• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer
  • About
  • Shop
  • Press
  • Media Kit
  • Contact
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

teach mama logo

teach mama

helps families connect & build bridges between home & school, by amy mascott

  • early literacy
    • alphabet
    • beginning sounds
    • phonics
    • phonological awareness
    • read-aloud learning
    • rhyming
    • sight words
  • reading
    • books
    • comprehension
      • activating schema
      • connecting
      • inferring
      • predicting
      • questioning
      • retelling / summarizing
      • visualizing
    • concepts of print
    • environmental print
    • fluency
    • non-fiction
    • spelling
    • word building
    • word consciousness
    • vocabulary
  • writing
    • creative writing
    • grammar
    • informative writing
    • tripod grip
  • math
    • computation
    • counting
    • numbers
  • science
    • animals
    • plants
    • science experiments for kids
  • Activities
    • birthdays
    • cooking
      • new for us foods
    • crafts
    • foundations
      • colors
      • critical thinking
      • fine arts
      • listening
      • pretend play
      • sorting
      • speaking
    • holidays
      • new year’s
      • valentine’s day
      • president’s day
      • st. patrick’s day
      • april fool’s day
      • easter
      • mother’s day
      • teacher appreciation
      • father’s day
      • july 4th
      • halloween
      • thanksgiving
      • christmas
    • family life
      • family fun
      • giving back
      • lunchbox love notes
      • school
    • indoor activities
    • outdoor activities
  • digital literacy
    • computer time
    • iPad for learning
  • early literacy
    • alphabet
    • beginning sounds
    • phonics
    • phonological awareness
    • read-aloud learning
    • rhyming
    • sight words
  • reading
    • books
    • comprehension
      • activating schema
      • connecting
      • inferring
      • predicting
      • questioning
      • retelling / summarizing
      • visualizing
    • concepts of print
    • environmental print
    • fluency
    • non-fiction
    • spelling
    • word building
    • word consciousness
    • vocabulary
  • writing
    • creative writing
    • grammar
    • informative writing
    • tripod grip
  • math
    • computation
    • counting
    • numbers
  • science
    • animals
    • plants
    • science experiments for kids
  • Activities
    • birthdays
    • cooking
      • new for us foods
    • crafts
    • foundations
      • colors
      • critical thinking
      • fine arts
      • listening
      • pretend play
      • sorting
      • speaking
    • holidays
      • new year’s
      • valentine’s day
      • president’s day
      • st. patrick’s day
      • april fool’s day
      • easter
      • mother’s day
      • teacher appreciation
      • father’s day
      • july 4th
      • halloween
      • thanksgiving
      • christmas
    • family life
      • family fun
      • giving back
      • lunchbox love notes
      • school
    • indoor activities
    • outdoor activities
  • digital literacy
    • computer time
    • iPad for learning
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

quick & easy grid games: concepts of print

home / reading / concepts of print / quick & easy grid games: concepts of print
1.1K shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print

quick & easy grid gamesIt’s been a busy few days for us, but we’re slowly getting back to the routine, and it (gulp!) feels pretty good.

Though boy oh boy do we miss Disney. . .

So this week, I pulled out Cora’s Kindergarten packet (wah!), looked through the ideas, and reminded myself that I really should do some more focused activities with her, even if only a few times a week.

Usually I try to give Cora some major flexibility and choice during work time–that sacred 20-30 minutes after we pick up Owen and Maddy, after snacks, when we all sit down together to cover school work.

If Cora wants to paint, color, or sort, I encourage her to go with it. If she’s up for puzzles or word searches, she does it.ย  If she wants to freely create a masterpiece, she creates.ย  But as the days and weeks until my 5-year-old walks into the doors of Kindergarten quickly approach, I’ve tried to narrow her choices a bit.

So I grabbed one of our faves this week–grid games–hoping that they’d be quick, they’d be easy, and they’d be fun for her.ย  (And secretly give her a chance to practice that ever-important left to right return sweep. . . )

Here’s the skinny. . .

  • Sunny & Rainy Grid Games–Concepts of Print: These are simple, quick, and allow for some major flexibility in terms of how we use them.

Which is why I really love them.quick & easy grid games

Cora counts out four–which she rolled on the red die–and double-checks her board-covering.

