Your Guide to At-Home Learning Success: Free Downloadable Resources & Activities
- celeste5695
- 4 days ago
- 6 min read
Did you know that students are 52% more likely to enjoy school when a parent is involved in their learning?
This parent involvement leads to students being more likely to complete homework, participate and attend class, and even raises their likelihood of going to college by 80%.
At My Tutoring Partners, it is our top priority that your child doesn’t just reach academic success, but gains a love for learning along the way.
That is why we asked some of our top tutors what they recommend parents do at home to engage their child in continual learning, outside of the classroom and tutoring sessions.
These simple, yet effective, at-home learning resources are all available for print and digital download.
Download resources here!
Math
Flashcards
Flashcards are a great way to practice addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. You can purchase them or make them at home! Simply write the equation on one side and the answer on the other side.
Board games
Board games are a fun way to practice addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and even fractions. Choose games that involve counting, strategy, or number operations. You can use classic games or make your own! Simply play and talk through the math as you go to build confidence and understanding.
Games to use: Crazy Eights, Uno, Monopoly, Yahtzee, Uno, Sorry!, Connect 4, Math Bingo, Rumikube
Interactive worksheets
Worksheets are a great way to practice math skills and check understanding. You can use themed worksheets like “solve the code,” where students answer problems to reveal a hidden message. These activities make review fun while reinforcing accuracy and confidence.
Practicing with money/real world examples
Money problems are a great way for kids to practice real-world math. Use everyday situations like memberships, discounts, or savings to build problem-solving skills.
For example, a Costco membership costs $60. To upgrade to the Executive Membership, you have to spend an extra $60. With the Executive Membership, you earn 2% back on all purchases. How much would you have to spend to make this upgrade worth your while? Answer: 60 = .02x x=$3000
Reading & Spelling
Starfall.com - A “top resource” for K-5 students
The site has interactive stories, games and fun drills that captivate wandering minds and coax reluctant readers to give it a try. Students can practice phonetic work with a clear and easy audio pronunciation activity.
“Every student I've shared the site with has made tremendous progress in a very short period of time, and the confidence boosts make an immediate impact,” MTP tutor Matt Carsel shared.
Read everything, everywhere
Reading to your child is one of the most important ways to build early literacy skills. Read anything and everything—books, signs, labels, menus—to help them hear new words and understand how language works. The more they are exposed to reading, the more confidence and curiosity they develop.
Chapter book buddy read
Pick chapter books to read together. Get two copies (preferably different editions so you can compare illustrations) and take turns reading aloud to each other. This will build memories that will last a lifetime.
Funbrain.com is a clever way of having students learn without it feeling like work. Funbrain is a great resource for K-8, and has free stories and games. The site is completely free. MTP tutor Matt Carsel said The Playground section for young minds and the collection of Diary of a Wimpy Kid stories are the most popular areas for his students.
Letter-building games
Letter-building games are a fun way to practice spelling and sentence formation. Use magnetic letters, letter tiles, or paper cut-outs to build words and then turn those words into simple sentences. This hands-on activity helps students connect sounds to letters and strengthens early reading and writing skills. Examples of some games to use are Scrabble and word searches.
Answer comprehension questions
Practice reading words or short stories together and then answer simple comprehension questions about what was read. This helps students build understanding, recall important details, and strengthen overall reading confidence. Encourage them to retell the story in their own words to check for understanding.
Online resources for reading comprehension:
Writing
This free tool from Cambridge University Press allows students to choose a writing task or prompt, create a response and submit for immediate feedback and insight, edit, and revise for further feedback. This is a great tool for advanced learners as a self-study, and it receives positive feedback in large part because it does not rely on "correct answers", but rather asks students to consider their choices or suggest areas that could be improved.
