Collage of folks celebrating America at 250 with American imagery in the background, like the Declaration of Independence, and text superimposed, “America at 250: Educator Summit”

America at 250 Educator Summit

Save the Date: August 5-6, 2026

America at 250 Educator Summit

Engaging Learners through Civics, Inquiry, and Media Literacy

Wisconsin Historical Society & Pyle Center | Madison, WI

July 2026 will mark the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. As educators and learners prepare to move into a new school year following this milestone, PBS Wisconsin Education and partners are convening a two-day summit for 3rd-12th grade educators who teach civics and history.

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Get
Inspired

Help Wisconsin’s learners grow to be civically engaged and better equipped to understand our nation’s past, present, and future.

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Explore
Resources

Foster civic engagement, media literacy, and inquiry-based learning with classroom-ready materials including the Ken Burns in the Classroom collection supporting the AMERICAN REVOLUTION film plus local resources from PBS Wisconsin Education and other partners.

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Exchange
Ideas

Connect and learn in community with education organizations and educator peers from across Wisconsin.

Get on the List Today

Subscribe to our biweekly K-12 e-newsletter to stay in the loop with event updates.

(We won’t share your email address with anyone else.)

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Ken Burns in the Classroom

Access free, curriculum-aligned classroom resources for grades 3-12 designed to deepen students’ understanding of the American Revolution and its legacies using the power of visual media.

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KQED Youth Media Challenge

Invite learners to make media that reflects on individual and collective independence, democracy, and liberty through the KQED Youth Media challenge.

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Civics
Resources

Introduce community concepts, go deep into Wisconsin tribal lands, and spark important discussions about elections. This curation features contributors from PBS KIDS, Student Reporting Labs, PBS News, and more.

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The
Look Back

Learn why Wisconsin tribes chose sides in the Revolutionary war in the “Sovereignty and Silver: Midwest Allies in the Revolution” episode of The Look Back.

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The
Look Back

Learn how the portrait of George Washington by Thomas Sully was commissioned to paint in 1854 connected Wisconsin to the American identity.

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America@250 Initiative

Explore additional ways that PBS Wisconsin is inviting communities across the state to connect and reflect on our shared history.

Quotation

America AT 250 Educator Summit

“You provide resources to teachers who need them. We’re so strapped for time, but we still value quality experiences for our students. You help us achieve more rigorous and engaging lessons.”

Jaclyn Jecha
New Berlin West Middle and High School
Children smiling in an environment where they are playing and learning. Superimposed on the photo is the logo for “Early Learning” and a purple banner with white text, “resources for kids.”

Raising Readers for Kids

Select from the objectives to find PBS KIDS resources to spark a love of reading, teach letters, encourage playful language development, build comprehension skills, develop vocabulary, and enhance fluency.

Collections

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Reading Rainbow Stories

“Take a look, it’s in a book!”. Each video clip in this collection reads a story aloud while you view illustrations. Find discussion questions and classroom guides for connected hands-on learning and more books to explore.

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Daniel Tiger Bilingual Stories

Explore the world of Daniel Tiger and his friends through digital books. Read-along audio supports print recognition. Books are available in English and in Spanish.

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PBS KIDS Read Alongs

In this series of short videos, celebrities and PBS KIDS authors read their favorite books aloud. Each story includes fun activities for the whole family.

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Super Why

Explore interactive literacy videos and games featuring favorite fairy tale adventures from Super Why’s Storybrook Village. Join the Super Reader Team to help famous fictional characters solve problems and work together.

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Elinor Wonders Why

Guide little learners in asking questions, making observations, and basking in the wonderment of nature’s amazing answers. Ignite children’s curiosity using the science inquiry process.

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Between the Lions

These short playful video segments support early literacy skills like text comprehension, fluency, and print-word awareness.

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Ruff Ruffman: Humble Media Genius

Meet Ruff Ruffman, an energetic, funny cartoon dog who helps children understand what it means to be safe and responsible digital citizens. Learn to navigate challenging concepts like algorithms, artificial intelligence, and search tools.

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Word Girl

Discover hilarious versions of superhero stories featuring Word Girl and Captain Huggy Face in this multimedia collection that expands children’s vocabulary.

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Wild Kratts

Strengthen basic observation and investigation skills with these activity bundles starring the Kratt brothers. Support children in learning about animals and habitats around the world.

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Reading Buddies

These foundational early literacy video shorts are based on the science of reading. Learn about letters, sounds, blending, and decoding with Dusty, Dott and Alphabott and earn alphabadges to celebrate your reading journey.

