Katy ISD

Elementary Curriculum Enrichment for Students

We hope you enjoy selecting some of these curriculum-based activities to enjoy with your family.

(Scroll down to find the 3-5 activities.)

Click here for Summer Learning-Spanish! (Intended for those students enrolled in the bilingual program.)

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Prekindergarten- 2nd Grade

Resource

Numeracy to 5-Teddy Bear Numbers Teddy Numbers is an interactive counting game for young children. They can have fun learning to count up to 15 objects, through a simple drag and drop exercise. (Grades K-2)

Geometry (2D)- Exploring 2D Shapes offers hands-on home activities for exploring 2-dimensional shapes. (Prek-K)

Nutrition- My Plate Matching Game The My Plate Match Game is a fun, interactive game for kids. Build a food plate and learn: (Grades K-2)

the names and colors of the food groups
how to categorize foods by food group
how many servings they need from each food group everyday
ways to be active 60 minutes per day

Practice Keyboarding- Typing Games This amazing online learning game for kids is perfect for getting the skills needed to master keyboarding. In today’s technological world it’s so important for every child to have typing skills. (Grades K- 2)

Dream Box Math- Sign in through MyKaty Cloud- Provides personalized, interactive math practice. (Grades k-5)

Citizenship- Good Citizen Sort Cut and sort the cards into two groups-good citizenship/bad citizenship. (Grades 1-2)

Maps- Create a Map of Your Neighborhood Playground

Choose a playground or park nearby and create a map of it with a key on drawing paper. Use at least three symbols in the map key and on the map. Use crayons or colored pencils for coloring. Add arrows for the cardinal directions. Have them write five sentences about where things are located in the park, using the words near, far, next to, between, north, south, east, west, and other words that help with describing location. (Grades 1- 2)

Writing-Build a climate of words at home. Go places and see things with your child, then talk about what has been seen, heard, smelled, tasted, touched. The basis of good writing is good talk, and younger children especially grow into stronger control of language when loving adults -- particularly parents -- share experiences and rich talk about those experiences. (Grades Prek-2)

Handwriting- 5 Ways to Improve Your Child's Handwriting Try these activities to build kids' handwriting skills and confidence (Prek-K)

Addition- Puzzle Pics Addition (Grades 1-2)

Properties of Matter- Sesame Street Properties of Matter- Watch the short video with your child. Click here for ideas on how to integrate properties of matter at home. (Grades K-2)

Map Skills- Going on a Bear Hunt Access this activity to create your own map and binoculars. (Grades K-1)

Community Helpers- Community Helpers Theme website has many ideas for easy home activities. (Grades PreK-K)

Handwriting- Fun Handwriting Practice Ideas Try out these simple ways to make practicing handwriting fun. (Grades K-1)

Numeracy to 10 - Underwater Counting Underwater Counting is an interactive counting game for young children involving counting the number of objects to 10. The game takes the form of a treasure hunt where children are challenged to find the treasure by achieving ten correct answers. (K-1)

Physical Geography-Creative Ways to Identify the Continents This website provides a fun way to review the continents. Songs and videos are also provided.(Grade 2)

Addition/Subtraction to 10- Ballon Pop Subtraction game- Kids are presented with subtraction problems and need to pop balloons to find the solution! (1st gr)

Health and Nutrition- Sesame Street Healthy Habits for Life Ready, set…let's get healthy! Encouraging healthy habits can be simple and fun. Children love to run, jump and play. Visit this site to find out how you can channel their natural energy into activities that keep them fit and strong. (Grades Prek-2)

Reading Pattern Books- Young children are drawn to the memorable nature of pattern books. They are empowered to role play as fluent readers by quickly learning and following along with the repetitive text and imagery in pattern books. Visit this website for suggested pattern books to enjoy with your child. (Grades Prek-1)

Heat, LIght, Sound - Light for Kids - Learn about rainbows, camouflage, color, stars, eyes and all kinds of interesting light topics. (K-1)