We used our sunny rainy grid gamesย which can be downloaded here and printed if you’d like.ย 

It was a gorgeous, sunny day, so I thought that though we were blue about our vacation being over, the smiling sunny faces would lift our spirits.ย ย  And we used Cheerios to cover our board because it was snacktime.ย  And we were both hungry.

The concept of Grid Games is simple: cover the board in an organized, left-to-right return sweep fashion, the same pattern we use for reading.

And the goal is to be the first one to cover your board. Simple!

quick & easy grid games

 

We have used dice–with dots and numbers–flipped playing cards, a handful of beads or beans, and magnetic numbers pulled from a bag as our ‘counters’ and we’ve used a ton of things as our board markers:

  • Cheerios
  • candy hearts
  • stickers
  • beads
  • beans
  • marshmallows
  • stamps
  • a big ‘x’ written with marker

We played several times–first with the smaller boards, with 12 sunshines on the board just so she wasn’t overwhelmed, and the last few times we played with the larger boards, with 40 sunshines and rainclouds on them.ย  We rotated dice, sometimes using the die with numerals on it and other times using the die with dots.

 

quick & easy grid games

Grid Game attempt #5 (or 6? or 8?) was a success!

It didn’t matter what we used as our counters because my focus for Cora was more on the literacy end. ย  I wanted to make sure she was starting at the left and moving toward the right and then returning to the second line and doing the same thing.ย  The last few times we used Grid Games, she was all over the place, refusing to follow the left-right return sweep, so I was crossing my fingers that she’d go with it this time.

And she did.ย  Woot!

So while Maddy and Owen finished their work, Cora and I played, and once our boards were covered, we ate our Cheerios.ย  And we were finished! Just like that–and she had no idea how important this little game was for helping her to read. . . and that’s totally cool with me.

There are a ton of other fun ways of helping kids learn the left to right return sweep, but if you want some more super-fun, super easy Grid Games, check out:

  • Fun Fall Grid Games
  • Halloween Grid Games
  • Open Grid Games
  • Sunny Rainy Grid Games
  • Bunny Grid Games

You May Also Like...

  • disney youth programs: YES you need to know about the youth education series
    disney youth programs: YES you need to know about the youth education series
  • how to prepare your child for kindergarten -- summertime prep
    how to prepare your child for kindergarten -- summertime prep
  • what you need to know: disney's performing arts programs
    what you need to know: disney's performing arts programs

About amy mascott

teacher, mother, dreamer. lover of literacy, fun learning, good food, and three crazy-cool kids. finder of four-leaf clovers | dc metro ยท http://about.me/amymascott
tweet with me: @teachmama

Previous Post: « mini multiplication math fact cards mastering multiplication tables (with mini flash cards)
Next Post: how to develop language through play »

Sidebar

our books & freebies

setting the stage for rock-star readers
raise a reader
amy mascott profile blog
subscribe teachmama

join the coolest club around:

Find Us On Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

Helpful Links

  • About
  • Contact
  • Press
  • Media Kit
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy

Follow Us On Instagram

View
Open
happy saturday ๐Ÿš™
View
Open
Painted rocks are a lifesaver most days, arenโ€™t they?
View
Open
Hello, Teacher Wish List.

You are welcome here. In fact, we are incredibly glad that youโ€™ve made your way into our culture.

Youโ€™re like the Wedding Registry or Baby Registryโ€“but better. 

You are a dream because you are the list that gives and gives and gives. Youโ€™re not full of weird kitchen appliances or ugly China patterns or tiny baby Air Jordans. You are made of books, pens, pencils, journals, math manipulatives, bulletin board letters, lab goggles, staplers, and hole punchers.

You are helping to equip and educate the youth of the world and are taking a tiny bit of stress off of the shoulders of our educators. And we all know that our educatorsโ€“especially in the last few yearsโ€“have been stretched to the absolute max. They are tired, worn down, and stepped on. Theyโ€™re pushed and pulled every which way and are expected to do the job of 27 different people.

What an amazing thing you are, you little Classroom Wish List! Just a simple Amazon Wish List, you let us all feel like we are helping in a teeny way, and we thank you.

We hope you never, ever leave and that youโ€™re here to stay.

