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Homework Activities Teaching Resources

An extensive collection of resources to use when compiling a range of learning at home tasks. Homework gives students opportunities to explore concepts at home which have been covered in class. Engaging homework activities can also encourage students to explore new ways of thinking away from the classroom. Resources in this collection involve a variety of learning areas for all ages.

• Teaching Resource 285
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• Spelling  15
• Proportional Relationships  14
• Foundational Language Skills  13
• Number Lines  13
• Measurement  13
• Science  12
• Percentages  12
• Reading Fluency  12
• Decoding  11
• Decimals  11
• Division  10
• Grammar  10
• Number Patterns  10
• Addition  9
• Geometry  9
• Synonyms  9
• Place Value  9
• Reading Comprehension  9
• Number Sense  9
• Word Problems  9
• Sight Words  9
• Dolch Sight Words  8
• Number Recognition  8
• Parts of Speech  8
• Operations With Fractions  7
• Social Studies  6
• Antonyms  6
• Multiplication  6
• Alphabet  5
• Graphing  5
• Earth and Space Science  5
• Story Starters  5
• Long Vowel Words  5
• Subtraction  5
• Rounding Whole Numbers  4
• Addition Strategies  4
• Types of Graphs  4
• Percent of a Number  4
• Life Science  4
• Expository Writing  4
• 2D Shapes  4
• Earth, Sun and Moon  3
• Bar Graphs  3
• Subtraction Strategies  3
• Collecting Data  3
• Alphabetical Order  3
• Perimeter  3
• Mathematics  3
• Patterns  3
• Phonemic Awareness  3
• Solar System  3
• Consonant Blends  3
• Space Science  3
• Text Structures  3
• Reading Passages  3
• English Language Arts and Reading  3
• Compare and Order Whole Numbers  3
• Skip Counting  3
• Measurement Conversions  3
• Leveled Readers  3
• Order of Operations  2
• Area of a Triangle  2
• Health Education  2
• Expanded Form  2
• Syllables  2
• 3D Shapes  2
• Handwriting  2
• Silent Letters  2
• Report Writing  2
• Personal and Community Health  2
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• Algebraic Expressions  2
• Counting  2
• Comparing Fractions  2
• Weathering and Erosion  2
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• Prefixes and Suffixes  2
• Decimal Operations  2
• Reading and Writing Numbers  2
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Tracing Numbers 0-20

Practice writing numbers 0–20 with this tracing activity. 

Sight Word Cards - Dolch Grade 3

Dolch Grade 3 sight words on flash cards.

Sight Word Cards - Dolch Pre-Primer

Dolch pre-primer sight words on flash cards.

Word Power Vocabulary Worksheet

A comic book themed worksheet to use in the classroom when building vocabulary.

Fall Math Worksheets - Addition to 99

Celebrate the coming of Fall and practice adding 2-digit numbers up to 99 with a set of four Fall color-by-number worksheets.

Student Reading Log Printables

Track your students' at-home reading with this printable reading log.

Number Lines – Cut and Paste Worksheets

Cut and paste to complete the number lines with a set of differentiated number line worksheets.

Sight Word Cards - Dolch Grade 1

Dolch Grade 1 sight words on flash cards.

Simple, Compound and Complex Sentences Worksheets

Use this set of five grammar worksheets to teach about the structures of simple, compound and complex sentences. 

Tracing Numbers 0-10

A worksheet to assist students when learning how to write the numbers 0–10.

Soccer Stats - Mixed Operation Problem Solving Worksheets

Practice multiplication, division, fractions, and problem-solving skills with a high-interest soccer-themed math task

Rounding Whole Numbers – Riddle Worksheets

Integrate riddles and math with this set of rounding worksheets.

Alphabetical Order Activity

A fun matchup activity to help teach children the letters of the alphabet and their sounds.

Color by Letter (c, k, e, h, r) - Dog

Use this free printable color by letter activity with students when practicing letter recognition for the letters c, k, e, h, and r.

Hundreds Chart Mystery Picture Task Cards

Practice identifying numbers 1-100 with this set of 32 mystery picture task cards.

Auto-Fill Customizable Spelling Worksheets

Save time making custom spelling lists and spelling practice worksheets with an editable auto-fill spelling worksheet pack.

Integer Number Sentences - Tarsia Puzzle

Practice solving addition and subtraction number sentences involving integers with a printable Tarsia puzzle!

Tracing and Drawing 2-D Shapes – Worksheet

A simple trace and draw worksheet for 2-D shapes.

Common and Proper Nouns - Sorting Task

Practice differentiating between common and proper nouns with this sorting activity.

Numbers 1–20 - Puzzle Pack

Identify and sequence the numbers from 1 to 20 with a set of Numbers 1-20 puzzles for preschool and kindergarten..

Subtraction using Place Value Disks - Worksheet

Subtract 3-digit numbers using place value disks with a printable 3rd-grade subtraction worksheet.

Greatest Common Factor and the Distributive Property Worksheets

Determine the GCF and use the distributive property to express the sum of two whole numbers as a multiplication equation with a common factor.

Daily Dolch Drills — Pre-Primer Weekly Homework

Practice weekly sight words to strengthen letter-sound recognition, spelling, and reading fluency with six weeks of sight word homework worksheets.

Comprehension - That's Not My Pet

A fun script and set of questions to help students develop reading and comprehension strategies.

• Homework Activities Worksheets
• Homework Activities Task Cards
• Homework Activities Puzzles
• Homework Activities Games
• Homework Activities Templates
• Homework Activities Color by Code
• Homework Activities Matchup Games
• Homework Activities Mazes
• Homework Activities Dominoes
• Homework Activities Sorting Activities
• Homework Activities Tarsia Puzzles
• Homework Activities Cut and Paste Worksheets
• Homework Activities Graphic Organizers
• Homework Activities Posters
• Homework Activities Tracing Worksheets
• Homework Activities Board Games
• Homework Activities Flashcards
• Homework Activities Crossword Puzzles
• Homework Activities Mini Book
• Homework Activities Writing Templates
• Homework Activities Labels Signs Decorations
• Homework Activities Bingo
• Homework Activities Word Walls
• Homework Activities Custom Studio Resources
• Homework Activities Word Searches
• Homework Activities Logic Puzzles
• Homework Activities for Pre-K
• Homework Activities for Kindergarten
• Homework Activities for 1st Grade
• Homework Activities for 2nd Grade
• Homework Activities for 3rd Grade
• Homework Activities for 4th Grade
• Homework Activities for 5th Grade
• Homework Activities for 6th Grade
• Homework Activities for 7th Grade

• BookWidgets Teacher Blog

20+ creative alternative homework ideas for teachers

When giving homework, it must always be based on learning goals your students have to reach, just like in your lessons. But it’s sad to see that lots of teachers are using homework as extra lesson time. Of course, as a teacher, you’re on a clock. But that doesn’t mean your students have to suffer from it and keep working on those boring textbooks and worksheets at home.

Consider goals like attitudes, real-life experiences, and practice, physical exercise, social encounters, creative solutions, and philanthropy as crucial as your lesson goals. These are things students don’t just pick up in your classroom. These are things they pick up in life.

In this blog post, I’ll give you some innovative homework ideas that will engage your students more. These alternatives to traditional homework will thereby also teach your students new things that can’t be taught in the classroom. You will find a variety of homework ideas: online and offline.

I will mention homework alternatives for primary school and high school. Some of these ideas can be changed a little bit, so they are the perfect fit for the right audience.

20 Creative homework ideas

You can divide homework tasks into the following themes or categories:

• Crafts & arts
• Outdoor activities & outings
• Games and activities
• Physical activities
• Digital or computer activities
• Philanthropy & social work

💡 Good to know : all the ready-to-use homework activities are created with BookWidgets . You can easily create activities like these yourself or duplicate an activity below for free, edit it if needed, and share it with your students. You can do so in the examples separately, or you can find all the homework examples in the BookWidgets Blog group folder .

Crafts and arts homework

1. prepare a dish from a recipe book.

2. Make a board game

3. Create a birdhouse

4. Transform a fictional book character into a hand puppet

Outdoor homework activities and outings

5. coupon game.

Students can also go grocery shopping with their parents. Here, they have to read the ingredients of the products and help their parents choose the healthiest products for the best prices, figure out the best deal between the sizes of items, …

6. Visit the zoo

7. Visit the local dumping ground or container park

8. Build a tree house

Games and activities as homework

9. bookwidgets games.

10. Minecraft

11. Play Cards

12. Play Zoo Tycoon or Rollercoaster Tycoon

Physical homework activities

13. rope skipping.

Many rope-skipping songs let your students do different tricks while rope-skipping. This is an excellent opportunity for homework as well. Ask your students to transform a rope skipping song into a song with lesson content. Let them count or spell or even sum up the different states or capitals. To engage their lifestyles even harder, you can additionally give them the assignment to create a TikTok in which they are jumping and singing.

Click here to see how you can get Tiktok more involved in the classroom.

14. Walking quest

If there aren’t any walking quests in the neighborhood, you could ask your students to create a walking quest like this for their fellow students. What a fun day it will be!

15. Obstacle Quiz

In order for students to answer the questions, they have to run and pass a challenging parkour. This is a fun homework exercise, and in the end, it’s a great lesson starter or lesson end.

16. Swimming games

After the activity, they can fill out an Exit Slip:

Digital or computer homework activities

17. create a picture album.

This teaches them to handle the online software, add pictures and write without spelling mistakes. And of course, creating memories is so much fun!

18. Video job application

19. Your life in 10 minutes - video

20. Email pen-pals

Is it still too complicated? Read the messages from your students, before they send them, and provide them with some feedback.

Philanthropy and social homework

21. grow a community garden.

22. Help in a retirement home

23. Help at a homeless shelter

24. Collect litter

Here’s another homework tip: Don’t call homework “homework”. Call it a challenge. Homework has become a negative word for students, and I bet they start rolling their eyes as you even mention the word.