3-D Shapes - 3-D Shape Hunt - Find objects around the house. They have to notice these shapes in their surroundings and not just at school. It allows for a lot of math talk once the shapes are sorted. Talk about sliding, stacking and rolling. Talk about sides and faces of solid shapes. Have your child observe how the objects are alike and different. (Prek-K)

Nonfiction Reading - Why Kids Need to Read Nonfiction - Learn why it's important for your child to read fiction and nonfiction books. There is also a recommended book list for your young readers. (Grades 1-2)

Numeracy to 100 - Make the Sum of 100- Try out this card game which helps children develop various ways to use numbers in different combinations and to see the many possibilities of arriving at the same sum by adding different sets of numbers. (Grade 1)

Nonfiction Reading - Nonfiction Reading that Kids Love - Making a habit out of reading and sorting through the daily paper — or even weekend editions — will demonstrate how parents use the paper as a means for gathering information, learning about the world around them, and planning for future events. (Grades 1-2)

Coin Identification - Teach the Names of Coins with this Fun Game - Get your child excited about identifying and counting coins with this fun game which includes a free printable gameboard. (Grade 1)

Weather(Wind) - Pinwheel Wind Collector - With only 4 items, enjoy building a pinwheel with your child with this Weather Wiz Kids project. (Grades K-1)

Following Instructions-Ages and Stages: Learning to Follow Instructions -This website provides practical tips on working with your child on following directions. (Prek)

Personal Financial Literacy - 5 Steps to Teach Kids About Spending vs. Saving- This is a great article with ideas on how to teach your children about spending vs. saving. (Grades k-2)

Graphing- Make a graph using yummy goldfish crackers! Click here for a graphing template. (Grades K-1)

Traditions- What are your family traditions? Click here for a template to use while you discuss and write about your family traditions. (Grades K-1)

Seasons - Make Four Seasons Trees - This activity provides a hands-on way for your child to illustrate how trees look during each season of the year. (Grades 1-2)

Rhyming- How to Teach Your Child to Rhyme- Visit this blog to get great ideas on how to work with your child on rhyming skills. (Prek)

Sequencing- Sequencing Everyday Activities -Create a sequence page for a simple activity around the house. Use any blank sheet of paper. Fold the paper into squares. Start with 4 large squares, for older students create more squares. Ask your child to draw the steps they know in the order in which the steps occur. For example, draw each step it takes to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or to brush their teeth. (Grade K)

Fractions- Halves and Fourths Splash Math Game- Watch your child play this fun game to review our Texas standards on halves and fourths for 1st grade. (Grade 1)

Word Study- Meaningful Spelling Activities for Kids- Visit the Measured Mom blog to get great ideas on games and activities for meaningful spelling practice. (Grades K-5)

Social Studies- Needs vs.Wants - Click on the examples to get ideas on how to reinforce the difference between needs and wants. Example 1 Example 2 (K)

Objects in the Sky - Cloud Science for Kids - Visit this website with your child to learn fascinating facts about clouds. (Grade 1)

Measurement- How old is That Tree?- Use this activity to engage the whole family in measuring trees. (Grade 2)

US Historical Figures- Ideas to Celebrate Martin Luther King Jr Day with Kids- Learning more about Martin Luther King Jr. — and teaching your kids what you learn — can make the upcoming holiday even more meaningful and have an impact on them day in and day out.

Counting - Counting - Your child will enjoy placing numbers on the train cars to practice counting backward. (Prek-K)

Positional Words- Free Positional Words at Home Activity- Try this fun positional words activity with your kindergartner! (Prek-K)

Making and Confirming Predictions- Judge a Book by Its Cover to Predict and Read- We've all heard "Never judge a book by its cover" but that's exactly what this activity wants your children to do. With good reason. (Grades K-2)

Charity- How to Teach Kids About Charity - Get great ideas on ways to teach young children about charitable giving. (Grades K-5)

Earth and Space- Salt Water Experiment - Explore the difference in density between salt water and fresh water with this easy experiment. (Grade 2)

