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100 Powerful Learning Specialist and Educational Therapy Materials

This week I wanted to tell you about my online store, Good Sensory Learning. I’m Dr. Erica Warren, and I established this site so I could share all the materials that I have created over the last 20+ years as a learning specialist and educational therapist. When I first began my private practice, Learning to Learn, I had great difficulty finding fun and multisensory materials for my students that were effective and engaging. So back in 2005, I made it my mission to design and distribute high-end, remedial products as well as memorable, motivating lessons that bring delight to learning. If you would like to try a free sampling of my activities , CLICK HERE . How Are the Products Organized at Good Sensory Learning? You can download my Free Printable Catalog or you can browse the site using the grey “search all products” bar in the top right of any page with keywords such as dyslexia, working memory, and executive functioning. What’s more, drop down menus in the red banner allow you t...

What Reading Games Ignite a Love for Learning?

Using games in the learning process brings joy as well as a positive motivating factor into lessons.  Instead of bribing kids with external motivators such as candy and stickers, games ignite an internal love for learning. Reading Games Are Necessary for Struggling Readers When learning to read is a struggle, it can have a major impact on a child's academic self-esteem.  What's more, additional work and lessons on a topic that does come easily can feel torturous and simply unfair!  In contrast, if quick lessons are supported with fun games, a chore can quickly transform into playful entertainment. I have created four comprehensive reading game publications that can be used with virtually any phonics or Orton-Gillingham reading program.  They are all available as digital downloads and the following tables describe all of the games that are included in each publication. You can purchase all the publications in a discounted bundle , or you can buy them individua...

Why are Games the best Teaching Method for Learning?

In my practice as a learning specialist and educational therapist, I quickly learned that games were the secret weapon to learning.  Candy, toys and other bribing forces trigger limited and brief bursts of motivation, but sparking a love for learning remains the bullseye.  Everyone loves to play a game, and when instruction incorporates creative and multisensory merriment to combat and obliterate learning fatigue and frustration, even the most discouraged learners will rise to the occasion. Why do Games Grasp the Hearts and Minds of Students? Paring pleasantries and positive feelings with scholarship increases the motivation to learn over time.  I can't tell you how upset I get when I learn that a student has been assigned school work as a punishment.  This silent warfare wreaks havoc on self-directed learning and homework completion.  In contrast, when humor, joy, comfort, and nurturance is associated with the process, an insatiable fo...

Games that Benefit the Brain

Most kids love to play card and board games, but did you know that many offer benefits far beyond the obvious social gains. Many games are actually good for cognition and can exercise the brain in areas like visual processing, processing speed, executive functioning, attention, and more! There are three types of benefits: Brain Breaks : Some games offer quick “brain breaks” that can be used during homework completion. A quick reward, when stamina is low, can energize the brain and regain focus. Brain Integration : Other games can help integrate the brain. Some students can lack integration between the two hemispheres of the brain and these activities activate the whole brain. Cognitive Remediation : Finally, there are games that help to strengthen specific areas of cognition and they can serve as a form of cognitive therapy. By exercising these parts of the brain, new neural pathways can develop and areas of weakness can be strengthened and even remediated. I have ...