Still looking for more inspiration? Check out the blog on short films and lesson activities that spice up your Google Classroom . Tip: even if you don’t use Google Classroom, there is a lot of inspiration back here.

Above you have read single assignments. But, you also have the option to involve your homework in a project. Find out more here .

So, as I mentioned earlier, there are many fun alternatives to traditional homework. Now it’s up to you to apply this in the classroom as well. In this folder , you will find all the examples you have come across.

Which idea do you or perhaps your students like the most? Let us know on Twitter . Of course, there are many more alternatives. If you have other ideas, you are always welcome to share it with other teachers in our Facebook group .

One more thing: don’t forget to say hi👋 on LikedIn .

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Your Career• 3 Min read

6th September 2020

Creative Homework Ideas

How can you create homework assignments that build on the day’s lessons and encourage creative, student-led learning? It’s a challenge for most teachers, especially as motivating pupils to complete homework can add a whole extra layer to your lesson plans. But it’s essential to bridge the gap between teacher and student learning –  the skills gained through independent study reinforces knowledge from your class, as well as a host of other benefits:

• Extended learning time – outside of the constraints of the school day, students are free to learn at their own pace and in their own environment.
• Independent learning – vital skills for exam preparation and higher education
• Teaches students to be resourceful and to overcome challenges independently.
• Gives students the freedom to be creative in their learning, gain valuable problem-solving skills and confidence in their own abilities.

Tips For Setting Creative Homework

• Plan independent learning both in and out of the classroom – you can monitor students effectiveness and address issues that may arise in the classroom before they become problematic for pupils at home.
• Don’t leave homework assignment to the end of the lesson, rushing through the task might leave some students confused which inevitably leads to a lower homework completion rate. Write plenty of time for explaining homework assignments into your lesson planning – read our Beginner’s Guide To Lesson Planning here
• Homework should to not too easy nor not too hard, offering pupils a challenge that reinforced the topics learnt during the day
• Give room for creative expression – allowing students to add their own diagrams, decorations or chose their own project topics from a selection. 
• Try using peer or self-assessment to mark homework – a double whammy of reducing your workload and allowing pupils to take control of their own learning.
• Include timings and explicit steps for completing more complicated assignments, especially for pupils that you anticipate might struggle. Comprehension of the task is the biggest hurdle in getting pupils to work on an independent basis.
• Self-driven projects, posters, creative tasks and research are more exciting than standard comprehension tasks and might encourage pupils that find sitting and writing dull or hard to complete the homework set – give students the freedom to learn and be creative in their home study.
• Provide specific instructions and internet safety reminders for research-led assignments. It’s very easy for children to find research overwhelming with a vast amount of information available online. Provide suggested websites and links in your homework to keep things on track!
• Don’t introduce a new topic for homework – keep it to topics that you’ve already covered in class
• Taking note of the subjects that excite and engage your class and set homework accordingly – try keeping dryer topics and  for the classroom so that you can monitor engagement
• Mark work promptly – essential to keep students motivated to complete work in their own time!
• Offering students the opportunity to select the homework that they would like to do from a selection guarantees a higher rate of completion. We’ve seen some teachers create grids or sheets of homework assignments for the pupils to select, or offer baskets of activities for younger children to take home and complete with an adult.

Creative Homework Ideas For All Ages

Coming up with innovative ways for students to reinforce their knowledge at home can be difficult – many of these ideas would be suitable for lots of subjects with a little tweaking!

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13 Fun Homework Ideas: The Best Ways To Make Homework Fun For Kids Quickly & Easily

Sophie Bartlett

Figuring out how to make homework fun can be a tricky task for parents.

Does it feel like you’re constantly nagging your kids to do their homework? If your answer is yes, know that we’ve all been there! It’s natural for parents to want their children to progress and do well in school, but after an entire day of paper, pencils, and books many youngsters will resist getting on with their homework – and that’s putting it mildly!

Fun Math Games and Activities Packs for Kindergarten to 5th Grade

Individual packs for Kindergarten to Grade 5 containing fun math games and activities.

Top Tips To Make Homework Fun:

1. work together, 2. use rewards and incentives, 3. make them a snack, 4. make it visual, 5. try different learning apps, 6. set up a homework play date, 7. go outside, 8. turn it into a game, 9. let them play teacher, 10. use a timer, 11. create a special homework space, 12. remember to be positive, 13. get help if you need it.

Thankfully, there are ways of making homework less boring and that are a little bit more fun for your child. Whether they need to practice spelling, learn their times tables or revise for an important exam, our top fun homework ideas will help you magically take the ‘work’ out of homework.

Adults often work best in the company of others, and the same can be said of kids, so why not sit with your child while they’re studying and get on with some of your own work or life admin?

Whether you’re returning emails or doing your online banking, creating a shared workspace and modeling focused work is a great way to spend quality time together while they complete their homework. Win-win!

Quick win : While your child is tackling their fractions homework, you could sit down with them and take a look through your finances.

Rewards and incentives are great when it comes to getting your children to follow your household rules and routines, and homework is no different. Things like stickers or the promise of time on their iPad or games console for slightly older children can all work wonders in getting them to do their homework without a battle.

Quick win: For every few questions they answer they could get a minute of screen time!

Let’s face it: A hungry child is an unfocused, unmotivated and unhappy child.

Most children come out of school ravenous, so let them nibble on a nutritious after-school snack while they get on with homework; things like popcorn, apple slices, grapes, or crackers and cheese are all great snack options.

If you’re feeling a bit more adventurous, Active for Life has a list of healthy after-school snack ideas and recipes to try.

Quick win: One of the best brain foods for kids is a nice and crispy apple! So when your child is craving something sweet just cut up an apple and let them munch away.

Help to eliminate the late night ‘Oh, I forgot to do that’, and create a weekly homework chart so your child can see what they have to do each day and check off each ‘to do’ task as it’s been completed.

Again, Pinterest has some great free printables to help keep kids organized. Get them involved by letting them color it, or decorate it with their favorite stickers, and pin it up somewhere at their height, where they will see it easily every day as a reminder. Some exciting new stationery and colorful pens might help too.

Quick win: An easy way to make homework fun is to grab a piece of paper and get your child to draw out and decorate a ‘homework chart’ consisting of 5 days. Stick it on the fridge and add a sticker to each day after they’ve done their homework, when they’ve collected 5 stickers they get a treat!

If your child prefers to be online, there are some great online apps around that children will have fun using, yet encourage learning too. Here are our favorite free math websites for example. Speak to your child’s teacher too and see which apps the children use in school so you can support what they’re doing at home.

Quick win: One of our favorite websites that makes homework fun is Tang Math !

Holding a homework playdate where your child can invite one of their best school buddies over to do homework together can be a great way for them to learn and make sure the work gets done, especially older children in elementary school.

Plus, it’s likely that their parents will be delighted!

Younger children may need a bit more support and guidance but can still gain a lot from the experience of learning together with a friend – think of this as a mini-educational play date for them.

Quick win: Let your child and their friend play for a while, and then get them to work through their homework with the incentive of a yummy ‘ice cream party’ when they’ve completed all of their homework.

If the weather allows, create a comfortable outside study space and allow your child to do their homework outdoors.

The fresh air can help kids with their concentration if they’ve been stuck in a classroom all day, and studies also show that being outside, closer to nature, can increase productivity. The reward of a quick game of Frisbee or a kick-around of a soccer ball between tasks will help them stay motivated too.

Who said home learning had to be boring? If children enjoy what they’re learning, they’re more likely to remember what they’re being taught, so turn their learning into a fun game. Using sweets like Smarties to help with math and number work can turn the experience from a chore into a treat. If they get the right answer, they get to eat some!

Another trick that you can use when your child is learning spellings is to write them in shaving cream or in magnetic letters. It sounds simple but we can guarantee that it will make homework a lot more fun for your child.

These math games for kids and times tables games are a great place to start.

Quick win: If you’re looking for some fun homework ideas then check out this simple multiplication activity you can do at home, it’ll even get in one of your child’s five a day!

Make another fun homework game by creating your own mini-classroom and letting your child step into the role of teacher.

Have your child explain a concept to you as a teacher, as you, or their sibling, play the role of the student. This game works particularly well with subjects that require theory, like Science for example, as it will improve their understanding of the concept and build logic and reasoning skills.

Quick win: Make homework fun by getting your child to choose their favorite teddies and toys and setting them up in their own mini- classroom. Start off with registration, ‘mom’ ‘present’, ‘mr teddy’ ‘here’ etc. You’ll soon notice that your child is growing in confidence regardless of the topic as children love playing teacher!

Some children may have difficulty working for prolonged periods of time without a break, so using a timer can be great for getting them to complete homework without whining. For example, if your child is given 20 math problems for homework, you can say “Complete the first 10 questions, then we’ll take a 5-minute break, then complete the next 10 questions”.

Many children will need a mental break and will work more effectively when given the opportunity to take one. At the end of the task, they get to pick an activity of their choice. If your child gets easily distracted, a timer game can work well to keep them focused on the task in hand.

Quick win: Put the timer on your phone so that your child can see the countdown while they’re working.

A special study space can make homework more fun and help motivate your child to get it done! Choose a space in your house that’s least likely to distract your child, and create simple, organized, and kid-friendly homework.

You could hang up some of their artwork above the desk, and have all their school essentials nearby so everything is close to hand.

Quick win: Make sure that they aren’t surrounded by things that will distract them. Televisions and iPads are a no go at homework time!

Remember to always be upbeat and positive about school and the importance of their homework. Give your child lots of praise and encouragement about how well they’re doing to help them stay motivated and on track.

Quick win: After every homework session, spend five minutes talking through what your child has accomplished. If you’re running out of activities to do, have a look at our list of home learning packs – all free to download.

Homework can be frustrating if your child doesn’t understand the material or gets bored easily. If your child is struggling, get them some expert help!

Quick win: Third Space Learning has plenty of advice on learning math for kids and parents but if you need more support, our primary school math tutors are easy to organize and very affordable.