US Historical Figures- George Washington Biography- Read this biography your child(ren) to learn about the life of George Washington. (Grades 1-2)

A Sense of Time- Ages and Stages: How Children Develop a Sense of Time- Read this article to learn about how you can use children's personal experiences to help them understand time concepts. (Grade Prek-K)

Composing Shapes - Geometry Game- An exciting math puzzle designed for kids to help them build and enhance their critical thinking and spatial reasoning skills. In this game, kids have to rearrange the given four geometrical shapes to form various shapes. This game requires them to think critically and analyze, so building their analytical skills. Also, it will sharpen their cognitive skills. (Grades 1-2)

Write a Brief Composition- 5 Writing Tips For Children To Write A Composition -Children typically have difficulties writing compositions because they don’t know how to start or are not motivated to do so. Read this article to learn about 5 simple tips which parents can use to help your child write better compositions. (Grades 1-2)

Rocks- Rock Activities for Kids-Grab a basket and go out for a nature walk with children. Discuss the attributes of the rocks being collected as you go along. Sort rocks by dark/light or big/small. For younger children, for preschoolers sort by heavy/light or smooth/rough, for older children sort by sink/float or river/ocean.

Clouds- Weather Wiz Kids-Clouds-Visit this website with your child to learn all things about clouds. (Grades 1-2)

Nonfiction- Bookbuilderonline.com Visit this website to build a personalized storybook which allows you to edit to include your child's name. (Grades K-1)

Weather Patterns - PBS Parents-Exploring Weather- Does your child like to splash in rain puddles or watch the clouds as they float across the sky? You can help your child learn about weather by making a simple weather chart together. Your child can investigate cold-weather phenomena by freezing water and observing ice melt. (Grades K-2)

US Symbols-American Symbols Educational Videos - This video teaches what symbols are and shows various symbols of the United States. Some symbols that are featured include the American flag, the eagle, the Liberty Bell and the Statue of Liberty. The video is animated and narrated by a girl. (Grades K-2)

US National Landmarks- View this interactive map with your child to learn more about US national landmarks. Click on the landmark to learn more about it. (Grade 2)

Texas Regions- Texas Parks and Wildlife Kids- Visit this website with your child to learn more about the various regions of Texas. (Grade 1-2)

Write a Brief Composition- 5 Writing Tips For Children To Write A Composition -Children typically have difficulties writing compositions because they don’t know how to start or are not motivated to do so. Read this article to learn about 5 simple tips which parents can use to help your child write better compositions. (Grades 1-2)

Weather Patterns - PBS Parents-Exploring Weather- Does your child like to splash in rain puddles or watch the clouds as they float across the sky? You can help your child learn about weather by making a simple weather chart together. Your child can investigate cold-weather phenomena by freezing water and observing ice melt. (Grades K-2)

3rd-5th Grade

Resource

Place Value- Place Value Hockey is a fun educational game for kids to practice place value. (Grades 3-5)

Matter and Energy: Physical Properties-Jeopardy Game Get the family together to practice your child's knowledge of matter and energy with this Jeopardy Game format. (Grades 4-5)

Dream Box Math- Sign in through MyKaty Cloud- Provides personalized, interactive math practice. (Grades k-5)

Practice Keyboarding-Typing Games is an online learning game for kids which perfect for getting the skills needed to master keyboarding. In today’s technological world it’s so important for every child to have typing skills. (Grades 3-5)

Citizenship- Flag Lapbook is a great home resource to reinforce:(Grade 5)

the history of the flag
the meaning of the stars and stripes
the meaning of the colors red, white and blue
the meaning of the Pledge of Allegiance
flag etiquette
saluting the flag
the meaning of the flag
Click here to see an example of the lapbook.

