FREE Number Sequence Puzzles in Art

Does your child need extra practice sequencing numbers from 11-20? Here are four FREE sequence puzzles featuring the artwork of Homer Winslow. (I like exposing my kids to beautiful artwork in any way I can!)

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Poems for First Grade

Here’s a FREE book for poems for first grade that I compiled for my son with Down Syndrome. All my children have copied, memorized, and recited poems throughout their homeschooling years. So I certainly wasn’t going to let my youngest off the hook just because he has T21! Especially because memorizing and reciting poetry is so great for developing memory skills and working on articulation and pacing in speech. But most importantly, poetry fills the mind with beautiful imagery.

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Simply Subtraction Level 1 Games

Here are the Games for Simply Subtraction Level 1, which covers the subtraction facts within ten. These FREE games can help bring some fun into your math lessons! Our kids need a lot of review to build confidence and fluency. Games a great for sparking interest and motivating our kids to practice those facts.

There are eight games that align with most of the lessons in Simply Subtraction Level 1.

Here are some sample pages:

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A Year of Picture Books with Sequencing

Sequencing is such an important skill for little people and especially for those with delayed language skills. It helps build comprehension and memory, and it helps children to narrate, which in turn supports the development of speech.

Reading a picture book and re-ordering or retelling the sequence of events is a very simple yet effective way to build language skills. When I can, I use visuals to support the sequencing of events. But often we just practice telling what happened next, or who did what next. So, I’m always on the hunt for picture books with clear sequence of events.

Here are some of our favorite picture books for sequencing:

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Free Winter-Themed Addition Cards

Here is a set of winter-themed addition cards focusing only in the +1 and +2 facts, designed for children with Down Syndrome and other special needs. Children with T21 need to spend a lot of time using concrete objects and pictures to support their understanding and practice of addition.

In keeping with an incremental approach to learning, I recommend helping your child master the +1 and +2 facts within ten before moving on to +3 and +4 facts. Hence, these picture addition cards.

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Simply Addition Level 1 Math Games

For those of you who are using Simply Addition Level 1 to help your child master addition facts within ten, here is a set of FREE Math Games. After all, playing games is the fun way to practice math skills.

This set contains a variety of games that align with most of the lessons in Simply Addition Level 1.

Take a look:

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First Steps with Phonics, Book 4: A FREE Phonics Workbook for Children with (or without) Down Syndrome

Here’s the fourth and final book in the First Steps with Phonics Workbook series, designed especially for children with Down Syndrome.

While most phonics programs begin with CVC words, this introduction to phonics begins with something even easier: the phonograms that make one and only one sound. Book 1 teaches children to sound out and spell words that have the phonograms AY and AI. Book 2 teaches the phonograms EE and IGH. Book 3 focuses on the phonograms OA and OE. And Book 4 teaches the phonogram EIGH.

Here are samples from Book 4:

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First Steps with Phonics, Book 3: A FREE Phonics Workbook for Children with (or without) Down Syndrome

Here’s Book 3 of First Steps with Phonics!

This is an incremental, picture-based introduction to phonics designed for children with Down Syndrome. It’s both Orton-Gillingham and Montessori friendly! Read more about this program and watch some videos here.

If your child is struggling with phonics, give these workbooks a try!

If your child hasn’t started with phonics, here’s an easy way to start for both parent and child.

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See and Learn Phrases 1 Practice Workbook

Are you looking to teach your child with (or without) Down Syndrome to read? Or looking to build your child’s expressive vocabulary?

As many of you know, I’m a great fan of the See and Learn Kits from Down Syndrome Education. It was the See and Learn Phrases 1 Kit that launched my son with Down Syndrome into the wonderful world of reading. I began using See and Learn with my son when he 3.5 years old and discovered that 1) learning to read sight words was a great way to build his expressive vocabulary and 2) reading was a very enjoyable activity for him. To see videos of how we used See and Learn, check out this post: Teaching Preschoolers with Down Syndrome to Read with See and Learn.

Naturally, we also used this with the boys in our Down Syndrome co-op. So, to help the busy moms practice See and Learn daily with their kids, I made this homework packet/workbook. And now, with the generous permission of Down Syndrome Education, I’m sharing it with you for FREE.

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First Steps with Phonics, Book 2: a FREE Workbook for Children with (or without) Down Syndrome

Here’s Book 2 of First Steps with Phonics. This is an incremental, picture-based introduction to phonics designed for children with Down Syndrome. It’s both Orton-Gillingham and Montessori friendly! Read more about this program and watch some videos here.

If your child is struggling with phonics, give these workbooks a try! Unlike most phonics programs that start with CVC words, this series begins with vowel teams that make one and only one sound, which helps to prevent frustration and confusion in the early stages of decoding.

If your child hasn’t started with phonics, here’s an easy way to start for both parent and child.

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