Do you have students who need extra support in math? Give your students more opportunities to consolidate learning and practice skills through personalized math tutoring with their own dedicated online math tutor. Each student receives differentiated instruction designed to close their individual learning gaps, and scaffolded learning ensures every student learns at the right pace. Lessons are aligned with your state’s standards and assessments, plus you’ll receive regular reports every step of the way. Personalized one-on-one math tutoring programs are available for: – 2nd grade tutoring – 3rd grade tutoring – 4th grade tutoring – 5th grade tutoring – 6th grade tutoring – 7th grade tutoring – 8th grade tutoring Why not learn more about how it works ?

The content in this article was originally written by primary school teacher Sophie Bartlett and has since been revised and adapted for US schools by elementary math teacher Christi Kulesza.

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7 Ways To Make Homework Fun For Back To School

Whether you are heading back to school or have been back for a bit, perhaps you are tired of the same old same old homework. Hopefully, you’re coming back with some new energy. Why not infuse that into creative, new activities that you send home with students to consolidate skills? 

Here’s how to make homework fun!

Start with these free fun homework ideas

Free phonics worksheets & activities.

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Fun homework ideas for the whole year

One of the things that keeps homework from getting stale is to have a variety of activities and approaches. This does three things:

• It keeps students from getting bored with a fill-in-the-blank worksheet every single day
• It provides options for students to draw in different skills and learning styles
• It allows you to practice the same skill in multiple ways. 

Here are some creative ideas to put into the mix. 

Homework bingo

At the beginning of the week give students a bingo card with different activities related to your focus on a particular subject. For example, a phonics bingo card might include activities like: make a list of at least 10 words with the long e sound, sort the list of words into groups based on how the long e sound is spelled, write sentences using 5 long e words, draw pictures of 5 of our long e words and label them, look around your house for long e words (books, labels, sign, clothing, etc.). Instruct students they need to do five activities this week. If a word list, a game, or other resource is useful for completing the activity, you can attach it to the bingo card. You can even use the same card for more than a week. Let students know if they can repeat any activities or have to do all new ones in week 2.

Cootie catchers

Do you remember these folded paper playground games? You might have called them fortune tellers or chatterboxes. Kids still love them, and they are a great way to practice phonics or math. Cootie catchers can be a two-person activity (students can practice with a friend or somebody in their home), but they can also be used individually. 

Make a poster

Have students make a poster about a specific topic or something they learned. For example, students could make a poster illustrating with examples the different ways to spell the oo sound. Hang the posters in the classroom. 

Math card games

Card games can be a fun way to practice math. I’ve used math card games to build math fluency, practice adding on, and come up with different ways to get to the same number, among other things. You can find some step-by-step math card games here. If students don’t have playing cards at home, you can print out number cards to work with. 

Phonics card games

When it comes to card games, math might come to mind first because playing cards have numbers, but you can print word cards for any word list you are using for students to use for phonics card games. You can have students sort the word cards based on certain criteria. Or they can play classic games like Go Fish or Concentration. Some games, like Go Fish, only work with another player, but some like concentration or sorting games can work for individuals. 

I use task cards in lots of ways. I put math task cards in my math station, use them as a morning warm-up, have them available for early finishers — and I use them for homework. Send a stack of them home at the beginning of the week and have students complete them all by the end of the week. 

Mix it up worksheets

I mentioned at the beginning that creative activities saved students from the boredom of worksheets, so I wanted to be clear. I’m not anti-worksheet. Worksheets can make home practice easy on teachers, students, and parents. The key, I think, is to have a variety of options when it comes to worksheets, so students are not doing the same thing day after day. Maybe one worksheet has them fill in the blanks, but another has them unscramble words or match words to a picture or cut and sort. There are so many homework ideas in worksheets alone. 

Need creative and easy homework ideas 

If you were trying to figure out how to make homework fun, I hope one of these homework ideas inspired you. And if you were inspired, but you’re not sure you have the time or energy to pull it off, I’ve got some good news. You don’t have to create it to have creative homework activities. 

Here are two DONE FOR YOU ways to freshen up your homework ideas: 

Phonics homework for the ENTIRE year

You get 100 weeks of engaging, skills-based phonics activities, ready to print and go. They cover blending, segmentation, phoneme manipulation, fluency, vocabulary, and punctuation and give students practice in CVC words, more complex words, digraphs, alternate spellings of many sounds, suffixes, and double consonants. In addition to a variety of skills, there’s a variety of activities too! Easy homework? Done: https://topnotchteaching.com/downloads/fun-phonics-homework/

Top Notch Teaching membership

Looking for ways to make homework fun beyond phonics? The Top Notch Teaching Membership has you covered with done-for-you lessons, activities, and projects you can use for literacy, math, science, PE, and more. No more getting lost down a Google rabbit hole. Instead, you have one place to go for done-for-you printables and digital products you know you can trust. Homework ideas, lesson plans, classroom management? Done: https://topnotchteaching.com/members/

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Creative Homework Ideas For Your Students

Setting appropriate homework tasks is a big part of your teaching role. Setting homework is an opportunity to ensure that your students have absorbed the lesson and can apply what they've learnt to individual study. Homework allows students to reflect on your teachings and broaden their understanding of a particular subject or topic.

However, motivating your class to view homework this way might be something of a challenge! Most young people find settling down to complete homework outside of school hours challenging. If the task feels overwhelming or difficult or seems monotonous, they might just go through the motions of getting it done rather than giving it their full energy and attention and completing it the best they can.

So how can you ensure students' love of learning continues outside the classroom and that they not only give their all to completing homework but actually enjoy it too?

By getting creative with the work you set and thinking about how you can engage and motivate students to complete their homework, you will undoubtedly see better results.

Here are some excellent homework ideas to help encourage creative, student-led learning.

Exciting, engaging homework ideas to keep your students paying attention

Write their own lesson plan.

If you want to give your students a chance to step into your shoes for the day, why don't you ask them to create their own lesson plan around a topic they've learnt about or are about to learn? This will give them a chance to showcase their knowledge, do research and think creatively. You'll also learn more about how your students like to work and what would make a good lesson from their perspective, which could help inform how you shape your lessons in the future.

Write a speech or story from a different perspective

If your students are learning about a famous historical figure or studying a classic text, why not get them to think about different perspectives? You could ask them to embody someone influential from a particular period or a character from a play or story and write a speech or story from that person's point of view.

Create a board game

Gamification is always a fun idea to try to inject energy into the classroom, and getting your students to create their very own board game is a fantastic way to keep things fun while also getting them engaged in their learning. Games could centre around a particular topic; they could be quiz-based, matching games, or number games - let them get as creative as they like. You can then have fun in class playing the best ones too.

Go on a treasure hunt

As a fun homework task that will get your students out and about, ask them to go on a treasure or scavenger hunt, finding certain things that are related to your topic. For younger children, this could be as simple as collecting leaves, flowers, or twigs they might find in their local park, or particular shapes or colours, but older children can benefit from this kind of task too by setting more complicated challenges.

Create a collage

Creating collages can be a fun and interesting way for students to demonstrate their learning, improve their research skills and use their creativity and imagination and can be based on a variety of different topics so they work well across lots of subjects. Encourage them to stick cutouts, fabrics, tickets, photographs, and any other relevant materials to make up their collages, and then they can take turns presenting these in class.

Film a video

If your students are older and have mobile phones, you could set a video-making task for them to do at home. This could involve interviewing friends and relatives about a topic or filming themselves talking about a specific subject, or answering a particular question. Students could share their videos in class and will love being able to use their phones in school for once!

Create a crossword

Get your students to think creatively about questions and answers by asking them to create their very own crossword puzzle, using the material you've taught them in class as a basis. You can ask them to bring all their crossword puzzles into class and then swap them with each other to see if other students can fit the answers in correctly.

Find fun facts

Almost every subject has weird and wonderful facts surrounding it. Did you know, for example, that the word 'hundred' derives from an old Norse term 'hundrath,' which actually means 120?! Or that water can both boil and freeze simultaneously? Encourage your students to find the most obscure or interesting facts about the subjects you are teaching them, and then you can all share your findings in class.

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Homework Ideas for Elementary Teachers: Save Time and Make Learning More Purposeful for Students in 2024

What’s the first word you think of when I say “homework?” It’s one of those hot topics that people feel very strongly about one way or another. However, more often than not, it’s a requirement. As a result, I am here to share homework ideas that will make your life as an elementary teacher a little bit easier.

I used to send homework home nightly, but found it to add chaos to each and every day. I would spend many lunch periods copying an assignment for that night. Kids would forget to take their copy home. Parents would call or email to get clarification on what the assignment was for that night.

Then I switched to a weekly packet. The packet included all of the pages for the week along with a cover sheet that listed spelling words and assignments. This was an improvement, but still not ideal.

Last year, I started using a separate folder just for homework. This is one of the best homework ideas I have come up with. The folder includes the homework calendar and all of the printables they will need for the week. I sent home a Paragraph of the Week assignment each week. The consistency was outstanding. We really felt like we hit gold because the kids were all working on something meaningful with a purpose. The parents liked it because it was easy for them to understand and help with. I began experimenting with a monthly homework packet. And let me tell you…

It. Was. Awesome! 

We placed everything into a homework folder for the month and included an assignment calendar. The folder stayed at home and the students returned their completed work each morning in the communication folder . Learn about some of my best homework ideas for elementary teachers below!

7 Benefits of Assigning Homework

Do you question the importance of homework? Are you one of the many teachers or parents who feel homework should be banned? The idea of homework just doesn’t make sense to you. If you are part of the growing number of people questioning if the reasons homework is bad outweigh the benefits to homework, then you might find this to be helpful. 

I’m going to be honest, as a teacher (and especially as a parent), I am in the camp of not liking the idea of homework at the elementary level. However, each of the districts I have taught in has required teachers to assign nightly homework in addition to reading for 20 minutes. It often felt like a waste of time and paper.