Writing-Click here to download a list of ideas on how parents can instill the love of writing. (Grades 3-5)

Force, Motion, Energy-Force and Motion Lab measures how far toy cars travel as they move down ramps made of different materials. (Grades 4th-5th)

Multiplication- Fun Hands-On Ways to Reinforce Multiplication Facts (Grades 4-5)

Writing- How to Write Your Best Story Ever! The website offers great ideas to help your child write their best story ever. (Grades 3-5)

Multiplication- Using Arrays to Build Understanding of Multiplication Googly eyes, paint, cookie cereal, play dough, and a mini muffin pan with pom poms are all things you can use at home to help your child understand multiplication. Use this website to get creative ideas on how to help your child. (Grade 3)

Reading- Look It Up: When your child encounters a word he/she doesn’t know the meaning of, look up the meaning together. You can even begin to keep your own family dictionary, recording words and their definitions. Your child can create illustrations that show definitions of the words, as well. Use the word yourself, or encourage your child to use that word in a sentence sometime during the day. (Grades 3-5)

Writing- Make Your Own Magazine: Read magazines for your child, such as Scholastic News, to familiarize your child with the format of magazines. Then work together to create your own magazine about your family, topics of interest, or anything you’d like! (Grades 3-5)

Multiplication- Create a Multiplication Collage: Your child can look through magazines and newspapers to find multiple pictures (around 20) of one type of thing (for example, animals with 4 legs, cars and trucks, or pairs of things). Then help your child practice his/her multiplication skills by asking her to group the objects to solve a multiplication problem. She can use the collage to solve the problem and explain how she solved it. (Grades 3-4)

Social Studies-Keep Up with Current Events: Read local newspapers, magazines, and websites with your child. Look at the pictures and talk about important events or news. Even if your child doesn’t read the articles, you can summarize the subjects for them. Magazines made just for kids, such as Scholastic News,are also great resources for learning current events. (Grades 3-5)

Writing- Write About Your Lives: When your child experiences an enjoyable or important family moment, you and your child can write about it together as a narrative piece. Describe the events that occurred using details and emotion. You can then send the piece to family members or friends to share the event and the writing. (Grades 3-5)

Reading-Read magazine and newspaper articles,focusing on illustrations, graphs, or charts. Point out to your child what they show, ask him/her to help you interpret them, and discuss how they help explain or elaborate on the text. (Grades 3-5)

Mathematics-Create Math Riddles: Make up your own math riddles for each other, in which you provide set guidelines and ask each other to find the final number (as explained in the bullet points above). For example: “Start at 39. Subtract 4, divide by 7, and add 6. What number are you left with?” You can do this for your child, and your child can do this for you! Change things up a bit and give your child a number to end up with and ask him/her to create a riddle with at least three steps, and use different operations, that would leave you with this number. (Grades 3-5)

Social Studies-Learn your Community’s History: Help your child research what the place you lived in was like during a time she is studying. Look online or visit the local library to find this information. You may even be able to find old pictures or other information about either your house or the land on which you live. Learn the history of where you live. Compare the differences between your community, past and present. (Grades 3-5)

Poetry- Playing with Poetry- By introducing your child to poetic forms and inviting him/her to create their own poems, you can unlock the magic. Poetry allows us to invent language, and anyone, even young children, can write poems. This website provides parents great ideas on how to bring the joy of poetry beyond the classroom. (Grades 3-4)

Weather - Kid Science: Homemade Bottle Thermometer - This fun family project utilizes 7 common kitchen ingredients. The experiment won’t give you an exact temperature, only a real thermometer can do that, but it will allow your child to generally see which environments are warmer or cooler than others. (Grades 3-5)

U.S. Bill of Rights - Bill of Rights for Kids- This website offers numerous games for the whole family to review everything about the Bill of Rights. (Grade 5)

Geometry (Measuring Angles) - Alien Angles - Friendly aliens have lost their way and you are in charge of the rescue mission. Your job is to set the angle on the rescue launcher. Can you estimate the angles within 5 degrees? (Grades 4-5)

Poetry- How to Write Funny Poetry Visit this website to get ideas on working with your child on writing funny poetry. (Grades 3-5)