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The Alphabet: Sesame Street

Join the Sesame Street characters to learn letters with these one minute videos. These shorts feature each letter, its corresponding sound, words that start with that letter, and interactive seek and find letter segments.

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Sesame Workshop: Reading

Explore different ways to read online to nurture a love of reading with Sesame Street characters. This multimedia collection is full of the joy of reading together.

Games

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Xavier Riddle Story Creator

Choose a book from writers like Zora Neale Hurston, Maya Angelou, or Charles Dickens. Then, design a story just like theirs with help from Xavier Riddle and his friends.

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Storybook Builder

Create a story with Sesame Street characters.

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Wonder Red’s Rhyme Racer

Listen and read along with rhyming words that explicitly teach children that rhymes end with the same sound; it’s their beginning sound and letter(s) that change.

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Sesame Workshop: Rhyme Time

Develop phonemic awareness skills on the Rhyme Time Express! Help Grover build his train by listening, and matching the pictures on the train cars that have the same ending sound(s).

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Super Why Saves the Day

Build critical literacy skills by developing alphabet knowledge, phonics, spelling, and comprehension to save the day in these familiar stories with Super Why.

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Molly of Denali: Fish Camp

Use and understand informational text with Molly of Denali while she goes fishing with her Dad.

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Luna’s Seek and Find

Play this seek and find game to learn about different places, animals, customs, and cultures from all over the world.

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Creature Power Cards

Learn about animals from around the world with the Kratt brothers! Children can build their understanding of main ideas and details as they play different versions of the game.

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Letter Dance Party

Dance, sing, and create friends made out of different letters with Big Bird and Snuffy. Trace each letter in the alphabet and let it loose on the dance floor!

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Elmo’s Brain Games

Develop attention and focus skills with Elmo! This game invites children to listen, “read,” and remember pictures with ease in English or in Spanish. Practicing memory skills helps develop the sustained attention and perseverance needed to read with ease.

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Pretty Princess Magical Rescue Storybook

Strengthen listening skills in the magical land of Sparkletopia where players read and choose their way through different adventures. Children decide story elements like characters, settings, problems, and solutions to create their own happy endings. …or not!

Printable

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Family Storytelling Bingo

In these printables, find activities like bingo, cut-out puppets, a storytelling card deck, and more to share family stories and learn about the elements of storytelling. Printables are available in English and in Spanish.

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Making Mini Books

Connect storytelling to drawing, writing, and reading. Children can draw and scribble pictures about anything they choose. Read this mini book aloud and share it with friends!

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Rhyme Time Magnets

Rhyme on a dime with a few household items.

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Science Notebook

Encourage children to be like scientists and keep track of their own wonder, curiosity, and learning. Guide children to document the process of their discoveries with this bilingual printable Science Notebook.

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Growing as a Writer Bingo

Explore writing with activities to express ideas and learn letter-like shapes, symbols, letters, and words. Printables are available in English and in Spanish.

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Word Girl Opposite Game

Celebrate Opposite Day with Word Girl. Watch this short video to learn about synonyms and antonyms, then print and play the party game (available in English and Spanish).

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Word Girl Charades

Help children recognize the power of vocabulary to defeat the evil Dr. Two Brains with this short video and lesson plan.

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Vocabulary Words – Graphic Organizers

Set children up for success with these bilingual graphic organizers from PBS KIDS. Define the new words you are learning in English and in Spanish and practice using them in a sentence.

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Anteater: Animal Alphabet

Learn about different animals that start with each letter in the alphabet in these 15-30 second videos. This collection also includes a printable, bilingual graphic organizer to keep track of learning.

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Super Why Lickety Letters

Build an alphabet toolbox or practice writing and singing the letters and sounds in the alphabet with these Super Why printables. Listen and watch Alpha Pig sing the alphabet as he types letters to match the letters cards to the song.

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Growing as a Reader Bingo

Find activities like literacy bingo, book reviews, reading logs, and letter and word scavenger hunts that invite children to become superstar readers. These printables are available in English and in Spanish.

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Raising Readers for Educators

Support children’s early literacy development. Browse free self-paced learning courses, webinars, and peer networks that count for Wisconsin Registry credit.

Professional Learning

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PBS KIDS Library Cohort

Join the statewide PBS KIDS Library Cohort to explore PBS KIDS resources that ignite curiosity, cultivate compassion, and develop foundational literacy skills for the children and families in Wisconsin communities. Applications open in the fall.

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Reading Universe

WETA’s Reading Universe provides a structured literacy approach to teach reading and writing. Explore ParaReading, a free series of five self-paced courses on successful teaching strategies for paraprofessionals.