For some teachers, the word HOMEWORK brings about pangs of dread. Others see it as a necessary evil of learning. For many, it merely represents having to fulfill a district requirement. In many districts these days, homework is not counted towards a student’s overall grade. The debate over homework has been waged for years. The question is: What’s a teacher to do?

No matter where you stand on the topic of homework, here are some ideas related to homework that will make you feel better about assigning homework. They may even make you feel good in some cases! I am hoping the 7 benefits listed below will ease the guilt some teachers feel about burdening their students and their families with tasks to complete at home.

1. Prepares Students for the Next Day’s Learning

A great way to use homework is preparation for an upcoming lesson, whether it’s doing some reading ahead of time, or looking over other assigned material, there’s no doubt that preparing for an upcoming lesson is a beneficial way to assign homework.

2. Increases Responsibility

When a student has a task that they MUST do rather than WANT to do, they learn to be responsible. Homework is the “You do” in the learning model of “I do, We do, You do.”.  It gives the learner a chance to practice what was covered in class and take responsibility for their own learning.

3. Advances Problem-Solving Skills

If the student can’t find an answer to something in their homework, (or even where to look for information to find an answer), what steps will they take to solve this problem? Will they look in a dictionary, online, ask a friend, or go to a library? Homework gives students a chance to flex their problem-solving muscles.

4. Offers Review Practice

Whether it’s a new math skill, or spelling/vocabulary words, homework that involves reviewing material covered in class will help students to remember it and is a very useful assignment.

5. Teaches Time Management

For students with an active extra-curricular life, homework teaches them how to manage their time. This helps them learn to prioritize schoolwork.

6. Strengthens Persistence and Grit

There have been many studies done recently that show a lack of persistence and grit in today’s students. Developing the fortitude to complete homework assignments also helps develop a student’s capacity for grit and persistence. These are necessary for success in many areas of life, not just academically.

7. Promotes Self-Esteem

Students will develop a sense of pride when they learn the value of a job well done and take ownership of their work. This carries over into their personal development as well. It is for this reason that homework should always be a review of skills already taught.

5 Problems with Assigning Traditional Homework

These were five of the problems I faced in my 3rd grade classroom. No matter which grade you teach I’m pretty sure you can relate. The good news is I managed to find a solution that saved me time and reduced my stress each day. Not only that, but my students’ math skills were strengthened and their families were less burdened with random assignments each night. Read on to learn about the problems I had and how I solved them.

1. Mandated to Give Homework

My school required we give homework 4 nights per week. It was a mandate, so my personal feelings made no difference. I had to send it nightly.

2. Emails and Calls from Parents

I often received emails and phone calls from confused parents. They often said they didn’t understand the homework or told me that their child said that they had “never seen this stuff before”. Let’s be honest, our time is so limited. We do not want to spend the afternoon or start the morning returning messages explaining directions or convincing someone that you did, in fact, teach it in class.

3. Wasted Class Time Every Day

I needed to spend some of our instructional time every afternoon going over the instructions because each assignment varied.

4. Drop-In Visits from Parents

I frequently had a parent and child return to my classroom because the homework never made it into the backpack. This often resulted in an unplanned conference at a time when I needed to prepare for the next day.

5. Students Forgot what was Taught

Unrelated to homework, I consistently faced a different problem. I often would teach a concept, the students would demonstrate proficiency…and then they didn’t.

How often do you have students who forget what odd and even (or a prime and composite if you teach higher grades) numbers are, not remember how to round to the nearest 10, 100 or 1000, or sit like a deer in headlights when asked to write a number in expanded form in the spring when they were rock stars of that skill in the fall when it was taught.

This is especially troublesome if you teach in a grade that takes standardized testing at the end of the year because you then need to set aside a lot of class time for review and test prep.

How to Grade Homework

Determine if correcting homework is an effective use of your time. Teachers don’t know how much assistance a child had with an assignment so it isn’t always an accurate representation of their abilities. Checking the homework for effort and general understanding may be sufficient. If you are assigning worksheets, consider selecting a few questions to go over in class.

Homework Incentive Ideas

Homework should be completed because it is an expectation and not to receive a trinket. However, some teachers do find that extrinsic rewards are motivational to their students. If you choose to make those a part of your homework procedure, here are a few easy-to-manage suggestions:

Students earn a ticket when they complete an assignment. Have them place the tickets into a container. Draw one ticket a week to win a No Homework Night Coupon.

Certificate

Honor perfect homework efforts with a certificate. This could be done monthly or by marking period.

Offer a “No Homework Coupon.” These are like gold!

Ideas for Homework Consequences

First, check with your school and district to see if there is a policy in place. Next, determine a plan for how you will handle homework that is incomplete, missing, poor quality, etc. and be consistent. Be cautious about using recess as a punishment for not doing homework. Often the kids who are not doing their homework are the ones who most need recess .

10 Homework Tips for Elementary Teachers

Below are homework tips for elementary teachers to consider. You are bound to find some helpful homework ideas on this list that you can implement.

1. Assign Tasks Students can do Independently

The first tip on this list of homework ideas is to strive to find easy-to-manage, yet effective assignments. Although it is true that you shouldn’t be sending home tasks that students can’t complete on their own, you also need to be careful not to give them “busy work” either.  Having them complete an assignment for a skill they are proficient in also creates unnecessary work for the teacher. Time is a teacher’s greatest obstacle so be careful not to spend it copying, correcting, managing, chasing, etc sheets of paper that students are not gaining anything from. 

2. Keep Homework Assignments Consistent Across the Grade Level

The second tip on this list of homework ideas is to strive to be consistent with your grade level colleagues. Ideally, the assignments and policies should be identical.

3. Collaborate with Your Team

The third tip on this list of homework ideas is to save time by teaming up with the other teacher(s) at your grade level. Alternate prepping the packet for the week or designate different subjects to different teachers.

4. Communicate Expectations with Your Students’ Families

Communicate your expectations with parents from the beginning. Discuss them at open house and make a hard copy available for students who may transfer in later in the year.

5. Change the Way you See Homework

Use homework as an opportunity to teach organization and responsibility. While homework may not always be a reflection of a student’s abilities, it can be a valuable learning tool for time management and work habits.

6. Keep a Simple and Consistent Format

Design a simple and consistent format for homework. It could be reading and a math page every night or you may have students work on a different subject each night.  When I taught 2nd grade I used to do Math Monday (computation), Teacher Choice Tuesday (a spelling activity), Word Study Wednesday, Thinking Thursday (word problems).

7. Create a System for Collecting It

The seventh tip on this list of homework ideas is to create a system for collecting it. It’s important to have some sort of turn-in system and procedure so students know what to do with their homework each morning.

8. Implement an Efficient Routine for Checking Homework

Consider implementing an efficient routine for checking homework. If you are just going to check for completion and spot check the homework you could have students place it on their desk while they do morning work and you can circulate and check the pages.

9. Communicate Homework Progress with Parents

Determine how you will communicate homework progress with parents. In general, no news is good news, but I do have a homework alert that gets sent home as needed. It needs to be signed by an adult at home so the families know if they are not meeting the expectations.

10. Consider Creating a Menu of Optional Homework Activities

The last tip on this list of homework ideas is to create a menu of optional homework activities. Some parents find homework to be a burden and others want more. One way to make everyone happy is to send home a basic assignment that is required for all students and a list of optional enrichment choices for those who want additional assignments.

How I Implemented Homework in My Classroom

There are tons of homework ideas out there, but this is what worked for me.

As a public school teacher, I was required to give out nightly homework to my third graders. I found myself spending a lot of time picking out assignments, making copies, communicating directions, answering emails and phone calls from parents who did “not understand the new math” (aka the math workbook pages), distributing, collecting and correcting what essentially was just busy work sent home to meet a requirement I did not agree with. 

My biggest concern was (and continues to be) that many of the assignments from the workbook included 10-20 of the same type of problem. That meant that if a student was struggling with subtraction with regrouping and completed 20 problems incorrectly, that misconception and error became so much harder to fix. 

Parents were signing reading logs, but the kids weren’t actually reading.

I was frustrated by feeling like my time, the students’ time, and the parents’ time was being wasted. I knew there had to be a better option, so I set out to fix the problem. I’m thrilled with the results I must say.

I began creating spiral review math pages for each day for my own 3rd graders. These pages proved to be important and meaningful work. This resource is best if not one of the best homework ideas I have ever come up with.

What are the Spiral Review Math Pages?

The spiral review math pages are a tool for teachers to use to ensure students are having continued practice with previously taught skills. They are available for 1st-5th grade. The spiral review packets were designed to have 25 pages per month, which gives you the flexibility to assign them for homework every night plus have extras. The 1st grade version is set up a little differently, but still has 180 pages so you’ll be covered for the year.

Each of the spiral review pages follow the same daily format, cover skills from each area (e.g. computation, measurement, geometry, data, and word problems) and continuously spiral previously taught skills. This consistent format of 10 standards-based questions focused on topics we’d already covered provides an important spiral review of all the grade-level skills. This helped students to retain previously taught skills. The added benefit was that students who had not demonstrated proficiency earlier in the year had the opportunity to do so over time through repeated practice and instruction.

Using these spiral review math pages makes homework more purposeful and easier to manage. My students became much stronger in all math concepts, the parents expressed gratitude for the consistent format, and the phone calls and emails asking for assignment clarification completely stopped. It was so effective that it completely eliminated the need for any test prep in the spring. My students’ test scores were even much higher than previous years.

These worked so well for myself and the other 3rd grade teachers who were using them, that (by request) I created them for 2nd, 4th, and 5th grade too. Each was designed in consultation with and piloted by experienced teachers in those grade levels. They have since been used the past few years by thousands of teachers who have reported great success as well. I most recently added first grade.

This is one of my favorite ideas for homework of all time!

What’s Included in the Spiral Review Math Resources?

