kindergarten homework choice board

Choice Boards to use at Home

When it comes to long breaks, extended time away from school, or even homework/packets for Kindergarten I try to stay away from worksheets. I wanted to give an alternative to worksheets that can be beneficial during these times. My 6 choice boards are free, just click on the picture at the top or at the bottom of this post. It comes with 2 for reading, writing, and math and will last for 2 weeks. Also, I have weekly lesson plans for distance learning if you need more activities.

What are choice boards?

Choice Boards are similar to bingo boards, students try to get 5 in a row by picking spots they choose to complete. By picking one reading, one writing and one math a day, Monday through Friday, they can get 5 in a row. Teachers can give out rewards if brought back signed/ completed or even allow the parents to choose a reward for every bingo they get. The possibilities of how to exactly play are up to you or the parents. Students could have to fill up the whole board during an extended period of time or provide writing samples. As the teacher, you could use the choice boards in the classroom for fast finishers. Also, I love using my Target Mini Erasers to cover up the spots on the choice boards. To read more about how I use mini erasers throughout the year, click here .

What is on the choice boards?

All 6 choice boards are completely different, there are 2 for each area (reading, writing, and math) but you can pick which ones your students would benefit from and which are appropriate for your student’s needs.

First, the reading boards include spots that say where students read during that time. Examples include, in the bathtub with pillows and blankets or under an umbrella and pretending like it is raining. The other reading board gives ideas to do before and after reading. Examples include finding digraphs or blends in your book or writing about the character’s problem.

Next, is the writing boards, one includes writing prompts, for example, if you were a pirate, what would you do? The other writing board is all about writing sight words. Students write their words in bubble letters or write their sight words in alphabetical order.

Last, the math boards are more geared toward Kindergarten standards. One board includes addition and subtraction word problems and the other boards ask questions about shapes, base ten blocks, ways to make 10, and more.

What else can you use with this?

Some other materials that I like to send home with my parents that go along with these choice boards are my writing templates, sight word games, and my writing checklist.

My writing templates include 14 different templates and 4 different line styles which are over 50 different pages. These would be perfect to staple together with the writing choice boards or the reading choice boards on which they can write their responses on. I mean you could even use the math choice boards where students will write their answers on them and staple them together for easy grading. Click on the photo below or here to view the templates.

My sight word games go along with the writing choice board that has students write their sight words in different ways that are engaging. There are over 25 games included and the games come with writing sheets to check work. Some of the games include connect 4, tic tac toe, dot to dot, and more! Click on the photo below or here to view these games.

The last thing I always send home when I include any sort of writing activity is my 5-star writing checklist for students to use on their own work. This promotes students to assess their own work and create independence. Click on the photo below or here to view the checklist.

Lastly, make sure you grab these free-choice boards, and be sure to tag me on Instagram if you use them. Also, grab some other free digital learning resources over at thelimitlessclassroom.com

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Using Choice Boards for Kindergarten Homework

When it comes to kindergarten homework, I’ll always be Team Let Them Be Little. As firmly as we plant ourselves on the No Homework side of the fence, it doesn’t always work out that way. In fact, I’ve worked for many principals who required homework for kindergarteners! *insert eye roll* If you are in a similar situation, keep reading to find out how using choice boards for kindergarten homework can be a great compromise.

What Are Kindergarten Choice Boards?

A choice board looks very similar to a bingo card and contains different activities in each box on the page. Students can choose which activities they would like to complete, which is why choice boards are also known as homework menus. 

When used for homework, choice boards are generally used for a set period of time during which children complete a certain number of activities.  For example, students might be given one week to complete five activities. Families record what they have done on the choice board and it is collected at the end of the week (or whatever time period is chosen).

5 Benefits of Using Choice Boards for Kindergarten Homework

As someone who doesn’t love the idea of sending work home with kindergarteners , I wanted to share some benefits of using choice boards for homework.  You’ll find that it’s an easy way to add homework to your routine without overburdening families or adding a bunch of prep work to your plate.

1. Strengthen the School-Home Connection

If you’re being required to send homework in kindergarten, try framing it as an opportunity to build the school-home connection. Providing families with a menu of homework activities to choose from keeps them involved in the educational process. It can help parents feel connected to the skills that their child is working on in the classroom. 

Tedious, traditional homework can often have the opposite effect on the school-home connection.  When parents and guardians feel burdened by the amount of homework, especially if the tasks are difficult for their child, it can cause friction in their relationship with the school. Instead, the tasks on choice boards are generally short, fun, and simple. Your students’ families won’t grow resentful of all the time their five or six-year-old is spending on homework every night. 

2. Provide Developmentally Appropriate Homework

Sending home a packet of worksheets for homework is not developmentally appropriate for most of the students in your class.  Some kindergarteners start the school year having never held a pencil before! When the tasks we send home aren’t developmentally appropriate, we’re setting out students up for negative interactions with their families around school and learning.  This not the foundation for education that we want to be building in kindergarten!

Choice boards provide the flexibility to include activities that appeal to the wide variety of skills and abilities in your classroom. It gives students the chance to feel successful and have positive school-related interactions with their families at home.

