Little Lamb Directed Drawing: A Simple Spring Art Lesson for Kindergarten

Spring is the perfect time for kindergarten to explore creativity with a simple, engaging, and skill-building art activity. Our Little Lamb Directed Drawing is designed for kindergarten teachers looking for a no-fuss, high-impact art lesson that blends drawing, handwriting, and early literacy. Plus, it’s just plain adorable!

Why You’ll Love This Little Lamb Drawing Activity

• Easy for Beginners – The drawing starts with a fluffy cloud shape, making it a great introduction to breaking down images into simple lines and curves.
• Handwriting & Fine Motor Fun – Instead of just coloring in the wool, students use small, controlled loopy scribbles to create texture. This technique strengthens pencil grip, encourages precision, and builds essential pre-writing skills.
• Literacy Integration – The letter L is for Little Lamb! This project naturally connects with phonics, letter formation, and word recognition. After drawing, have students brainstorm and list other L words or use the included writing pages to extend the lesson.
• Crayon Resist Magic – Want to add an extra layer of creativity? Use white crayon for the wooly loops and let students paint over with watercolors to reveal a beautiful resist effect! It’s a wonderful way to explore mixed media and get those “oohs” and “ahhs” in the classroom.

How to Use This Drawing in Your Classroom

• Morning Work or Centers – A calm, focused start to the day.
• Writing Extension – Add a sentence starter like “My little lamb is…”
• Spring or Farm Unit Art – Pair with a farm animal read-aloud for a cross-curricular lesson.
• Handwriting Warm-Up – Perfect for practicing loop strokes and grip control.

This drawing is included in our growing bundle of Directed Drawing Fun, meaning if you grab the bundle, you’ll also get future fun and creative step-by-step drawings.

Ready to bring this woolly wonder into your classroom? Find it here → Little Lamb Directed Drawing

Let’s get drawing! 🐑💛 Have you tried a directed drawing lesson with your students?

Connect with me on Facebook or Instagram and share your favorite tips!

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Directed Drawing

Owl’s Night Flight: A Fun Math Game for Fluency to 20

Owl is on a mission! As night falls, he spreads his wings and soars under the glow of the stars, searching for food. But there’s something special about these stars—they’re guiding him to stronger math skills! 

This simple and engaging math game helps students build fluency in adding 1-5 to any number without relying on counting. It’s perfect for small groups, math centers, or even a quick warm-up activity. Plus, it ties beautifully into your Math Kit play mats, or can be played with just a whiteboard!

How to Play: Owl’s Night Flight

• Choose a starting star number (anywhere from 1-120). This is Owl’s navigation point—his first star in the night sky. 🌟
• Roll a dice! 🎲 If you roll a 6, Owl scores a counter for his collection.
• If you roll a 1-5, add that number to the starting star and record the math fact. Example: If Owl starts on 16 and rolls a 3 → 16 + 3 = 19
• Keep playing to practice adding small numbers mentally—aiming to recall facts quickly without counting.

Need a little support? Use the branch frame for counting or visualize numbers in a structured way.

Math Talk & Error-Checking

Check Owl’s flight path! After students record their math facts, have them check each other’s work. Did Owl land on the correct number? If an answer doesn’t seem right, encourage discussion. "Did Owl overshoot his landing?" "Did he miscount a branch?"

Mistakes are a chance to learn—reinforcing accuracy, mental math confidence, and problem-solving.

Why This Game Works

• Builds fluency with small number additions
• Encourages mental math thinking (without always counting)
• Provides a quick-check routine for peer feedback
• Flexible for different learning environments

This whimsical yet effective math activity fits seamlessly into your Math Kit bundle resources. Whether your students are soaring like an owl or navigating their number path, they’re building the skills they need to confidently add within 20! 🦉

Try it out and let me know—how is your class making math take flight?

No Play Mats? No Problem!

This game works just as well without printed materials! Simply write a series of numbers on a whiteboard, choose a starting point, and roll the dice to add on. Same game, same fun, same learning!

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Fold, Create, and Play! Simple Shape Puppies for Kindergarten

Shape Puppies – A Simple & Fun Paper Folding Craft for Kindergarten

Looking for a fun and easy fine motor activity for your kindergarten class? Meet Shape Puppies—a super simple paper folding craft that helps little hands practice precision and creativity! With just two squares of colored paper, students can create adorable folded puppies while strengthening their fine motor skills and exploring shapes.

Watch the Easiest Paper Folding Steps Ever!