Perimeter/Area - Make a Name Banner- Use square centimeter graph paper to write out your names. Next, find the area and perimeter of each letter and add those together to find the area and perimeter of their entire name. Kids love to compare the sizes of their letters and names. For free printable square centimeter paper, click here. (Grades 3-4)

Elections- Bernstein Video on Elections(Grade 3)Bernstein Video on Elections

Natural Resources - Watch this video to review renewable and nonrenewable resources. (Grades 3-5)Renewable and Non-renewable Resources

Fractions- Find Grampy Game-Grampy's favorite game is hide and seek. He is hiding at a fractional distance between the beginning and the end of the fence. When Grampy hides, Grammy will tell you the total number of equally-spaced positions along the fence. That number of equally-spaced positions is the denominator of the fractional distance. The denominator will tell you the size of the spaces. The higher the denominator the smaller the spaces. (Grade4-5)

US Government- How is Power Divided in the United States Government? Watch this 3-minute video with your child to review and discuss the three branches of our government. (Grade 5)

How is power divided in the United States government? - Belinda Stutzman

Fractions and Decimals - Matching Game - Play this game to reinforce what you've learned about the connections between decimals and fractions. (Grade 4-5)

Solar System- Solar System Game - Solar System is an interactive science lesson, designed to teach kids about the solar system. Kids will learn about the 8 planets, the sun, moon, stars, asteroids, comets and other celestial phenomena through a comprehensive animated lesson plan. (Grade 3)

Word Study- Meaningful Spelling Activities for Kids- Visit the Measured Mom blog to get great ideas on games and activities for meaningful spelling practice. (Grades K-5)

Texas History- Texas History Jeopardy - Engage the whole family in this fun online Texas History Jeopardy game. (Grade 4)

Personal Financial Literacy - Gross versus Net Income - Kids and snacks pretty much go hand in hand, so use this to your advantage and use it as a teaching tool to explain gross income versus net income. (Grade 5)

Word Study- Meaningful Spelling Activities for Kids- Visit the Measured Mom blog to get great ideas on games and activities for meaningful spelling practice. (Grades K-5)

Measurement- Area Blocks Game-Area Blocks - Create shapes with the correct area and perimeter.
Play against the computer or challenge a friend! (Grades 3-4)

Food Chain- Food Chain Interactives- Kids will enjoy the challenge of this interactive food chain game as well as building their own food chain. (Grade 3-5)

Fractions-Fraction Bars - Explore equivalent fractions with this interactive. (Grades 3-4)

Strip Diagrams- Math Playground Thinking Blocks Junior- Use these visual tools by dragging the blocks to represent and solve the problems. (Grades 3-5)

Weather- Discuss the usefulness of a weather map. Explain that people use maps for a lot of reasons, for example, to find their way from one place to another or even to find a treasure. People also use maps to find out about the weather in different places today or in the future. Ask: Why would looking at a weather map give you more information than just listening to someone tell you what the weather would be for a certain day? (Maps show weather and temperatures in different places, the movements of storms, and areas with more rain or snow than others.) (Grade 4)

National Anthem- 9 Things You Didn't Know About the Star Spangled Banner- Visit the History Channel's story about the national anthem to learn and discuss details about the history of the Star Spangled Banner. (Grade 5)

Coins- Math4Texas: Helping Parents Understand the Math Standards - Math4Texas showcases the Math TEKS by grade level with tips, examples, digital tools, and videos to help parents understand the math concepts and skills that their children are learning. (Grade 3)

Food Webs-Food Web Games- Games are a great way to stimulate interest and motivate kids. Here you will find links to an assortment of interactive games and activities on food webs. (Grade 4)

Inherited Characteristics- Observable Human Characteristics - Visit this website to help with discussions in the family about inherited characteristics. (Grade 3)

Algebraic Reasoning - Input/Output Tables - The MathPlayground is a fun website of games and activities for your child to practice algebraic reasoning with input/out tables using the 'Function Machine'. (Grade 4)

Data Analysis - Dot Plots- Visit this website with your child to get a review of dot plots and to create their own dot plot. (Grade 5)