The 2nd-5th grade packets all have monthly/seasonal themes. September targets many of the skills that were required at the end of the previous grade level. It was designed to be used as a review for the new year and to pinpoint important foundational skills that your students must be proficient in before moving on to new standards. The following months build in a systematic, sequential order with lots of spiral review built in so that students retain important concepts. They include the following resources:

• 250 print and go pages (plus 10 bonus pages) that will cover you for the full school year
• answer keys to make grading quick and easy for you
• 2,500 review problems (plus 100 bonus problems) based on the Common Core, which will help you rest easy knowing your students are practicing the math concepts and skills they need to
• 250 Google Forms so students can access them digitally from home or in school
• Recording sheets for students to show their thinking
• Item analysis data trackers to make it easy to see which students need to be pulled for small groups or if it would be beneficial to reteach the concept to the entire class
• Projectable answer keys so students can check their own work

The first grade version is a little different. It’s format has only 5 problems to better meet the developmental needs of our younger learners. It has 180 printable pages instead. In addition, this resource does not include seasonal pages, which allows you to use them at any time of the school year.

Learn more about the spiral review math resources for your grade level below.

• 1st grade spiral review math activities
• 2nd grade spiral review math activities
• 3rd grade spiral review math activities
• 4th grade spiral review math activities
• 5th grade spiral review math activities

Where Can I Learn More about Spiral Review Math?

You can learn more about spiral review in this post: Spiral Review Math .

The Benefits of Using Spiral Review Math Pages

There are tons of benefits to using the spiral review math pages for homework.

• The spiral review pages provide multiple opportunities for students to become proficient in a skill instead of just teaching it and forgetting it
• The repeated spiraling practice of foundational grade level skills ensures they were ready to build upon them when y ou introduce new skills.
• You’ll no longer need to waste hours of valuable class time on standardized test prep in the spring because the spiral review throughout the year ensure your students are always ready for the exam.
• It constantly shows you if there are skills you need to reteach either to the whole class or to a small group of students. 
• Students complete them with ease because the skills and the format of the pages are familiar to them.
• The variety of 10 different problems eliminates the risk of students cementing a misconception into their minds.

Why You’ll Love it as a Teacher

Not only will the nightly spiral review math pages provide your students with meaningful practice of important skills, increase their confidence as learners and make them stronger math students, they will also solve many of the problems you face as a teacher and make the parents’ lives easier too. It’s one of the best homework ideas I have ever come up with!

• You’ll longer needed to scramble to find homework for each night. Instead, simply print each month’s pages at the start of the new month and copy them all at once into weekly packets for the students.
• Your lesson planning will become much more intentional and focused because you are able to easily identify which skills your students need to work on more.
• You will no long waste valuable time correcting busy work. Instead, you’ll go over these important skills as a class.
• Parents will feel better about being able to help their students and became true allies and partners in their learning.
• Students and their families will be able to better enjoy their evenings together as a family because they know what to consistently expect for homework each evening.
• Distributing the week’s packet all at once enables students’ families to support my goal of teaching time management because they can work ahead when they know there is a busy night coming up on their calendars.
• Homework will be easier for you and more meaningful for your students.
• The homework assignments will be systematic and routine so parents and students will always know exactly what the expectations are and understand the instructions.
• You will constantly review all prior skills so that your student reach mastery over time. This will prevent students from forgetting what they learned earlier in the year.

How to Implement them in Your Classroom

I used a separate folder just for homework. It included the homework calendar and all of the printables they will need for the week. We placed everything into a homework folder for the month. The folder stayed at home and the students returned their completed work each morning in the communication folder .

I assembled the homework packets for the entire year in one afternoon and didn’t have to think about it again the rest of the school year. I sent them home on Friday afternoons.

The students simply completed one page each night beginning on Monday afternoons and returned only that one page to class in the morning. The other nightly pages remained at home. 

This meant I no longer needed to take any class time to explain the directions or check to make sure the papers made it into the backpacks.

The next morning I projected the answer sheet onto my smart board and reviewed each problem with them. This daily quick review made them accountable and reinforced all of the math skills regularly. Going over it in class sent the message that the work they did outside of school was purposeful and they would be accountable for it. They no longer felt homework was a waste of time so they demonstrated increased effort.

I also created data collection sheets to use either with one specific student’s page, or to examine the class as a whole. The pages were so easy to use and let me see at a glance where I needed to focus future instruction. 

How Can I Use the Extra Spiral Review Pages in the Packet?

There are 25 pages per month in each of the spiral review resources. Since you’ll never need to use all 25 for homework purposes, consider using the extra pages in the following ways:

• formative assessment to monitor progress
• morning work
• math center activity (“at your seat” activity during Guided Math Workshop )
• Emergency sub plans  activity

Where Can I Buy the Math Spiral Review Pages?

You can purchase the math spiral review pages from my Teachers Pay Teachers store . They are also available in my Elementary Math Resource Collection and grade level math clubs, which you can find below.

What Teachers Who Used these Packets Have Said

Thousands of teachers have used this homework idea in their classroom. Read some of the reviews below!

• “WOW! I’ve been teaching for 16 years and this has been the most useful thing I have used. My students really understand all of the skills and I loved knowing I wasn’t moving on without all my kids being proficient. The beautiful layout, structured format, and clear expectations made it so easy to make these become part of our daily routine. I highly recommend them to everyone.” (Thank you Jocelyn P.!)
• “I started using your monthly spiral review pages in October and never looked back. Not only did they provide us with quality daily work, but I just got my end of year scores back for the district math assessments and my entire class crushed it. I attribute their success 100% to these pages combined with your guided math book that opened my eyes to a whole new way of teaching. I can’t thank you enough. My administration has taken notice. I’m so proud of what we’ve done.” (Thank you Kerri K.!)
• My teammates and I had the opportunity to see you present about guided math and math workshop and excitedly jumped right in with your guided math format the next week! We have been using the spiral review pages as homework and in the “at your seat” station during our daily math workshop. OMG!!! We ALL agree that between the new teaching routines and the use of these pages, our students are consistently performing above average and truly understand the math. It’s not just our opinion either because we just received our test scores from last year and they were not only MUCH higher than ever before, but we outscored the district and student growth from the previous year was amazing. That was what prompted me to finally leave a review. I/we can not recommend these enough. Thank you for not only making our jobs easier, but so much more enjoyable as well. (Thank you Jessica R.!)
• These are absolutely wonderful for my students! I use them for a variety of things including review and homework. (Thanks Tony C.!)
• “Love the data sheets! Great way for me and my students to monitor their learning.” (Thanks Kelsey!)

In closing, we hope you found these homework ideas for teachers helpful! If you haven’t already checked out this post about spiral review math , please be sure to do so!

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Best Homework Games for Students

Learning shouldn't stop because school's out. These homework games offer a nice mix of learning and engagement, so students extend classroom activities, refine skills, and reinforce concepts at home. With these great games spanning math, science, ELA, social studies, and more, students can form healthy study habits that help them dive deep into whatever interests them most. Whether students need to brush up on math facts and build fluency, grow their vocabulary, practice typing, stretch their thinking skills, or explore other cultures, this list has a game students can take home today.

Immediate feedback and breadth a huge plus, despite emphasis on drills

Bottom Line : Students can improve targeted skills by using practice modules in moderation.

The Robot Factory by Tinybop

Improve designs, collect favorites in robot creation sandbox

Bottom Line : A well-made and enjoyable STEM app that leverages what's great about play -- experimentation -- to spark engineering interest.

Simple Machines by Tinybop

Excellent elementary NGSS engineering practices embedded in fun games

Bottom Line : Fun gameplay lets kids explore important physics concepts in a solid standards-aligned context.

Motion Math

Playful collection of games reinforces a diversity of skills

Bottom Line : A great add-on to any classroom as a treat for students or as a way to get students to practice taught concepts to mastery.

Creative sandbox opens the door to coding in any subject area

Bottom Line : Scratch draws students of all types into coding and lays a foundation for future learning.

Awesome, adaptive math games with a killer teacher dashboard

Bottom Line : Fantastic tool for flipped or blended classrooms, formative assessment, or extra practice in any setting.

Contraption Maker

Solve problems, puzzles, brain teasers while creating wacky machines

Bottom Line : Hands-on problem-solving leads to great fun and independent learning with the right curricular wraparound to connect what kids are doing with what they need to know.

Sandbox tool enables engaged, conceptual physics inquiry

Bottom Line : A robust, free pedagogical tool that's like a digital workbench where kids build and apply conceptual science knowledge.

Dungeon-crawling adventure where code is king

Bottom Line : While not everyone loves fighting ogres, CodeCombat offers a classroom-ready platform and an authentic learning experience.

Kahoot! Algebra 2 by DragonBox

Super fun, cutting-edge approach to learning and practicing algebra

Bottom Line : Kids build a strong foundation for algebra by learning the underlying concepts for solving equations with this extremely fun and educational math tool.

Tyto Ecology

Well-developed biome sim provides cheap, endless learning

Bottom Line : This affordable ecosystem balancing game teaches life science skills while keeping students engaged.

Universe Sandbox

Superb sandbox for astrophysics experimentation

Bottom Line : An impressive -- and complex -- tool that encourages a playful, systems thinking-oriented exploration of the universe and astrophysics.

One of the best creation tools available for aspiring game developers

Bottom Line : Great choice for a full unit or class on game design; fuels students game-making dreams.

Niche - a genetics survival game

Immersive genetics sim puts evolution in students' hands

Bottom Line : This hands-on genetics game allows students to experiment, explore traits, and come away with a sophisticated understanding of the subject.

Kerbal Space Program

Design and launch a rocket into space in realistic astrophysics sim

Bottom Line : This accurate rocket sim encourages trial-and-error learning and makes for great (and often explosive) physics and engineering experiments.

ELA and Social Studies Games

Hangart: play hangman, draw pictures, tell stories.

Games, creative activities give 360-degree view of common sight words

Bottom Line : Combination of guided games and open-ended activities give kids a great opportunity for digging deep into words.