I've shared a quick REEL over on Instagram showing how to fold these cute puppies step by step! Here’s a breakdown of how to make them:

How to Make a Shape Puppy

• Step 1: Take a square of paper and fold it in half diagonally to make a triangle—this will be the head.
• Step 2: Fold three corners down to form floppy ears.
• Step 3: Fold the back corner up slightly to make a little chin.
• Step 4: Take a second square of paper and let students freely fold it twice to create a boxy body/tail—this is an open-ended step that encourages creativity!

That’s it! Two squares, a few simple folds, and you have an adorable puppy! 🎉

Make It Your Own!

After folding, encourage students to personalize their puppies:

• Add scrap paper spots for a fun patterned look.
• Draw eyes, a nose, and a tiny tongue.
• Give your puppy a cute name and share a story about its adventures!
• Extend the Learning with Writing Activities

After crafting their Shape Puppies, students can:

• Write a story about their new pet—where does it live? What does it love to do?
• Make a list of dog-related words (bark, leash, tail, fetch, etc.).
• Write a step-by-step procedure on how to take a dog for a walk.
• Describe their puppy using adjectives like fluffy, bouncy, or sleepy!

More Shape & Craft Activities You’ll Love!

If your students enjoyed making Shape Puppies, here are more fun activities to try:

• Cut & Paste Shape Crafts – Explore more hands-on shape fun with these easy cut-and-paste activities! Check them out here.
• Free Shape Dog Math Craft – Practice shapes and counting with this FREE printable Shape Dog activity! Grab it here!

I’d love to see your students’ Shape Puppies! Tag me on Instagram (@fromthepond)! 🐶✨

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Paper Folding Craft, pets

Build a Bunny: A Fun and Creative Shape Activity for Math Centers

Build a Bunny: A Fun and Engaging Math Center Activity for Spring!

Spring is the perfect time to bring a little extra creativity into your math centers, and our Build a Bunny Pattern Block Activity Cards are just the thing to hop into learning! This low-prep, high-engagement activity is designed to help young learners strengthen their visual-spatial skills, shape recognition, and problem-solving abilities—all while having fun with pattern blocks.

Why You’ll Love the Build a Bunny Math Activity

Fast and Easy to Prep

Teachers are busy, and this activity is ready to go in just a few steps. Simply print the pattern block task cards, laminate for durability (if desired), and set them out with pattern blocks. No complicated setup—just grab and go!

Boosts Shape and Visual-Spatial Learning

Working with pattern blocks encourages students to analyze shapes, identify patterns, and manipulate pieces to fit together. As they build their bunny, they’re developing important foundational skills in geometry and spatial awareness.

Encourages Creativity and Cooperative Learning

Beyond math skills, these bunny shape-building cards invite students to be creative! 

They can:

• Extend the design by adding their own details to the bunny.
• Use extra pattern blocks to create a background or a home for their bunny.
• Collaborate with friends and discuss strategies for completing the task.

This makes it a perfect math center activity where students can engage in math talk, explain their thinking, and work together.

Versatile for Various Learning Situations

Use these bunny-themed pattern block cards for:

• Morning activities to ease into the day with hands-on learning.
• Math centers where students can explore and problem-solve.
• Fast finisher work so students stay engaged when done with other tasks.
• Small group instruction for guided shape and spatial skill practice.

Extend the Learning with Writing and Storytelling

Once students have built their bunny, why stop there? Turn the activity into a creative writing opportunity!Ask students to write a short story about their bunny’s adventure.

• Have them describe their bunny’s home or what it eats.
• Encourage oral storytelling for younger learners—where they explain their bunny’s name and what it loves to do!
• This seamless math-to-literacy connection makes the activity even more valuable in the classroom.

Try More Pattern Block Fun!

If you love the Build a Bunny activity, you’ll enjoy exploring even more pattern block challenges! Check out our full collection of Pattern Block Activities here.

Get ready to watch creativity and math skills flourish as your students build, explore, and learn with this adorable bunny-themed activity!

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Muffin Math Magic! Playful Counting & Addition with Hands-On Fun

Muffin Math Mix-Up! Playful Counting and Addition with Muffin Play Mats

Math time can be deliciously fun when you bring playful stories and hands-on activities to the table! With Muffin Math Play Mats, counting, addition, and number sense become an interactive adventure—low-prep, engaging, and perfect for small group math time.

The Power of Math Play (and Why It's So Easy!)

