The provided source material details a collection of free, December-themed educational downloads offered by Tara West through her blog, Little Minds at Work. These resources are specifically designed for use in kindergarten classrooms and are also suitable for preschool students. The freebies encompass a wide range of subjects and activities, including phonics, mathematics, science, art, and fine motor skills development. The materials are presented as a promotional effort to support educators and parents, with all content being digital and printable for immediate use. Access to these downloads is granted by visiting the provided links within the source text.
Overview of Available Free Downloads
The source material references a total of 25 free downloads available for the month of December. These resources are categorized by subject area and activity type, allowing educators to select materials that align with their lesson plans and student needs. The downloads are intended for classroom use, covering whole-class activities, small group sessions, and independent practice. The offerings are diverse, ranging from decodable reading books to hands-on math centers and creative art projects.
Phonics and Literacy Resources
A significant portion of the free downloads focuses on phonics and early literacy skills, aligned with the Science of Reading approach. These resources are designed to build foundational reading skills through interactive and engaging activities.
- Decodable Books: The collection includes a set of three free, December-themed decodable books for early readers. These books use phonetically controlled CVC words to support reading confidence and are available in fiction and nonfiction formats. Additionally, a bonus book is provided for students who are still mastering letters and sounds. The books are offered in multiple formats: standard fold and flip decodable books, MINI decodables, and all-in-one passages.
- Phoneme-Grapheme Mapping Mats: Educators can access free, December-themed all-in-one phonics mats for practicing phoneme-to-grapheme mapping. These mats are designed for students to say, tap, map, and write phonics words. The download also includes blank versions for generic mapping.
- Digital Fluency Slides: A completely digital set of December-themed slides is available for building fluency in skill-based words. These slides can also be printed as flashcards. An additional set of digital and print fluency slides for ABCs and high-frequency words is offered, following the Guided Phonics + Beyond scope.
- Phonics Centers and Task Cards: The free resources include 4 skill levels of December-themed task cards. For beginning sounds, students search and cover matching letters; for the word level, they build words sound-by-sound. There are also bow-themed mapping mats that can be used with materials like mini bows.
- Phonics Printables and Scenes: The collection offers beginning sound and CVC "scenes" for students to label by matching beginning sounds or CVC words. This download also includes a "match it" activity on the side of the page. Furthermore, there are 10 phonics-based chip and swipe mats for identifying beginning, middle, ending, and combined sounds, accompanied by recording sheets.
- Handwriting Practice: Instant printable handwriting practice for both letters and numbers is available, along with additional December-themed phonics and math printables.
Mathematics Resources
The December freebies include a variety of hands-on and engaging math activities for numbers 0-20.
- Math Counting Sequence Puzzlers: This free download offers math counting sequence puzzlers for varying number sets, specifically for numbers 1-10 and numbers 11-20.
- Hands-On Math Centers: The collection includes two hands-on math skills centers covering numbers 0-10 and 11-20. Center 1 focuses on number ordering and missing numbers, while Center 2 is a "count the matching set" activity. Both centers come with "I can" cards and response sheets.
Science, Social Studies, and Fine Motor Activities
Beyond core academic subjects, the free downloads extend to other areas of learning and development.
- Holidays Around the World: A free download offers 50 engaging "Holidays Around the World" sheets, providing resources to explore global traditions and celebrations.
- Fine Motor Mats: A bonus free download provides two tree fine motor mats. One is a directed mat with circles, and the second is an open-ended mat. Students can use pom-poms or other fine motor materials with these mats.
- Science of Reading Aligned Activities: The phoneme-to-grapheme mapping mats and task cards mentioned earlier also fall under this category, reinforcing sound-to-letter connections.
Art and Creative Expression
The resources include several art-based activities to foster creativity and fine motor skills.
- Directed Drawing: Free downloads for Gingerbread and Reindeer directed drawing are available, guiding students through the process of creating themed artwork.
- Coloring Sheets: A free set of seasonal Pip the Pup coloring sheets is offered, allowing students to enjoy a classroom favorite character throughout the seasons.
- Dip Pages: A bonus download provides dip pages using Q-tips and paint for beginning sounds and CVC words, combining art with phonics practice.
Life Skills and Sorting Activities
The collection includes resources for teaching practical life skills.
- Needs vs. Wants: A free download addresses the common December topic of needs versus wants. It provides sorting cards and printable sorting pages for classroom activities.
Access and Eligibility
The source material indicates that all mentioned free downloads are accessible by clicking on the provided links within the blog post. The content is digital and printable, suggesting no physical shipping is involved. There is no mention of eligibility restrictions, purchase requirements, or geographic limitations in the provided text. The resources are explicitly offered as free for use in kindergarten and preschool classrooms. The contact email provided is littlemindsatworkLLC(at)gmail.com, which can be used for questions.
Important Considerations for Users
- Source Reliability: The information is sourced directly from the blog post authored by Tara West (Little Minds at Work), which appears to be the official distribution channel for these materials. The blog is a primary source for the free downloads.
- Temporal Relevance: The resources are themed for December, which may affect their usefulness outside of that month. However, some materials, like phonics centers or fine motor activities, could be adapted for other seasons.
- Digital Nature: All resources are provided in digital format, requiring users to have access to a printer and basic classroom or home supplies for assembly and use.
Conclusion
The provided source material outlines a comprehensive set of 25 free, December-themed educational resources for kindergarten and preschool settings. These downloads cover a broad spectrum of learning areas, including phonics, mathematics, science, social studies, art, and life skills. The materials are designed for immediate digital access and printable use, with no mentioned costs or eligibility barriers. Educators and parents seeking festive, skill-building activities for young children can utilize these resources by following the links provided in the source text.