Personal Persuasive Essays
Persuasive writing is a great way for students to practice critical thinking and clear communication. Encourage them to write about topics they care about—like why they should have tacos on Tuesday, more screen time, or a later bedtime. If they want to persuade, have them do it in writing! This builds motivation, teaches reasoning skills, and often helps children decide which arguments are worth pursuing—saving parents from constant “no’s.” This activity works well for students from 3rd grade through high school.
This website has a lot of fun and free creative writing prompts that are designed to inspire and motivate the reluctant writer. The entire blog is a wealth of resources for all age levels.
Personalize Creative Writing
Creative writing is a fun way for students to express themselves and build writing confidence. Encourage them to write about topics they love—like their dog or cat, a vacation they took, or a favorite holiday gift. Letting them choose meaningful topics helps spark ideas, develop imagination, and make writing more enjoyable.
Science
Read about topics and figures
Reading extra stories about hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanoes, rocks, and other science topics is a great way to build background knowledge and curiosity. You can also read about inventions and famous inventors like Tesla, Da Vinci, Newton, Einstein, Marie Curie, Florence Nightingale, Ada Lovelace, Sally Ride, John Glenn, Neil Armstrong, and Buzz Aldrin. These stories help students learn new facts while staying engaged and inspired.
Research an inventor
Writing a biographical essay about an inventor is a great way for students to learn research, organization, and critical thinking. Have them choose an inventor, write about the person’s life and achievements, and then add their own thoughts about why that inventor is important. This helps students practice writing skills while connecting personally to history and innovation.
Science trivia games
Science trivia games are a fun way to test knowledge and spark curiosity. This makes learning interactive and helps students remember information in an engaging way.
Games:
Kahoot Science Quizzes
National Geographic Kids Quizzes
Nature Walk Observations
Taking a nature walk is a great way to explore plants, animals, and weather. Ask your child to observe what they see—different leaves, insects, rocks, clouds, or animal tracks. They can draw or write about their observations afterward to build scientific thinking and vocabulary.
Star and Planet Exploration
Spend time looking at the night sky and identifying constellations, the moon’s phases, or visible planets. Use a simple sky map or a free stargazing app to guide your exploration. This builds interest in astronomy and helps kids connect what they read to real observations.
STEM Building Challenges
Give your child a building challenge using everyday materials like cups, straws, tape, or cardboard. Try building the tallest tower, the strongest bridge, or a boat that can float with weight. These activities strengthen problem-solving and engineering skills.
History
Research a historical figure
Pick someone interesting like George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Harriet Tubman, Betsy Ross, Helen Keller, Anne Frank, Hercules, Zeus, or Poseidon. Spend 10–15 minutes reading a short story, article, or kid-friendly biography about that person. Ask your child simple questions, such as:
Who was this person?
What were they known for?
What challenges did they face?
What was the most interesting thing you learned?
Let them explain the person’s life in their own words. This helps build comprehension and memory. You can even help them draw a picture of the character or write 3 facts you learned together.
Build ancient artifacts
Art projects are a fun way to explore history. Try making an Egyptian tomb or mummy using paper, cardboard, or clay, or create Grecian columns with paper towel rolls, construction paper, or clay. You can also create a clay cuneiform tablet by pressing wedge-shaped marks into air-dry clay with a toothpick, just like ancient Mesopotamian writing, or design an Egyptian cartouche by decorating a cardboard oval with hieroglyphics and colorful patterns. These hands-on activities help students connect with ancient civilizations while building creativity and fine-motor skills.
Make a “Famous Person Trading Card”
Choose a historical figure and create a trading card with their picture, important facts, and major accomplishments. This helps with research, summarizing, and remembering key information.
Cook a Recipe From History
Pick a food from a time period you’re studying, such as ancient grains, colonial cornbread, or a simple medieval snack. Cooking together helps kids learn how people lived and ate long ago.
Act Out a Historical Scene
Choose a moment in history—like the signing of the Declaration of Independence, a space launch, or a famous invention—and act it out together. Kids can make simple props or costumes to bring the scene to life.
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