When math is woven into a playful context, children build confidence, problem-solving skills, and a love for numbers. The best part? Once you have a math kit set up with printable play mats, counting frames, and simple equipment like counters, dice, and dry-erase markers, you can mix and match math activities with little prep!



These Muffin Math Play Mats can be used in so many ways—counting, grouping, addition, subtraction, and more! Plus, the playful rhyme Muffin Math Mix-Up sets the stage for an engaging learning experience:

Fruit in the muffins,
And some on top.
Mix, bake, cool—
Count in __’s—don’t stop!

3 Quick & Easy Muffin Math Games

Muffin Mix & Match

• What You Need: Muffin Play Mats, fruit counters (or any small objects), and dice.
• How to Play: Roll the dice to see how many muffins get fruit toppings! Students count and match counters to the muffins on the mat, reinforcing one-to-one correspondence and counting strategies.

Skip Counting Muffins

• What You Need: Muffin Play Mats, number tiles, and a chosen skip-counting pattern (e.g., 2s, 5s, 10s).
• How to Play: Place a number in the rhyme’s blank space: “Count in 2’s—don’t stop!”
• Students skip count aloud as they add toppings to each muffin, building number fluency.

Muffin Math Café

• What You Need: Muffin Play Mats, a “menu” with different muffin orders (e.g., “2 blueberry muffins + 3 banana muffins = ?”), counters, and a recording sheet.
• How to Play: Students act as bakers, solving simple addition problems by filling muffin trays and writing equations.

Ready to Bake Up Some Math Fun?

With low-prep printable play mats, a few simple materials, and playful storytelling, math time transforms into a hands-on adventure! Grab the Muffin Math Play Mats here and watch your students mix, bake, and count their way to stronger number sense!

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Swim Together, Learn Together! A Bright & Happy Classroom Display Idea

Little Fish, Big Dreams: A Bright & Joyful Classroom Display for Community & Growth

Together, We Learn & Grow!

The magic of a kindergarten or first-grade classroom is in how students move, learn, and explore together—darting from one idea to the next, gathering in little groups, and supporting each other along the way.

That’s the inspiration behind my new Little Fish, Big Dreams Bulletin Board & Classroom Door Display! This vibrant ocean-themed set helps students see themselves as part of something bigger, while giving teachers a flexible, easy-to-use classroom decor piece that builds a welcoming, joyful space.

Why a Classroom Community Display?

A classroom isn’t just a place to learn—it’s a place to belong.

From the moment students see their name on a fish, a bubble, or a heart, they feel included and connected. And just like a school of fish, classrooms thrive when students move, grow, and learn together!

This display helps:

• Create a welcoming classroom environment from Day One.
• Celebrate every student’s name & presence in the space.
• Encourage a sense of belonging & teamwork.
• Reinforce a classroom culture of kindness, growth, and exploration.

It’s more than decoration—it’s a visual representation of togetherness!

What’s Included in This Set?

This display pack has everything you need to create a bold, beautiful focal point for your classroom.

You’ll get:

• Underwater Schoolhouse – The heart of the display! Use the large or small version to represent your classroom community.
• 12 Fish Name Tags – 6 vibrant colors, with left and right-facing fish (because not all fish should swim the same way!).
• 6 Water Bubble Name Tags – Soft blue shades to mix things up!
• 3 Heart Name Tags – Because there’s always room for a little extra heart.
• 6 Motivational Word Ovals – Splash, Grow, Explore, Shine, Learning as We Go, Learning Together!
• Customizable Word Cards & Ovals – Blank versions to write or type your own focus words.
• Heart Bubble & Seaweed Accents – Add ocean magic and movement to your display.
• Sky Elements – 2 cloud cutouts, because even an underwater school can dream of the sky!
• Letters to Spell "Little Fish, Big Dreams!" – Ready to cut and arrange OR use the pre-made word cards for a faster setup.
• Print & Personalize: Editable PowerPoint templates let you type student names & customize headers before printing, or you can print and handwrite them for a personal touch!

How to Use This Display

This set is incredibly versatile! Use it in different ways throughout the year:

• Back-to-School Classroom Welcome – Display every student’s name on a fish, bubble, or heart to greet them!
• Positive Mindset Board – Have students write a dream, goal, or word of encouragement on their fish.
• Classroom Jobs Board – Assign classroom responsibilities with name-tagged fish.
• Reading Corner Theme – Pair this display with books about teamwork, ocean life, or big dreams! (Swimmy, The Rainbow Fish, The Pout-Pout Fish).
• Birthday Board – Group students by birth month using fish & bubbles!
• Student Work Display – Let fish swim across a bulletin board showcasing their art, writing, or projects.