Never Alone: Ki Edition

Illuminating native Alaskan folktale supports SEL skills

Bottom Line : A beautiful achievement developed in cooperation with indigenous folk that offers players valuable SEL skill building and a respectful window into Inupiat culture, ways of life, traditions, and stories.

Well-designed games, lessons can spice up your civics curriculum

Bottom Line : This game-based curriculum would be an excellent addition to any secondary social studies.

Sid Meier's Civilization V

Legendary strategy game is a hit with history buffs in school and out

Bottom Line : For flexible classrooms, creative teachers, and sharp students, Civilization V is the perfect platform for making rather than memorizing history.

Political Animals

Charming political campaign sim mixes data analysis and civics

Bottom Line : It's a highly entertaining and surprisingly deep way to help students see the strategy -- as well as ethical choices -- involved in elections.

SAT Vocab by MindSnacks

Variety is key in charmingly effective SAT vocab app

Bottom Line : Upgrading to the full version gets you great games and a thorough word list for SAT vocab prep.

Walden, A Game

Thoughtfully designed game illuminates Thoreau's writing, philosophy

Bottom Line : It's rare to be so moved and permanently transformed by a work of art; that this game manages to (re)create these experiences is a triumph.

Miscellaneous Games

One-stop shop for a wealth of fantastic PBS Kids educational content

Bottom Line : Robust collection of learning resources covers an impressive array of topics.

Customizable multiplayer auto races rev up basic typing practice

Bottom Line : Nitro Type is pretty darn engaging, but teachers need to prep students' typing skills first.

Classic logic puzzler gets a beautiful new look

Bottom Line : Promote powerful thinking skills, resilience, and decision-making through purely fun gameplay that will keep students begging for more.

Spiraling sandbox of adventure and creation gets kids to dig deep

Bottom Line : An irresistible and seemingly limitless incubator for 21st century skills that, with a little guidance, can chart new courses for learning.

Epistory - Typing Chronicles

Practice typing by exploring and defending a world made of paper

Bottom Line : Great for practicing touch-typing skills, this adventure game draws players in with a slowly revealed backstory.

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November 7, 2018 VG Teaching Resources Vocab & ELA Res , Vocab Gal , ELA K-5 , ELA Seasonal Back to School , ELA 6-8 , ELA Resources - Activities , ELA 9-12 , ELA PD - Classroom Management , ELA PD - Vocabulary , ELA Focus - Writing with Vocabulary , ELA Focus - Vocabulary

11 vocabulary homework ideas and how to motivate students to do it, by: vocab gal.

Homework is such a valuable formative assessment for both teachers and students, and yet students are motivated* by many different factors when it comes to their desire to actually complete the work. In this article, I'm sharing how to motivate students to do their homework and 11 vocabulary homework ideas and worksheets that work in grades 1–12. Plus, preview and grab my 7 Options for Vocabulary Homework Kit .

Keep scrolling to find vocabulary homework ideas! 

How to motivate students to do their homework.

As a teacher, I try to concentrate students’ learning on activities done in class, because asking some students to complete work at home can be daunting. Many times in my career I have been discouraged when more than half the class does not return to class with their homework assignment complete.

Yet we only have so many minutes with our students, and we need them to practice the concepts and skills they are learning until the knowledge becomes ingrained. Most students have a homeroom, study hall, or other downtime during the day in which they could complete activities, they just have to be motivated to do it.

Many studies cite “student choice” as one of the most important factors in inspiring students to learn. When students have the opportunity to select what questions to answer, what activity to complete or what role to play, they tend to feel more comfortable and confident about performing.

Additionally, research shows that when students are dedicated to a task important to them, like improving their video game scores, or optimizing their success on a playing field, they will go to great lengths to improve. While probably not as meaningful as their video game level, students will be more excited to answer questions about themselves than a generic worksheet.

By providing students with both choice and a topic that is personally meaningful, homework can be a great learning exercise as well as an important formative assessment.

Steps to Ensure Students Complete Homework

There are a few other motivating factors that can help establish homework as a meaningful part of a student’s educational experience. Here are suggested steps a school, parish, department, or teacher might take to ensure successful homework completion.

Step One First, confirm that students have a strong rapport with their teacher(s). While it is difficult to cultivate a deep relationship with each student, teachers should strive to show students that they value their students and are committed to helping them learn and grow to their fullest potential. I would encourage teachers not to assign homework for the first few weeks of school until they develop a classroom community of respect and appreciation for learning.

Step Two Second, once the classroom community has been established, teachers should specifically explain the importance of homework as a way of deeply ingraining knowledge. Teachers should also make it clear that homework is a meaningful formative assessment where both they and their students can understand what students know and where there are knowledge gaps.

Step Three Third, some students may be quite unhappy when being mandated to do specific work. Therefore, teachers should stress the choices a student gets when completing their homework and that students get to complete the work that best reflects their own sense of self.

Step Four Finally, the teacher should praise students individually, as well as praise the class when homework is turned in on time. Many students thrive on positive reinforcement and also many may feel guilt if they let their classmates or teacher down. Additionally, as many teachers know, a word of encouragement or a small sticker can make the difference to many.

How to Respond When Homework is Not Completed

When at last it comes time for homework collection, there will be students who did not complete the assignment, no matter how well it was set up. Teachers can again encourage students who did not complete the homework in time to think about what may motivate them to complete it. If a student seems to dislike direct mandates, providing support such as, “I know that you value your learning and will find a way to demonstrate your abilities,” might be more effective than, “Turn in your paper by Thursday or it’s a zero!”

For others who seem driven by the need to please or help others, teachers might encourage students by stating, “I’m disappointed that you weren’t able to complete your work on time, and I know you will submit your work in order to show us both what you know and understand,” might work better than, “Don’t you want the credit for this assignment?”

Vocabulary Homework Ideas for Students

For this post, I have a few homework assignments that model these ideas. Both in my new It's All About Me vocabulary practice page, and my tried-and true,  7 Options for Vocabulary Homework bundle, students are motivated to continue their learning because they have both choice and a focus on themselves, a topic in which they are already invested.

My new It's All About Me Vocabulary Activity tasks students with answering a series of questions about themselves using vocabulary words in context. On the first page of this download students will list their vocabulary words and write their own brief definitions. On the second page student will answer eight prompts. Each response should include at least one of the vocabulary words from their list in context . In each of their answers students must underline the context clues that would help someone unfamiliar with the word understand what it means.

With the 7 Options for Vocabulary Homework bundle, students can choose from a variety of fun and engaging activities for learning or reviewing vocabulary words. In addition to the homework selection sheet, the bundle includes worksheets for vocabulary homework ideas number five and six. The other vocabulary homework options can be completed on a plain piece of paper or in student workbooks.

Here are the vocabulary activities listed on the 7 Options for Vocabulary Homework handout:

#1 Say Your Words

Do you love the sound of your own voice? Do you tend to learn information by teaching others? Then try saying each of the vocabulary words, out loud and in context, to friends, family, strangers, etc. Use either your flashcards or your list of words, and make sure to get initials from someone who heard you say your vocabulary sentence. If you can’t get a signature, just explain when and how you said the sentences and we will invoke the HONOR SYSTEM! Create two sentences per word.

Do you love to write? Do you copy your notes to help you remember information? Then try writing two sentences for each vocabulary word. These can either be two individual sentences for each word or you can put all of your words together in a story. (If you write a story, you only have to use each word once). Have fun and get creative – amuse me and impress me, but make sure you use your vocabulary words in context!

#3 Write Your Words in Other Classes

As an alternative to the above “Write your Words,” use your vocabulary in your assignments for other classes – social studies essays, science notes, art descriptions, etc. Write down the vocabulary you used for this assignment (For example: On my science test I said “Newton was meritorious,” etc.). You can abbreviate your explanations slightly, as long as I understand you know the word’s meaning; remember to use each word twice.

#4 Become Your Words

Do you gesture when you talk? Is it hard for you to sit still? Then consider creating motions to go along with your words. Cry for lament , raise your arms in praise for approbation , etc. See me during class to “perform” your motions, or write them down, making sure that the connection between word, meaning, and gesture makes sense.

#5 Draw Your Words

Are you an artist? Do you constantly doodle? Then create cartoons or drawings that illustrate each word’s meaning. Create one drawing or cartoon per word and make them neat, using clean white paper (consider using recycled paper that has printing on the other side). Paperclip all your drawings together for the end of the week.

#6 Sing Your Words

Do you love to sing? Are you constantly creating your own raps? Try rewriting the lyrics to a song to incorporate each of your vocabulary words or write your own song, rap, etc. You can also write poetry; regardless of the form you choose, the words should be used in the correct context.

#7 Test Your Words

Do you want to play teacher and write the test as well as take it? Now you can! Create a vocabulary test using all the words in a variety of different types of questions. Make sure to create the answer key to the test as well.

Download the 7 Options for Vocabulary Homework bundle and have students keep the selection sheet in their binders. Now they have seven weeks of vocabulary homework assignments!

Additional Vocabulary Homework Ideas

Ultimately, establishing a culture of community and trust in the classroom, explaining the reasoning behind and the benefits of homework, and providing choice and meaningful topics can make a significant difference in completion rates. Even if homework is not completed on time, teachers can still work to connect with each student to provide motivation to complete the assignments.

As educators, we all strive to make learning exciting and applicable to our students. By setting up clear expectations and providing interesting options, we can make any homework, including vocabulary homework, meaningful and valuable to students.

 *I have recently completed Gretchen Rubin’s audiobook The Four Tendencies about what motivates different groups of people. Many of the ideas about motivating students come loosely from her book as well as my own observations. I highly recommend the book to anyone wanting to learn how to better motivate themselves and others.

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36 Meaningful Vocabulary Activities for Every Grade

These activities are the definition of fun!

