Worksheets can be a great addition to learning for young children. Because worksheets are easy to print, they offer a level of flexibility not inherent to books and other published materials. A worksheet can be reprinted and used multiple times for added learning value.
Worksheets provide opportunities to review concepts, practice applying them, build skills, and interact with learning in new ways. A worksheets catalog from Kids Academy offers a range of worksheets tailored to grade level and subject.
Reviewing Concepts
Worksheets can be used to review and reinforce concepts children are working on. These may be counting, alphabet, animals, or other early learning topics. For example, Kids Academy letter worksheets include tracing, coloring, and other ways to practice with the letters of the alphabet.
Applying Concepts
By applying concepts in new ways, children reinforce their understanding. For example, working on a moon journal worksheet for tracking phases of the moon sets the scene for learners to be young astronomers. Completing a worksheet about planning the perfect dinner encourages learners to pay attention to nutrition.
Building Skills
Worksheets may not only reinforce concepts, but also give children a chance to practice essential skills, such as cutting, pasting, tearing, and coloring. Choose worksheets that support the skills your learners need to build.
The Most Effective Worksheets
Worksheets are most effective when used in ways that support autonomy and learning confidence. Select worksheets that are at a suitable level for your learners, offer them in a context that is not test-like but game-like and provide flexible choices.
Confidence-building
A worksheet should be a relatively quick and achievable task, leaving the learner with a sense of satisfaction. The worksheet should not extend knowledge way beyond what the learner is already working on; rather, it should reinforce the knowledge they’ve been building.
A properly leveled worksheet offers a sense of pride in completion. Use the Grade filter on the Kids Academy letter worksheets to select appropriate worksheets for your learners.
Fun/Gamelike
Worksheets should be fun, such that learning happens without feeling like there’s a lesson. In that sense, they work like video games and can be an alternative. A game-like worksheet challenges learners to solve puzzles or find solutions to problems.
Sense of Choice
Something handy about worksheets is that learners can work on them independently. A worksheet should not extend knowledge way beyond what the learner is already working on; rather, it should reinforce the knowledge they’ve been building. While worksheets provide opportunities for conversations, they can also allow parents and teachers to take a break and encourage kids to try on their own.
