Critical thinking is a skill our children will certainly need throughout their lives.  As educators, it is part of our job to equip young minds with the ability to analyze situations, solve problems, and to question what they see and read. 

All of our students have a tremendous capacity! But, to tap into this capacity requires a gradual process that involves hard work and lots of patience. So how can we do what is necessary to help our students develop critical thinking skills? Keep on reading for some suggestions and strategies that you can start implementing at home or in the classroom today.

​My kids LOVE the game Hungry Hippos. It is one of our favorite games to play when it's 'game time.' Since I like to look for ways to turn any game into an opportunity for learning, I came up with a simple 'upgrade' to include some math to this fast and fun game. The math focus in this 'upgraded' activity will be addition with multiple addends. This activity is ideal for math practice at home, math centers, or a game corner if you have in the classroom. 

It's no secret that lots of practice makes perfect, but sometimes repetition can become boring. That's why games are such an awesome way to make learning fun. Whenever my kids are engaged, they learn so much more, as opposed to being forced to do that plain black and white drill to s-'kill' worksheet. Apart from creating resources, I am also constantly sourcing out other educational activities that are readily available and easily accessible on the Internet. There is an abundance of educational games that are free to play, ready to click and go. However, sometimes in the rush of the crazy teacher life, sourcing games of such educational value can be a stretch when time and stress levels reach high points. That's why, this week, I'm sharing with you a fun collection of free to play multiplication games that you can bookmark and have ready at your fingertips to assign to a student or your class. I'm pretty picky at the games I choose, there's lots of free stuff on the web, but I've weeded through them to share with you some of the best!

If you are looking for ways to add some fun to practicing rounding numbers, then  check out these fun and free online rounding games. Make the games a part of your math centers if you have iPads, tablets, or computers available (with Internet access), or encourage to play at home to get some extra rounding math practice in. 

There are plenty of ways to keep kids' minds active during the school break. To help with this, whether a parent, teacher, tutor, instructor, or  all of those in one, this post will provide a list of activity ideas that are educational too! These activities are suitable for most ages and can be tweaked to increase/decrease difficulty if required.