Learning new words is like adding to your writing toolbox. The more tools available, the more interesting and engaging your writing becomes. Check out these fun and engaging vocabulary activities for kids in grades K-12, and supply your students with the tools they need to build their wordsmith skills.

1. Write vocabulary stories

Using vocabulary words in writing shows mastery. Challenge your students to use all of their vocabulary words in an original short story. Allow students to pair up and share their stories with a partner.

Learn more: Vocab Short Story 

2. Put your students in the hot seat

Divide your class into two teams. Choose one student from one team to go to the front of the room and sit in a chair facing the class with their back to the board. This person is “on the spot.” Place a word on the board so everyone can see it except the person in the chair. One at a time, team members give the person a clue about the mystery word. If the word is guessed before two minutes are up, the team gets a point and play turns to the other team.

Learn more: On the Spot at Upper Elementary Snapshots

3. Match up words and definitions

Download these vocabulary words and matching definitions. Distribute one card to each student (either a word or a definition). Allow students to circulate in the room and find their “match.” Switch cards and repeat.

Learn more: Dictionary Sort

4. Sketch up word maps

Creating word maps from vocabulary words encourages students to find the relationships between the vocabulary word and other words. Have them include words, pictures, examples, real-world connections, definitions, descriptive words, etc.

Learn more: Word Map

5. Create Post-it stations

Post vocabulary words around the room, then have students circulate and write an original sentence using that word on a sticky note. Follow along and make sure students use the words correctly.

Learn more: Post-it Stations

6. Play a game of Pop!

Kids draw cards out of the bag and attempt to correctly spell them. But be careful, you don’t want to draw the Pop! card.

Learn more: Pop!

7. Take a gallery walk

Hang six to eight large sheets of chart paper in various places around the room. On each sheet, write one vocabulary word. Have students work in small groups, rotating between stations. At each station, ask students to come up with a different, original way to use each word. Continue the activity until all students have visited every station.

Learn more: Gallery Walk at TeachWriting.org

8. Play a round of Pictionary

This fun activity requires students to draw a picture for each word to create their own visual dictionary. When students create their own visual representations, they develop an association with the word that they will be able to tap into when needed.

Learn more: Pictionary

9. Make a word map

Word maps help deepen understanding of a vocab word by relating it to other words and concepts students already know.

10. Use the Frayer model

Frayer models are a popular way to learn new words and concepts. Kids define the word in their own terms, then list facts and characteristics, examples, and non-examples.

Learn more: Frayer Model

11. Draw vocabulary Sketchnotes

Kids and teachers love Sketchnotes ! Rather than writing out definitions, have students draw a sketch that sums up each word instead. It’s a lot more fun and gives kids an image for visual association to help them remember the meanings.

Learn more: Sketchnotes

12. Bump words along

Group vocab words together with a few other words with similar meanings and one that’s an antonym. Students identify the antonym and “bump” it to the next box, filling in the next group of words. They continue until the worksheet is full.

Learn more: Bumper Words

13. Post a graffiti wall

Think of a vocabulary graffiti wall like a collaborative word wall. In the classroom, post the words on the wall and have kids add sticky notes to illustrate the term (they can use words or pictures). Online, try a tool like Padlet or Google Slides.

Learn more: Graffiti Wall

14. Match words to describe character

This is a terrific way to practice vocab words pulled from books you’re reading. Ask students to use various words to describe the different characters in the book and their feelings, thoughts, and actions.

Learn more: Vocabulary Activities

15. Fill in words from A to Z

This vocabulary game is fun and challenging, and it can be played by kids of any age. Choose a word, then challenge kids to come up with related words for as many letters as possible. These could be synonyms, antonyms, examples, and more. Trickier letters are worth more points!

Learn more: A to Z

16. Try Flip for vocabulary activities

Are you on the Flip (formerly Flipgrid) bandwagon yet? It’s perfect for vocabulary activities! Have kids record a quick video for each word, using their creativity to make it fun and meaningful.

Learn more: Pop-Up Pods

17. Battle it out in Vocabulary Jeopardy

Good vocabulary activities encourage more than just memorization of definitions. That’s why we like this Jeopardy game idea. It explores synonyms and antonyms and how words are used in real sentences.

Learn more: Not So Wimpy Teacher

18. Use RAFTs to write vocabulary stories

Writing a story using vocab words is a perennial favorite, but the RAFT method gives it a new twist. Students are assigned a Role (the point of view from which they’ll tell the story), an Audience, a Format, and a Topic. For instance, they might be an astronaut (Role) writing a postcard (Format) to their friends back home (Audience) about what they’ve seen on Mars (Topic). RAFTs are especially great for kids who claim they don’t know what to write about.

Learn more: RAFTs

19. Discover the power of words

Vocabulary words take on greater meaning when students incorporate them into their daily lives. Challenge kids to use their vocab words in conversation and writing outside the language arts classroom. Use the free printable worksheet here to help them keep track of how often they use them.

Learn more: Downloadable Vocabulary Activities

20. Create graphic organizers

Colorful organizers like these are terrific vocabulary activities. Want to go digital? Have kids make a slideshow, one slide per word. They can include the same information, but instead of drawing a picture, have them find one online that illustrates the concept.

Learn more: Graphic Organizers at Upper Elementary Snapshots

21. Focus on a Word of the Week

Give really important terms the attention they deserve. Choose a new vocab word each week, then explore it in depth day by day.

Learn more: Word of the Week

22. Join the Million Dollar Word Club

Post a list of target vocab words. If a student uses one of the words in class (outside of vocabulary activities), they become a member of the Million Dollar Word Club! You can have them sign their name on a wall in the classroom or award a badge online. You could even develop this into a reward system for homework passes or extra credit.

Learn more: Million Dollar Words

23. Explore shades of meaning

This is a cool idea for exploring synonyms and the slight differences that make words unique. Ask for paint sample strips at your local hardware store, or buy a clip art set .

Learn more: Shades of Meaning

24. Personify a word with social media

This is one of those vocabulary activities kids will want to do over and over again! Assign each student a word and have them create a faux Facebook, Instagram, or other social media page for it. They can draw them freehand or complete a template like these from Teachers Pay Teachers . Post the images to a shared Google slideshow so other students can use them for review.

Learn more: Social Media Vocabulary

25. Create vocabulary cards

Have students draw a diagonal line across an index card. On the top half, have them write the vocabulary word and definition. On the bottom half, have them draw a picture of the word and use it in a sentence. Cards can be joined together in a strip for easy review.

Learn more: Index Card Vocabulary

26. Play vocabulary word Taboo

In this game, the goal is for one student to get their partner to guess the word by describing or giving examples of it. The trick? There’s a list of additional words they’re not allowed to use! Let other students see the card in advance to help keep the players honest. (Flash it on a whiteboard and have the guesser face away.)

Learn more: Don’t Say It! Vocabulary Game

27. Roll a die for vocabulary activities

Choose a vocab word, then have a student roll a die ( these virtual dice are handy ) to see which activity they get to complete.

Learn more: Roll a Word

28. Write an acrostic

Write an acrostic poem for each vocab term, using the letters to determine the first word in each line. This can get really challenging when words are longer!

Learn more: Acrostic Poem

29. Play vocabulary board games

Everyone knows that playing games is the best way to learn. Try some of these fabulous board games with your students and watch their vocabularies grow.

Learn more: 11 Vocab Games To Make the Learning Stick

30. Become a Word Collector

This is one of those picture books that grown-up kids will enjoy as much as little ones. Use it to remind your kids that they don’t need a vocabulary list to learn new words—new words are all around them. Encourage them to keep a word list or journal of their own to record new words they want to explore and use more often.

Buy it: The Word Collector

31. Play Vocabulary Headbanz

Make or buy headbands with a notch on the front designed to hold a card. Create cards with vocabulary words on them. To play, each student gets a card but can’t see it. Other students will describe the word, trying to get the one wearing the headband to guess the correct word.

Learn more: Vocab Headbanz

32. Go Fish!

A fun and lively way to practice vocabulary words. Create a deck of vocabulary words with two of each word. Explain the rules of Go Fish to students and let them loose!

Learn more: Go Fish Vocab Game

33. String three-letter words

Using wooden letter beads and pipe cleaners, students will form three-letter words that match vocabulary cards.

Learn more: Three-Letter Busy Bag

34. Play vocabulary charades

Everybody loves an exciting round of charades. Break your students into groups, provide them with a stack vocabulary cards, and watch them learn!

Learn more: Word Charades

35. Make words

Use plastic letters, magnet letters, or letter blocks to make words. Play it mentally with older kids, or with paper and pencil. Simply give your children some letters and challenge them to make words from those letters.

Learn more: Make a Word

36. Do a dictionary dig

Send your students on a scavenger hunt … in the dictionary! Exposing kids to the thousands of words in our language is both inspiring and fun. Download the free task cards below.

Learn more: Dictionary Dig

Reading poetry also helps students expand their vocabulary. Check out these must-share poems for elementary school and middle and high school .

Plus, get all the latest teaching tips and ideas when you sign up for our free newsletters .

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250+ Fun Activities For Kids To Do Instead of Homework

By Tim on Jan 25, 2019

Read Time: 7 minutes

I’m an elementary school teacher in Southern California. For 25 years, I have to admit that I was staunchly pro-homework, until one day I had a revelation. Here’s why I stopped giving my students homework, and my list of 250+ fun activities for kids to try instead.

A Teacher Who Doesn’t Believe in Homework

For 25 years I was pro-homework. I gave it to teach my students responsibility and good study habits. And it worked! At least it helped my students to reach higher levels of academic achievement…or so it seemed.

Meanwhile, my brother (also a teacher) had made homework optional. Students and parents alike both loved the concept. This got me thinking about homework, and whether it was even necessary all for elementary kids. I thought…if I gave no homework, I’d be giving them something even more beneficial. Here’s what I came to discover.