The modular pieces make it perfect for a door, bulletin board, learning center, cubby labels, or even folder covers!

Easy Setup – Print, Cut, Display!

Teachers have a million things to do, so this display is designed to be quick & easy!

• Print in full color OR let students color their own fish for a personal touch.
• Use tape, Velcro dots, or sticky tack for easy adjustments throughout the year.
• Arrange fish in pods or waves for movement and flow!
• Laminate pieces for long-lasting, reusable decor!

Ready to Bring This to Your Classroom?

This Little Fish, Big Dreams Bulletin Board & Classroom Display is now available in my TPT store! It’s a print-and-go, stress-free way to build classroom community while adding a splash of color and joy to your space.

Grab it here on TPT!

I’d LOVE to see how you use this in your classroom! Tag me on Instagram - @fromthepond

Here’s to a year of friendship, growth, and BIG dreams!

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Bulletin Board, Door Displays

No-Prep Winter Brain Break: Keep Students Moving with Hey Snowman!

As teachers, we know the importance of incorporating movement into the classroom, especially when it’s quick, easy, and supports lesson goals. That’s where Hey Snowman! comes in! This playful brain break combines language skills with movement, helping students stay engaged while reinforcing listening and syllable awareness. Best of all, it’s completely no-prep and can be used as a simple classroom management tool to refocus your students during transitions or between lessons.

How to Play Hey Snowman

1. Call out a winter-themed word.
2. If the word is a 3-syllable word, students repeat it while touching their toes, waist, head – then back down: head, waist, toes – ending with a cheerful: "Hey Snowman!"

Example:

• You say: "Icicle!"
• Students repeat: "I-ci-cle!" (toes, waist, head, head, waist, toes) and add: "Hey Snowman!"

Make It Magical

To introduce the activity, draw a 3-part snowman (bottom, middle, top) on the board or chart paper. Use a wand, pointer, or even your finger to tap each part of the snowman as you model syllables with words like "icicle" or "snowflake." This fun visual helps students connect the movement with the syllable pattern and adds a playful touch to the game.

Why Hey Snowman Works

• It’s quick, easy, and effective.
• This simple brain break packs a punch: No prep: You only need your voice and a list of winter words.
• Classroom management: It’s a great tool to re-engage students during transitions or when they need a quick energy release.
• Encourages active listening: Students must focus on auditory cues to identify the correct syllable pattern.
• Incorporates movement: A great way to help kids stretch, wiggle, and stay engaged while learning!

Wintery Words to Call Out

Here’s a ready-to-go list of 20 winter-themed words to use with Hey Snowman:

• Snowflake, icicle, hot cocoa, sledding day, penguin, reindeer, snowman, Christmas, blizzard, skating rink, holiday, mittens, fireplace, frosty day, marshmallow, candy cane, snowball, December, hot chocolate, and scarf.

Feel free to mix them up and adjust the difficulty for your students!

Make It Your Own

This activity is flexible! Use it to:

• Support literacy with syllable awareness.
• Transition between lessons or as a quick movement break.
• Tie into your winter or holiday themes.

Your students will love the playful magic of "Hey Snowman!"—and you’ll love how easy it is to implement.

Extend the Fun with a Snowman Craft!

Looking to take this activity even further? Try this Snowman Craft and Writing Pack for a hands-on fine motor practice and learning opportunity! Students can create their own 3-part snowman while practicing cutting, gluing, and writing skills. It’s perfect for tying into your winter-themed lessons or building a cute bulletin board display.

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Language and Listening Games, Winter

Sweet Start: An Ice Cream Craft for Fine Motor Fun in Kindergarten

Kick Off the School Year with a Sweet Ice Cream Craft!

As summer winds down and school begins, it’s time to bring those happy beach or park memories into the classroom! What better way to do that than with a creative and engaging Ice Cream Craft? Perfect for kindergarten and first-grade students, this one-page craft is available in the Premium Coloring Club and is designed to make your first week back both fun and educational.

Share Summer Stories While Crafting 

Start by reading a summer-themed story to your students, then invite them to share their favorite summer adventures or ice cream flavors! Afterward, they can dive into the craft, coloring or painting the simple shapes before cutting and gluing them together to create their very own ice cream cone masterpiece.

