isn't really what reading is all about! But now that my second child is in kindergarten, I understand that these sight words help build confidence and the beginning understanding of how words are formed, sound and work.

As a parent, it's extremely important for you to practice sight words at home. Sight words are one of the essential skills your child will need for reading success. And while practicing sight words with your child at home will make a big difference, it should also be a fun experience! (To learn more about why sight words are important for your child, read this article from Education.com.)

Fun Games to Practice Sight Words at Home

Paper Plate Toss: Write sight words on paper plates. Use them like frisbees to throw after reading the word. Add in some additional fun by adding a target.

Flashlight Words: Turn off the lights. Tape words on the wall or ceiling. Use the flashlight to sine on the word, then have your child read it.

Go Fish: Wish a duplicate set of word cards play "Go Fish." You can easily make your own cards out of index cards.

Stepping Stones: Place the word cards on the floor, making a fun stream going across the room. Have your child walk over the stream. As they step onto the stepping stone (word), have them say the word before they move on to get to the other side of the stream.

Tic-Tac-Toe: Write words in the tac-tac-toe spaces. Take turns selecting a space to read. If read correctly, an X or O is placed on the space until someone wins.

Word-O: This is played just like BINGO. Fill in a card with the words that you are working on. Call out the words and mark the spaces. The first one with a card covered calls out the word "WORDO!"

Word Hunt: Look for target words in books or in the newspaper. If using the newspaper your child can highlight or circle the words that she finds.

Word Jump: Write the sight words onto the driveway. Call out a word. Have your child jump their way to the sight word.

SNAP: You put the sight words you want them to practice on flash cards and put the flash cards into a jar. Also, you write the word SNAP on a few flash cards and put them in to the jar. The kids can play in partners or in a groups of 3 or 4 with siblings. They take turns pulling a card out of the jar. If they can say the word on the card automatically with no struggle, they get to keep the card. If they struggle, they have to put it back. If they pull out one of the cards that says SNAP, they have to put all of the card they've drawn back. The first person to 5 cards (or 10) wins!

Stair Chase: Place two sight word cards on each stair. Let them pick one sight word on the way up, saying the word and picking up the card when they get it correctly. Have them practice the other sight words on the way down.

Coin Toss: Put words on the floor. Children take turns tossing a coin onto a word and saying the word. If they get the word correctly, they keep the coin. If you like, first to 10 coins wins. Or see if they can collect all of the coins.

Concentration: Create two sets of word cards. Place the word cards face down. Have your child turn over two cards, trying to make a match. Continue until all of the words are matched.

Play who am I? Lay out the word cards. Then give the child clues to what the selected word is. For example, if the word was "red," you could say - I rhyme with bed. I had three letters. I end with the letter D. Have the child locate the word.

Chalk Writing: Go outside and practice writing the sight words with chalk on the sidewalk.

Beat the Clock: See how many times your child can write a word in one minute. Or see how many flash cards your child can read in one minute.

Words You Can Eat: Write your words in whipped cream, peanut butter, carrots or anything you can eat.

Who has more? Flash words cards to your child. If they read the word within 5 second, they get to keep the card. If not, you keep the card. If the child has more cards than you at the end, they win.

Salt Tray: Grab a tray or baking sheet with edges. Pour in salt. Write the word in salt. When your child says it correctly, they get to erase the word.

More Fun Ways to Practice Sight Words: Write Them Out

Having your child recite sight words isn't the only way to have them practice sight words. Having them write them out in fun ways helps them learn the spelling, too. You can make words using:

Playdough

Stencils

Wiki sticks

Alphabet stamps

Scrabble tiles

Magnetic letters

Legos

Popsicle Sticks

Salt on a Tray

Sidewalk Chalk

Sticks (in sand or dirt)

For more ideas and resources to practice sight words, consider the following affiliate links:

Amazon.com Widgets
Amazon.com Widgets

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Fun Ways to Practice Sight Words at Home

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Sight words are one of the first ways your child begins reading. As a parent, I first thought that memorizing words isn't really what reading is all about! But now that my second child is in kindergarten, I understand that these sight words help build confidence and the beginning understanding of how words are formed, sound and work.

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This film is a teaching tool for parents to assist their child to read at home.

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This film is a teaching tool for parents to assist their child to read at home. Please watch in HD quality by pressing on the 'cog symbol' on the right bottom of tool bar and changing the settings to 1080p HD.

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A fun family favourite turned educational.

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You can make some really fun spelling games using repurposed old games you have at home. Create new games for free using board games that are just sitting around so your kids can practice their skills and have fun at the same time. Teach them that learning can be fun.

I love repurposing, especially with my kids toys they are not using anymore. My kids were tired of their connect 4 game so I began to think about what they were learning at school and how I could create a fun game using this sad game that was sitting in the corner.....I found it, enjoy these spelling games! (originally published 3/14)

Both my little ones (7 & 5) are practicing spelling on a weekly basis, so I began there. I had some sticker name tags in the drawer so I just traced the markers on to the sticker and cut out circles to fit (cut inside where I marked to fit just inside the lip of the markers). Easier still, you can grab the circle stickers you use for garage sales and marking items if you have them or can grab them at Walmart or the link above.

I wrote the most used letters on them and created this game!

You can make it really easy with the words they know how to read and only

You could use this for spelling games such as this one, write their sight word on each piece and practice those, or even write small words and have them create a sentence across using these pieces....she loved it!

When you begin put a row of empty markers across the bottom so that the letters show up well through the upper holes, and have fun!

This is what you need for this Connect 4 Spelling Game

If you are looking for other educational games and activities, here are a few.

Here are some more fun spelling games you can play with your kids to give them more practice at home

For more easy recipes, tips and crafts please LIKE The Typical Mom on Facebook and follow me on Pinterest! You can also sign up for my free weekly newsletter which is packed with goodies I know you'll love. 😉
Visit The Typical Mom's profile on Pinterest.

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Free Spelling Games Your Kids Will Love!

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You can make some really fun spelling games using repurposed old games you have at home. Create new games for free using board games that are just sitting around so your kids can practice their skills and have fun at the same time. Teach them that learning can be fun.

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Many of the classrooms at Wakaw School are using Epic.

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A fun way to get your child reading at home.

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It's been quite a while since I posted any freebies. I've been meaning to post some of the new templates I've created for my classroom, but just haven't gotten around to it...Maybe I will over Winter Break???? Anyways, just wanted to share something that I always send home over break. I don't want to give "homework" but I would like for my kids to do some reading and math practice. We typically use a "Reading Web Log" to keep track of all the books we read at home and we have a special "Math Minutes" form for practicing math facts...If you want to see a sample of these documents head on over to my

webpage and you'll find them on the right-hand side!

So my kids can get five reading/math points for getting five-in-a-row or they can finish the whole entire sheet for thirty reading/math points! My kids have always enjoyed this so I let them complete as many as they'd like! (I'm thinking that I need to create some different versions? Maybe over break?)

Here it is...Enjoy.

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It's been quite a while since I posted any freebies. I've been meaning to post some of the new templates I've created for my classroom, but just haven't gotten around to it...Maybe I will over Winter Break???? Anyways, just wanted to share something that I always send home over break.