What Kids Get When You Take Away Homework

• More Free Time. When kids don’t have to spend hours on homework, they’re free to play and interact with their families and friends. For some kids, this means they got their life back.
• A Positive Attitude Toward School. I remember hating school because of all the homework. When kids first start school, they’re excited to learn. By the end of elementary school, they’re sick of school… and of learning. When I removed homework from my classroom, my students suddenly started liking school a lot more. And when we like something, they put more energy into it.
• Less Stress. We know kids are feeling more stressed than ever these days, and homework is one cause. Over my 30-year career I have had many parent conferences. Two topics have dominated these: behavior and homework. By eliminating homework, I eliminated much of the problem for kids and thereby eliminated much of their stress.

Generally, kids and parents both cheer when I announce my no-homework policy. But occasionally, parents will ask what their kids should do with all that free time. In response, I came up with this list of fun activities for kids.

250+ Fun Activities For Kids To Do Instead Of Homework

• Build a robot out of cardboard.
• Ride your bike.
• Plant a garden.
• Maintain your garden.
• Make a compost pile/bin.
• Make a water catch basin.
• Harvest your garden.
• Share your harvest with those in need.
• Make a fruit stand and sell your harvest.
• Organize a backyard carnival for the neighborhood kids.
• Play football.
• Play with action figures or dolls.
• Make a cardboard fort.
• Make a fort out of sofa cushions and blankets.
• Go for a hike.
• Read just for fun.
• Paint a picture.
• Paint something a new color.
• Organize your room.
• Organize your drawers.
• Pull weeds.
• Play baseball.
• Play video games.
• Watch a movie that was made before there were ratings.
• Make a movie.
• Write a song.
• Dance to music.
• Write a letter and mail it.
• Talk on the phone.
• Bury a treasure.
• Make a map to a buried treasure.
• Write a story.
• Write in a journal.
• Build something out of PVC pipes.
• Roll down a hill.
• Build a bike jump.
• Build a go-cart.
• Play a board game.
• Create a board game.
• Do your laundry.
• Clean the bathroom.
• Jump on the bed.
• Fly a kite.
• Make a kite.
• Build a model.
• Do a friend’s hair or nails.
• Plant a tree or bush.
• Trim a bush.
• Dig a hole.
• Water the plants.
• Pick fruit.
• Throw rocks.
• Climb a tree.
• Build a treehouse.
• Build an outdoor fort.
• Play with a pet.
• Teach your dog to do tricks.
• Pick up dog poop.
• Walk the dog.
• Help an elderly neighbor.
• Walk to the store.
• Take photos.
• Build with Legos, blocks, or Kinects.
• Make an electrical circuit.
• Make your bed.
• Make a list (favorite movies, friends names, bucket list, etc.).
• Play bowling with household items.
• Play bounce back with a tennis ball and brick wall.
• Shoot baskets.
• Throw a ball up and try to hit it.
• Mow the lawn.
• Wash the car.
• Vacuum the car.
• Vacuum the house.
• Learn a foreign language.
• See how many objects you can stack.
• Play darts.
• Play with pill bugs.
• Eat something healthy.
• Play jacks.
• Play marbles.
• Learn to juggle.
• Play ping-pong.
• Go on a swing.
• Build a swing.
• Play tennis.
• Play hula hoop.
• Play with a Kendama.
• Tell jokes.
• Oil something that squeaks.
• Take out the trash.
• Learn to throw a lasso.
• Play handball.
• Play kick the can.
• Race a friend.
• Go to church/temple etc.
• Play school.
• Play catch.
• Chase butterflies.
• Imagine what the clouds resemble.
• Play a musical instrument.
• Create a musical instrument.
• Create a play or musical.
• Create something using an App.
• Count your money.
• Play miniature golf.
• Learn to ride a bike without holding on.
• Play a computer game.
• Watch YouTube videos.
• Talk in strange voices.
• Play with water balloons.
• Throw a frisbee.
• Make funny faces.
• Run in the sprinklers.
• Go swimming.
• Go for a jog.
• Play with toy cars.
• Build a marble track.
• Make a waterfall.
• Play hide n seek.
• Play with an RC car.
• Make an RC car track.
• Build an obstacle course.
• Time yourself doing the obstacle course.
• Take something old apart (clock, radio, etc.).
• Sew something (pillow, clothes, etc.).
• Play with stuffed animals.
• Rearrange your room.
• Plan a trip.
• Play cards.
• Learn a card trick.
• Build a house of cards.
• Learn a magic trick.
• Create your own card game.
• Play dodgeball.
• Watch a documentary.
• Watch a sporting event on TV.
• Watch cars drive by.
• Play invisible ball catch.
• Play dress up.
• Do a puzzle.
• Decorate your mirror with dry erase markers.
• Paint a design on a rock.
• Fix something that’s broken.
• Skateboard.
• Rollerblade.
• Ride a scooter.
• Play hockey.
• Pull something with your bike.
• Ride a plastic toy vehicle.
• Ride an electric toy vehicle.
• Create a tournament.
• Take a nap.
• Have a pillow fight.
• Do exercises (push-ups, sit-ups, squats, etc.).
• Organize trading cards.
• Trade trading cards.
• Play trading card games.
• Make up your own trading card game.
• Play soccer.
• Play kickball.
• Play with makeup.
• Play house.
• Wash the windows.
• Change a lightbulb.
• Play a game in the pool (Marco Polo).
• Play with pool noodles.
• Clean out the refrigerator.
• Play tic-tac-toe, five in a row, or dots.
• Play on a play set.
• Go to the park.
• Play swords.
• Climb a pole/rope.
• Read a book to a younger person.
• Crochet or knit.
• Do a needlepoint.
• Carve something out of wood/soap/potato.
• Build with clay/play dough.
• Play cops and robbers.
• Draw funny things on top of photos (mustaches, missing teeth, etc.).
• Make your face look funny with objects (spoon on nose, tape face, chopstick teeth, etc.) Take pictures.
• Learn strange human tricks (catch coins off elbow, etc.).
• Write secret messages.
• Start a charity.
• Go to the library.
• Listen to a podcast.
• Make recycle art.
• Paper wad trash basket toss.
• Research a topic that interests you.
• Drive nails.
• Decorate the ground with sidewalk chalk.
• Catch and release insects.
• Walk on something narrow and keep your balance.
• Make a cardboard arcade game.
• Play 20 questions.
• Lie on your bed.
• Play Pickle with two others.
• Make and fly paper airplanes.
• Make a pile of leaves and jump in it.
• Make a lemonade stand.
• Sweep the gutter.
• Blow bubbles.
• Lick donuts (Ariana Grande fans only.)
• Pick up trash in your neighborhood.
• Help serve food in a homeless shelter.
• Do a scavenger hunt (maybe even in the house!).
• Decorate a can or jar.
• Make a gift for someone. Wrap it.
• Create something with paper mache.
• Play with cornstarch & water.
• Go camping/picnicking in the backyard.
• Have a tea party.
• Make a flower arrangement from wild flowers or yard flowers.
• Visit an elderly relative.
• Start a collection.
• Organize a collection.
• Draw a picture of something around the house.
• Make a leaf pressing.
• Have an upside down or inside out party.
• Make up a chant or a cheer.
• Cut out paper dolls, snowflakes, etc.
• Do origami.
• Put snow in a sensory table and change the color with food coloring.
• Offer to help snow shovel your neighbor’s yard…especially if they are elderly.
• Melt ice with salt.
• Go sledding.
• Build an igloo.
• Go fishing.
• Float on a raft, inner tube, etc.
• Have a snowball fight.
• Play tug of war (even in the snow).
• Pin the nose on the snowman.
• Make mud pies and other mud fun.
• Start a business (pulling weeds, washing cars, babysitting, etc.).
• Learn to balance objects.
• Do cartwheels or other gymnastic moves.
• Fly a toy/RC plane.
• Frame some artwork.
• Bat around a balloon.
• Make a balloon powered car.
• Hold an egg drop contest (protective egg container).
• Play table football (with a paper triangle).
• Play table soccer (with 3 coins).

Other Ways To Replace Homework

Teachers, looking for other ways to replace homework with something more meaningful? Try the Let Grow Project ! Kids are sent home with one homework assignment: Do something on your own you’ve never done before. For example, they could cook dinner for the family, ride their bike to school. or take a walk in the woods. There are all sorts of fun activities for kids to try on their own for the first time. Kids, parents, and teachers all love how this program empowers kids with responsibility and independence!

At Let Grow, we believe in the power of unstructured free play, and that sometimes it’s okay to let kids be bored. But if you need a little help finding fun activities for kids to do, snag our free “I’m Bored” Kit . It offers over one hundred fun things to do, along with a Bingo game and colorful poster.

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Spanish 102 -Homework: Interactive Activities

The Interactive Activities you will complete as homework in The Spanish Hub count as 10% of your final grade.

This grade will be updated on your Canvas Gradebook three times, once at the end of each chapter.

Your teacher will assign homework from the Interactive Activities book in The Spanish Hub almost on a daily basis. It is your responsibility to complete these activities before the due date, whether you are present in class or not. Do not wait until the last moment to do The Spanish Hub activities and make sure you have access to the necessary equipment to complete all activities, including listening and recording tasks.

Your teacher will discount 10% in the grade of any activity submitted after the due date with no valid reason. If there is a valid reason why you cannot submit your homework on time, you need to let your teacher know as soon as possible.

Valid reasons to submit your homework after the due date include illness, and death or serious illness in the immediate family. If you are sick, let your teacher know via email as soon as possible. You should NOT provide medical documentation as proof of short-term illness to justify a late submission.

If you are a student athlete, in the national guard, or are submitting your homework after the due date because of a UW mandatory academic activity, you need to provide your teacher with proper documentation.  

Your work schedule is not a valid reason to submit your homework after the due date.

Personal trips or vacations are not a valid reason to submit your homework after the due date.

Remember that, according to University of Washington regulations,  a 5-credit class is equivalent to 15 hours of student work per week. Since this course meets 5 times per week, you are expected to devote an average of 2 hours per day to study and homework.  Plan your schedule accordingly.

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