3. Include Important Life Skills

Some of the activities that I like to include on a homework menu include important life skills.  These are skills that we work on in kindergarten when we have time, but it’s super helpful when families address them at home, as well. For example, students can practice learning their grown-up’s phone number, taking turns in games, or using scissors.  

It’s helpful for families to see these skills on a choice board because it shows some of the developmental skills that their child should practice. It also reminds families of the fact that skills like sharing and taking turns are just as important to their child’s education as learning the letters of the alphabet.

4. Establish Routine

One of the arguments for kindergarten homework is that it builds learning habits. Homework can help get students in the habit of taking time to study and practice at home. Plus, it gets families in the habit of checking for homework every night.Homework choice boards can still contribute to this habit and routine without causing a bunch of daily or weekly paper shuffling.

In a previous blog post, I shared that my favorite kindergarten folders have prongs on the inside.  A homework menu is something that you might choose to attach to the prongs inside of your daily folder. You could also designate a pocket for the homework choice board and materials. This way, families can keep track of the homework menu as part of the daily folder routine . This streamlines the process and makes it easier to establish the homework habit.

5. Save Time

Finally, choice boards save time and resources.  You can print one homework menu per student (plus any necessary recording sheets) and have enough activities to replace an entire homework packet! This resource can be prepped ahead of time so you just have to do a quick switch of the homework menu at whatever interval you decide. You won’t have a pile of homework worksheets to sort through every day, but you’ll be still able to see the important skills your students have been practicing at home.

Printable Choice Boards for Kindergarten

If you would like to have kindergarten homework prep taken off your to-do list this year, check out this resource!  I have a year-long bundle in my store with 20 different activities for each month of the school year.  Each editable choice menu can be easily changed to meet the needs of your classroom.

To take a closer look at everything included in this bundle, head over to the Teaching Exceptional Kinders shop or TPT .

More Tips for Using Choice Boards for Kindergarten Homework

If you would like even more tips for using choice boards in kindergarten, check out this video!  I share a variety of tips and ideas for incorporating homework menus into your routine. (Are you a visual person who enjoys the video format? Consider subscribing to my YouTube channel where I share all sorts of tips for kindergarten teachers!)

Save These Kindergarten Homework Choice Boards

Be sure to save this post so you can easily find it later!  Just add the pin below to your favorite board on Pinterest.  You’ll be able to quickly come back to this post when you’re looking for an easy homework idea for kindergarten.

I watched your Facebook live today for the homework choice board (thank you!) and signed up on your link above for the free fall choice board. I also signed up for your kinder class management video series. I have already received an email for the first video in the series, but I did not receive the homework choice board freebie. Is there a different way to send the freebie? Thank you!

Hi Jeni – I just sent you an email 🙂

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Kindergarten Homework Choice Boards - YEAR-LONG Homework BUNDLE

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Description

Do you ever have parents/guardians ask you to send home homework, but you don't normally assign homework? These kindergarten homework choice boards are the perfect way to help families enhance their kindergartener's skills in the classroom! The best part... they can be done within a matter of minutes!

**This resource is currently being updated to include different choice board size options. See below to see which months are already updated.**

What will be included each month?

✅ 32 activity boxes for the month (adult-led and with different engaging math and literacy activities)

✅ Choice Board Size Option 1: 2 full page choice boards with 16 activities per page

✅ Size option 2: 4 choice boards with 8 boxes to a page

✅ Size option 3: 8 choice boards with 4 boxes per page

✔️ Why would this resource be beneficial?

This monthly resource will help families understand what students need to know to succeed in kindergarten. This resource is perfect because it allows students to practice standards that follow standard kindergarten pacing, while still including spiral review of skills.

✔️ Why was this resource created?

I am not someone who likes to give homework. However, I had so many parents asking what they could do with their chid at home to practice kindergarten skills. I created these choice boards to send home to all students. I let parents know they are optional and meant to be a fun way to practice kindergarten standards. Parents and children complete them as they wish and when they are done, I send another choice board home. This has been a huge hit for parents and students alike.

✔️ How to complete the choice boards?

The activities align with skills they should be able to do at each month in kindergarten, or with skills they will learn throughout the month. These are intended to be done with an adult. The activities have different math and literacy activities to help each child practice the skills they are learning in the classroom at home. The children will pick an activity. The parents will read the directions and they will complete the quick activity together.

Months Included:

✅ August (update will be added by July 1st)

✅ September (update will be added by July 1st)

✅ October (update will be added by July 1st)

✅ November (update will be added by July 1st)

✅ December (update will be added by August 1st)

✅ January (update will be added by August 1st)

✅ February (update will be added by August 1st)

✅ March (update will be added by September 1st)

✅ April (update will be added by September 1st)

✅ May (update included)

✅ Summer (update included)

Math Skills Included:

- Count by ones and tens to 100

- Counting and sequence numbers within 20

- Write numbers to 10

- Compare numbers within 10

- Addition to 5

- Subtraction to 5

- Addition word problems within 5

- Subtraction word problems within 5

- Positional words (above, next to, below, etc.)