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Building a Reader

Learn ways to engage children in learning about language and literacy with resources from Sesame Street in this free self-paced learning course. Early care providers can earn three and a half credits through the Wisconsin Registry.

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Great Phonics Instruction

Learn how to support children and families with phonics in this free webinar from Sesame Workshop. Early care providers can earn one credit through the Wisconsin Registry.

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Move and Learn Together for Literacy

Take part in music and movement-based activities that build knowledge and provide practice with literacy skills in this free webinar from Sesame Workshop. Early care providers can earn one credit through the Wisconsin Registry.

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Stories, Smiles and Shared Reading with Sesame Workshop

Foster a love of reading with children and the grown-ups that care for them in this free webinar. Early care providers can earn one credit through the Wisconsin Registry.

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Regulating Emotions for Educators

Enhance children’s social emotional development with free self-paced learning courses, webinars, and peer networks that count for Wisconsin Registry credit.

Professional Learning

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PBS KIDS Library Cohort

Join the statewide PBS KIDS Library Cohort to explore PBS KIDS resources that ignite curiosity, cultivate compassion, and develop foundational literacy skills for the children and families in Wisconsin communities. Applications open in the fall.

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Kindness Curriculum

Learn foundational mindfulness skills, explore classroom-tested strategies, and practice mindfulness yourself through the Kindness Curriculum, a series of 24 lessons shown to have a positive impact on academic performance, peer relationships, and social competence.

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Kindness Cohort

Join a statewide Kindness Cohort in partnership with PBS Wisconsin Education and the UW–Madison Center for Healthy Minds. Learn about research-backed wellness strategies for supporting you and your students through the Kindness Curriculum in your learning space. Applications open in the spring.

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Caring Communities

Learn strategies for teaching children how to overcome challenges, bounce back, and communicate their feelings in this free self-paced course from Sesame Workshop. Early care providers can earn three and a half hours of credit through the Wisconsin Registry.

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Building a Connected Community

Learn ways to help children and families get ready for school and life together in this free self-paced course from Sesame Workshop. Early care providers can earn three hours of credit through the Wisconsin Registry.

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Roads to Resilience

Take this free self-paced course from Sesame Workshop to learn how to build resilience skills in children. Early care providers can earn three hours of credit through the Wisconsin Registry.

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Rhythms of Resilience

Take this free self-paced course from Sesame Workshop to nurture resilience in both children and adults by supporting emotional and cognitive well-being and development. Early care providers can earn three hours of credit through the Wisconsin Registry.

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Welcoming Others

Explore practical, strength-based ways for supporting children and families affected by conflict, crisis, or other traumatic experiences with this free self-paced course from Sesame Workshop. Early care providers can earn three hours of credit through the Wisconsin Registry.

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Autism Resources You Can Use

Watch this free webinar to learn about Sesame Street autism resources that build acceptance, inclusion, awareness, and understanding with children and families. Early care providers can earn one hour of credit through the Wisconsin Registry.

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Components of Community: The Science of Kindness

Watch this free Sesame Workshop webinar to learn about components of community that create social connections to address mental health. Early care providers can earn one hour of credit through the Wisconsin Registry.

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Helping Children Make Meaning After Trauma

Learn how young children experience trauma and what can help with Sesame Workshop’s Tara Wright and clinical psychologist and author Chandra Ghosh Ippen. Early care providers can earn one hour of credit through the Wisconsin Registry.

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Responding to Challenging Behavior in Caring Ways

Move from attention to connection with this free webinar from Sesame Workshop that explores effective strategies to support young learners facing emotional challenges. Early care providers can earn one hour of credit through the Wisconsin Registry.

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Supporting Resettling Children and Families in the U.S.

Watch this free webinar to learn about “Welcome Sesame” resources for supporting young children in the aftermath of crisis and conflict. Early care providers can earn one hour of credit through the Wisconsin Registry.

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Traumatic Experiences: First Steps to Hope (Part 1)

Watch the first of Sesame Workshop’s two free webinars on strategies for helping families cope with and overcome traumatic situations. Early care providers can earn one hour of credit through the Wisconsin Registry.

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Traumatic Experiences: First Steps to Hope (Part 2)

Watch the second of Sesame Workshop’s two free webinars on strategies for helping families cope with trauma, including resources from Sesame Workshop. Early care providers can earn one hour of credit through the Wisconsin Registry.

