End of the Year Learning Through Hidden Pictures

It's the end of the year, and what do we do?? Survive, right!? One of my favorite things to have students work with is Highlights' Hidden Pictures. They are more than a simple and fun activity, they have some value in learning as well. Here's how I use them in my classroom.

My students mix up letters quite a bit and really have to think about the letters they are seeing in the words they read.  Their visual discrimination skills are lacking, so I need to find ways to help them with those.  On short weeks like these, I pull out my handy dandy little Hidden Pictures from Highlights Magazine.

My students are thrilled to see these and love working on them. But how do they help with literacy skills?

Simple

Hidden Pictures help students see things they don’t normally see. Students have to look closely to decipher where the items are hidden.  The same is true for words. When students read, they have to look closely at the letters and where they are located to decode a word. This visual discrimination activity will help students build skills in both reading and math as they look for items in the pictures.

So, break them out and have some fun!  Students love that time to work through puzzles and other brain teasers, and the benefits make it helpful for everyone! And it can keep them busy for hours!