Build Fine Motor and Early Writing Skills 

This activity is more than just fun—it’s practical, too! Students will:

• Strengthen fine motor skills by coloring, cutting, and assembling the craft.
• Practice early handwriting skills by adding scribble crayon textures and downstroke lines on the cone, making it a great opportunity for fine motor observation.

A Craft for Every Classroom 

If ice cream isn’t the right fit for your class, don’t worry! The Premium Coloring Club offers plenty of other options to suit different themes and preferences. You’ll find something for every classroom and every season. Check it out here!

Looking for More One-Page Crafts? 

For more simple, low-prep crafts that are perfect for young learners, explore the My First series in my TPT store. These super-easy projects are designed to support creativity and skill-building in the early years. Find them here.

Bring the sweetness of summer into your classroom and make those first days back truly memorable! 

Let me know how your students enjoy the craft and what their favorite ice cream flavors are. 

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Back to School, one page crafts

Penguin Name Craft: Celebrate Student Names and Build Classroom Community

 

There’s something magical about seeing a student’s name displayed in the classroom. It’s more than just letters—it’s a celebration of who they are and a warm reminder that they belong. This Penguin Name Craft combines fun, creativity, and fine motor skill practice with the opportunity to foster a strong sense of classroom community. And let’s be honest—there’s no cuter way to spell names than with a line-up of penguins on the bulletin board!

What’s the Penguin Name Craft?

The Penguin Name Craft is a hands-on project where students create a penguin that spells their name vertically. Each letter is on a section of the penguin’s body, with a fun penguin head at the top and feet to finish off the design. With 6 penguin head designs to choose from (and some blank for creative drawing), students can make their penguin truly unique.

Why Celebrate Names?

Names are special—they are deeply personal and one of the first words children learn to recognize, spell, and take pride in. Displaying student names in the classroom:

• Fosters Belonging: Seeing their name helps students feel seen, valued, and connected to their peers.
• Builds Community: A name-focused bulletin board encourages students to learn about one another, sparking conversations and friendships.
• Integrates Learning: Along the way, students practice letter recognition, spelling, counting, and fine motor skills like coloring, cutting, and gluing.

A Week of Penguin Fun: Suggested Outline

Breaking the activity into smaller chunks makes it manageable and fun for young learners. Here’s a suggested week-long plan:

• Monday: Introduce the craft and have students color their penguin head, body sections, and feet.
• Tuesday: Cut out the penguin parts, focusing on neat cutting along the edges.
• Wednesday: Assemble and glue the penguin together, forming the names vertically.
• Thursday: Create the bulletin board display and let students count the letters in their names. Who has the tallest penguin? Who has the shortest?
• Friday: Celebrate with a gallery walk! Let students share their penguins and learn about the names of their classmates.

Bring the Penguins to Life!

Once the bulletin board is up, it’s time to enjoy it! Use it as a conversation starter, incorporate it into math lessons by comparing name lengths, or simply admire the creativity each student brings to their penguin. This craft isn’t just about making something cute—it’s about building a classroom that feels like home.

Are you ready to start this penguin parade of names in your classroom? Let your students take pride in their names, their creativity, and their connection to one another with this fun and meaningful activity!

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Craft for Kids, Winter

Soar Into Math With the Hot Air Balloon Spinner!

Take your math lessons to new heights with an engaging warm-up activity from the Math Kit! Our Teen Spinner has been transformed into a hot air balloon, giving students the chance to practice counting and finding the difference while fueling their imaginations.

The Adventure Begins

Picture this: your students spinning a colorful hot air balloon to land on two numbers. From there, they count up, up, and away to find the difference! It’s an interactive way to build math skills and strengthen number sense, all while taking a fun journey through the clouds.

After working through the numbers, students can tap into their creativity. They draw their own hot air balloon and add a line of numbers on fluffy clouds. Whether they’re writing sums, differences, or simply practicing number order, this extension adds a playful art component to reinforce learning.

This activity is ideal for small group math warm-ups, rotations, or individual practice. Plus, the Math Kit now includes a digital version of the spinner for even more flexibility!

Quick Play Guide: 

• Hot Air Balloon Spinner
• Spin the Balloon: Use the Teen Spinner to generate two numbers.
• Count Up: Start at the smaller number and count up to the larger to find the difference.
• Write Numbers: Record the numbers in a linear order on cloud templates.
• Get Creative: Draw a hot air balloon and incorporate the numbers into the scene.

Save this activity as a go-to for those moments when math needs a boost of fun!

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Math Kit, Subtraction