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Understanding Bullying

Watch this free webinar to learn how bullying affects children and explore ways providers can empower parents and caregivers to help prevent bullying. Early care providers can earn one hour of credit through the Wisconsin Registry.

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Regulating Emotions for Kids

Select from the objectives to find PBS KIDS resources to help manage big feelings, focus attention, encourage sharing, instill independence, foster resilience, support routines and ease transitions.

Collections

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Managing and Expressing Feelings

Explore ways to handle big feelings with Daniel Tiger and his friends using this collection of short videos and hands-on activities.

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Feelings Detectives

Watch this Donkey Hodie video clip together and learn how to look for clues in people’s faces and bodies to observe how they are feeling. Then, make your own feelings magnifying glass to practice this skill together.

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I Can Calm Myself Down

Watch these videos together when kids need to calm down. Cookie Monster and Abby Cadabby share coping strategies to build resilience and model skills that kids can remember and use on their own.

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Task Initiation and Persistence

This collection of short video clips from Skillsville helps kids learn how to focus and pay attention to important details. Watch the video together and do the career role-play activity to help learners develop this important skill.

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Life’s Little Lessons: Sharing

This Daniel Tiger collection helps children learn that sharing builds friendships and is more fun than keeping things just for themselves. The teacher tips include strategies for encouraging sharing in the classroom, and bilingual family materials extend the learning at home.

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PBS KIDS Talk About: Friendship

Watch a video together with real families talking about the qualities of what makes a good friend, what to do when someone is being a bully, and how to be a friend to others. Then, share printable activities to apply the learning.

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Life’s Little Lessons: Separation

Work on feelings about separation and independence, memory skills, developing self-control, and expressing feelings. Teacher tips share strategies for supporting children in adjusting to new experiences with bilingual family materials.

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Ruff Ruffman

Ruff Ruffman answers questions from kids, takes on challenges, and learns the value of failure! Bring the fun of Ruff’s scientific investigations into your classroom and use the letters to families to extend the learning at home.

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PBS KIDS Talk About Perseverance

Watch a video together featuring real families talking about how they keep going when school, sports, or other challenges become hard. Then, use discussion prompts to invite kids to apply the learning.

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The Morning Routine

Listen to this strategy song about Daniel’s morning routine that helps him remember what he needs to do. Teach kids the morning routine song to help them remember the essential steps to get ready for each day.

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Operation: Rise and Shine

Watch a short episode of Lyla in the Loop to model how to approach routines and transitions with creative and playful problem-solving ideas. Then, use printable challenge cards and a storytelling set for hands-on learning.

Games

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Belly Breathing

Belly Breathing is the first step in “Breathe, Think, Do,” a three-step strategy for teaching problem-solving, self-control, planning, and persistence. Help a monster friend calm down and solve everyday challenges in this interactive game.

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Daniel Tiger Tea Party

In this interactive tea party game, children work on important social skills like thinking about the needs of others, taking turns, and how to get along with friends.

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Calm Down and Slow it Down

This interactive begins with a Muppet leading a short breathing exercise. Then, children choose one of six calming activities, like drawing in sand, and stamping in glitter. Each session ends with a final breathing exercise.

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Spin and Sing

Use this interactive spinning wheel to randomly select different strategy songs from Daniel Tiger that help children learn to practice and persevere.

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Daniel Tiger: Guess the Feeling

Recognizing and naming emotions is the first step in learning to manage and express feelings.

Printable

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All About Emotions

Use the feelings poster and emotions wheel to help children understand how to identify, label, and express feelings. Then, use the bilingual cards to play matching games, create stories, play charades, and make a feelings jar.

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Get Moving

Get kids moving their bodies, practice controlling their bodies, and develop their gross motor skills. Play Get Moving Bingo, do exercises together, play animal charades, or do alphabet aerobics to get moving together.

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Being Kind

These printables provide fun activities that invite kids to initiate positive interactions with others. Play Being Kind Bingo, make a schedule, design friendship cards, and more!

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Friends and Neighbors Packet

Use these friends and neighbors activity sheets to allow children to choose their own learning adventures. Document family memories, draw pictures, create Kindness Loops, and write thank-you notes.

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Caring for Each Other

Use this bilingual set of printables to engage kids in shared caring tasks like doing chores, establishing morning routines, bathing, and saying thank you.

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Creative Problem Solving

Use this bilingual set of printables to engage kids in creative problem-solving. Play bingo, do an animal tracks matching game, test memory skills, practice kitchen math, and design your own bridge.

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Creating Routines

Use this bilingual set of printables to engage kids in creating and practicing routines around chores, taking turns, planning their day, healthy habits, and more.