- 2D shapes

- Ways to make 10

- Sort and classify objects by size, shape, color

- Place value practice (teen numbers)

- Counting back- within 20

- Decompose teen numbers

Literacy Skills Included:

- Identify beginning, middle, and ending sounds

- Rhyme recognition and rhyme production

- Blend and segment phonemes (CVC words)

- Blend and segment onset and rime

- Count, blend, delete, and segment syllables

- Count words in a sentence

- Alphabet knowledge: letter sequencing

- Make predictions

- Identify characters and setting in a story

- Count and delete syllables

- Story Questions

- Blend, Segment, Substitute and Delete phonemes

- Substitute beginning sounds

- Writing practice

....and so much more!!

Other Kindergarten Resources to Check Out

⭐ Kindergarten Spring NO PREP Math Partner and Individual Centers

⭐ Kindergarten Writing Portfolio Covers

Please  contact me  with any questions about this resource using the  ask a question feature  on TPT or send me an email with questions.

Looking for more engaging activities your students will LOVE?! ✅ Follow me on TPT (Get  50% off  new resources!) ✅ Check out the latest on the MKK blog to get ideas and creative activities

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Using Choice Boards to Boost Student Engagement

Giving students options for how they demonstrate their learning is a good way to ignite their curiosity.

How do you make learning effective, engaging, and student driven when students aren’t physically in the classroom? That’s been the question on our minds for quite some time now. One team of education leaders in North Carolina found a solution that drastically changed instruction throughout the state, and it’s something you might already be familiar with.

As teachers and students transitioned to fully remote instruction, the English language arts (ELA) team created choice boards that teachers could copy and adjust to meet the needs of their students. The boards—which could be assigned virtually or printed out in packets—were organized by grade band and filled with standards-aligned activities as well as scaffolds that enabled children to be able to complete the work alone. Check out the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction’s ELA choice boards here .

Choice boards improved remote learning in our virtual classrooms, increasing student engagement and ownership, and even making our students more eager to dig into their assessments and homework.

Here are some tips to get started with implementing choice boards—whether students are in person, learning remotely, or a mixture of both—as well as some lessons learned along the way.

Assessments

Choice boards add a new dimension to your classroom, offering an alternative to standard assessments and empowering students to choose how they show their mastery of a topic. Additionally, they provide educators with a variety of ways to check for student understanding. If you’ve ever had your eyes glaze over as you regarded the night’s looming stack of 120 freshmen essays to grade, this could be the refreshing twist you’re looking for.

Imagine that you’re working with your middle school English class on analyzing complex characters in The House on Mango Street . You can unpack the standard with your students and create a rubric with them (or we love this idea of success criteria), then brainstorm ideas for activities.

Try incorporating your students into the process and get their input on how they’d like to demonstrate what they’ve learned. For example, students might suggest developing a movie trailer to illustrate their mastery of the standard, drafting a series of diary entries from the main character, or creating a series of podcast episodes. Allowing for student involvement in the creation of the choice boards increases their ownership and follow-through.

A few pointers:

• Keep in mind, some learners do prefer traditional assessments, so leave those as an option in the choice board.
• You don’t have to start from scratch; there are free choice board templates available online.

Choice boards can be used in place of a homework packet—giving students the autonomy to choose how they practice skills they learned during the school day.

But choice boards can also serve as a way to engage with parents and caregivers. A family homework choice board can encourage education-centered family time at home, while simultaneously informing caregivers about topics and skills their child is learning at school.

What might this look like? Let’s say you are teaching a third-grade class and a parent has asked you for the homework. Share the optional homework choice board—activities might include finding three examples of this week’s syllable type in books from their book bin, reading high-frequency words to a family member, or practicing the high-frequency words on an online app.

• Before sending home a homework choice board, allot time to guide your students through the process—practicing it in the classroom first. Think of it as a mini-lesson.
• Evaluate limitations or access issues that may arise for some students when working at home. Things to consider include access to technology, access to materials, and time asked of the parents/caregivers in assisting.

Remote Learning

Remote learning days are far from a thing of the past. Whether these days are scheduled ahead of time in the school’s calendar or utilized as an alternative to closing the building for severe weather or recurring outbreaks of Covid, schools can be proactively prepared by creating district or schoolwide choice boards that teachers can easily access.

Ideally, these can be tweaked by teachers themselves easily so that students can complete them over and over again. Educators can switch out the text and activities at their discretion to update them.

• Move from fluff to rigor by being intentional with learning outcomes and alignment to state standards. (Find tips at Aligning Curricular Decisions with Student Voice ). Make sure that you aren’t just creating busywork but are truly creating assignments that are standards aligned.
• Get a team involved to make the lift lighter. The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction had teams of educators work together to create a universal set of choice boards that could be accessed by teachers statewide—many hands make short work.
• We’ve used choice boards not only with K–12 students but with our teachers in training as well. Offering people choice in assignments does equate to a lot more emails to answer from our graduate students. But that’s something we were more than happy to take on.