Sincerely,

Everyone

Want to help #ClearTheList ? 

Please visit: bit.ly/HELPclearthelist

#BTS2022 #HelpClearTheList #ISupportTeachers #TeachersRock #linkinbio
View
Open
TEACHERS! 

We appreciate you. 

We know that you have been spending your own money for AGES for your classroom and students, and we want to help. 

Hereโ€™s everything you need to know about creating your own Amazon Wish List: https://teachmama.com/help-teachers-clear-the-list/

Am I missing anything? Please let me know! 

#ClearTheList #CreateTeacherWishList #ClassroomWishList #AmazonWishList #BTS2022
View
Open
Friends, if you have an extra $5 or $10 that you could spare to help some amazing educators, we would be SO GRATEFUL.

Head on over to find out what I'm talking about and to learn how you can help.

And? If you're a teacher, add YOUR list to the mix so it gets more eyes (and more support!)

Check it out: https://teachmama.com/help-teachers-clear-the-list/

#ClearTheList #linkinbio #BTS2022 #ShareYourList #AmazonClearTheList
View
Open
nosotros votamos!

Find YOUR Gun Sense Candidates here: https://gunsensevoter.org/candidates/

#FirstTimeVoter #GunSenseVoter #AppleBallotVoter #yovotรฉ
View
Open
DID YOU KNOW? 

Zulily has just about everythingโ€”INCLUDING PET PRODUCTS! 

Hereโ€™s what arrived for two good boys today. . .
View
Open
WHAT. A. YEAR!

The @advancementcourses teACh Team has ROCKED it again this year, and I am so glad that youโ€™ve been along for the ride!

Every few weeks, we connected on Facebook or IG Lives, and we discussed:

โœ”๏ธ what makes Professional Development most effective;

โœ”๏ธ school administrators and teachers leading post-pandemic;

โœ”๏ธ our current top picks for childrenโ€™s books;

โœ”๏ธsupporting students who have experienced trauma;

โœ”๏ธ culturally responsive classrooms and components of special education;

โœ”๏ธ school and district-wide Professional Development options with Advancement Courses.

Itโ€™s been a BLASTโ€”and though our core team includes @teaching3rdwithmrg @techninjatodd @topdogteaching and me, we have also had guests like @stopparentingalone @laliquin @lisa.lightner.ig and more!

Please tell us your fave topics and what you would like to see more of next year!

Catch the replays here: 
https://teachmama.com/advancement-courses-teach-team-look-back/

#AdvancementCourses #teAChTeam #OnlinePD #ProfessionalDevelopment #linkinbio
View
Open
One of THE greatest kids of all time playing with one of THE greatest TOYS of all time: my nephew building with Picasso Tiles!

๐Ÿ”ป๐ŸŸง๐ŸŸฆ๐Ÿ”บ๐ŸŸจ๐ŸŸฉ๐ŸŸช๐Ÿ”บ๐ŸŸฅ

Any time I see Picasso Tiles on sale, I must shout from a ๐Ÿ” because KIDS. LOVE. THESE. 

And without fail, every time I share, dozens and dozens of my friends and family members jump on the opportunity to score this deal. 

๐Ÿ”ป๐ŸŸง๐ŸŸฆ๐Ÿ”บ๐ŸŸจ๐ŸŸฉ๐ŸŸช๐Ÿ”บ๐ŸŸฅ

Link here โ€”> zulily.gfpv.net/RyjnEy

So act now, and head to the link in bio (or the Zulily highlight on my IG page) and grab this deal before they sell out. 

The site says up to 70% off, but my links give you an EXTRA 15% off of that! 

Right now grab the 100 Piece Set for $33 (normally $129.99) and you will get free shipping all weekend long. 

๐Ÿ”ป๐ŸŸง๐ŸŸฆ๐Ÿ”บ๐ŸŸจ๐ŸŸฉ๐ŸŸช๐Ÿ”บ๐ŸŸฅ

#linkinbio #ZulilyFinds #ZulilyPartner @zulily 

(This is my affiliate link, so when you use it, I will earn a small percentage of the sale, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for using my link and supporting my small business!)

Copyright © 2022 · teach mama media, llc · All Rights Reserved

  • 3
1.1K shares