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Beginning Adult English – A Closer Look

07/17/2022 by admin

The Beginning Adult English series, by Kinney Brothers Publishing, is designed to extend students’ skills and interest in communicating in English. The two-book series provides students with exercises in reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Each textbook is detailed below with links for downloadable previews and purchase.

  • Preview Download
  • Kinney Brothers Publishing (Amazon/black & white)
  • Donald’s English Classroom (pdf color and black & white)
  • Donald’s English Classroom Lesson Packs (pdf downloads/keys included) Free Sample
  • Preview Download
  • Kinney Brothers Publishing (Amazon/black & white)
  • Donald’s English Classroom (pdf color and black & white)
  • Donald’s English Classroom Lesson Packs (pdf downloads/keys included) Free Sample
  • Preview Download Book 1, Book 2
  • Kinney Brothers Publishing (Amazon) Book 1, Book 2
  • Donald’s English Classroom (pdf download) Book 1, Book 2

Kinney Brothers Publishing offers a wide range of ESL textbooks including Stories For Young Readers for junior high through high school learners, a Phonics Series that begins with your youngest students, and an Easy Sight Words Series. Be sure to check out Trends, a topical set of intermediate and advanced worksheets for secondary and adult English language learners. If you’re looking for more support materials, you might be interested in Q&A, Cursive Writing!, and a treasure trove of games, charts, and flashcards in Donald’s English Classroom!

Filed Under: Kinney Brothers Publishing

Fun and Educational Toys For Your Little Ones

07/14/2022 by admin

Photo: Pexels.com

This is a guest post by writer and designer, Andrea Gibbs, a blog contributor at Baby Steps Preschool where she writes story-time themes, parenting tips, and seasonal activities to entertain children. Enjoy!

As parents, we want to witness our children become the best they can be. We want them to have opportunities to explore and see the world in so many ways. However, in order to be ready for the world outside, a child must improve the essential skills needed to succeed in school. As a parent, we obviously want to encourage our children to be good readers, gain the knowledge they need to succeed in the future, and lastly, we want them to become faithful in the process.

This article will discuss various fun educational toys that can help a child become a better learner. The toys will aid the child’s learning by providing them with enrichment activities that promote their cognitive abilities. The toys are made with interdisciplinary studies in mind and teach lessons through play.

What are Educational Toys?

Educational toys are those that have been developed with the purpose of helping children learn and enhance their development. They may be toys specifically designed to help a child develop certain skill sets, or they may be your normal traditional toys that have been modified slightly to provide more learning opportunities. Some toys have been specifically built to stimulate the senses and help get kids excited about learning. This is an important part of early child development. Some educational toys teach reading, writing, listening, and math skills. A lot of educational toys are available, and the most popular ones have been developed with the help of parents with children in consideration.

Fun and Educational Toys For Your Little Ones:

There are many toys out there that can help your children learn in an entertaining way. You have probably seen some toys at the local toy store, but there are even more online that you can buy for your little ones. We must try to be as interactive as possible when teaching our kids something new. Putting some sort of teaching material in front of a child and expecting them to learn while playing is a very ineffective way of getting them to learn something. If you want your kids to learn something, sit down with them and play with them as they use the educational toy.

The following are some fun and educational toys for your children.

1. LeapFrog Fridge Phonics Magnetic Letter Set

It is an excellent first phonics toy for your little one, who is learning to determine uppercase letters and their corresponding sounds. Phonics Magnetic Letter Set is portable and includes a magnetic backing to be placed on the front of the refrigerator or a magnetic whiteboard. Kids choose a letter, utilize their small hands to maneuver it into place just like a puzzle, then push it to hear the letter and letter sound through a song. 

2. Board Books

Photo: Pexels.com

Board books are excellent for little hands and are a simple way to teach your children the basics of reading. Most of the best sellers out there have been published in board book format, so even if you want to give your little ones a taste of what reading good books is all about, you can always buy them one. There are various types of board books out there, including phonics, counting, and color recognition books.

3. Watercolor Paints

Photo: Pexels.com

Watercolor paints are very good for young children because they have the opportunity to use their imagination and creativity to just doodle and paint anything they want. It is a great way to develop their sense of color recognition and increase their fine motor skills as they try to use watercolor paints with small brushes. You can set up some easel or table and let them go at it. 

4. Alphabet Marks The Spot Floor Mat

This mat is a good addition to any child’s play area. This mat is great for play but also is a learning tool. Children will love running towards the letter or letter sound you mention. You can begin with playing by letter names and if children get comfortable playing it, then progress to letter sounds.

5. Dominoes

While it is essential to enhance your child’s muscle strength to perform tasks, it is also important that you provide them with educational toys to improve their memory. This is where you can use dominoes. These dominoes will help advance your child’s memory and counting skills. You can also end up teaching them the concept of one-to-one correspondence with letters through the use of this toy. 

6. The Sound Box

This box is an ideal first toy to help your child develop a good sense of hearing. And the great thing is you don’t need to spend an amount to buy this toy. You can make this at home with your child if you want to. You may use your old small containers like the old camera canisters, then collect items that make a distinctive sound like shells, pennies, sugar, rice, and bells. Your child will truly love this toy. 

7. Bicycle

Photo: Pexels.com

A bicycle is one of the most common toys used by children. It is a fun way to get exercise while at the same time helping them learn to ride a bike. Children will get more than just exercise when riding a bicycle; it will help them improve gross motor skills by working on endurance, strengthening, and coordination. Additionally, bike riding helps with full-body sensory awareness along with visual stimulation.  

8. Alphabet Tracing Board

For toddlers who are just learning their letters, the tracing board is a great toy that can help them understand each letter’s formation. It is a good way for them to develop hand-eye coordination and dexterity as they try to hold their pointer and place it in the correct spot on the board. It is a great learning toy and will help enhance your children’s fine motor skills. 

9. Magnetic Tiles Building Blocks Set

Critical thinking is an essential skill for preschoolers as well. It involves the ability to problem solve and try to figure out a solution for the problems that they come across. Using magnetic tiles is a great way to develop their mental development. Children will be able to form any structures of their own or make any vehicles that they want. They will spend hours building and trying to get the perfect structure. Kids can build in any direction, so they never run out of things to do with this toy. 

Final Thoughts

These educational toys should not be simply set out for children to play with; adults should engage in play with these toys as well. As a parent, it is important to engage with them during their play time as you have the opportunity to increase their vocabulary, improve conversation skills and learn how they think. You can do this by adding additional questions or challenges while they are playing.

These toys are not only educational but will also help give your children confidence and encourage them to explore their full potential. If you want to know more about toys for children, it is best for parents to consult their pediatricians and ask for recommendations on what educational toy would be best for their kids.

Author Bio:

Andrea Gibbs is currently the head of content management at SpringHive Web Design Company, a digital agency that provides creative web design, social media marketing, email marketing, and search engine optimization services to small businesses and entrepreneurs. She is also a blog contributor at Baby Steps Preschool where she writes storytime themes, parenting tips, and seasonal activities to entertain children.

Filed Under: Kinney Brothers Publishing Tagged With: education, educational toys, fun toys, preschool, primary toys

The Future of English

05/08/2021 by admin

This writing marks the 100th post in my Fun Facts About English series on the Kinney Brothers Publishing website – a goal I set almost two years ago.  I thought it worth sharing this personal milestone as one of my monthly posts.

Out of the world’s approximately 7.9 billion inhabitants, 1.35 billion speak English as a first or second language. Natively, English is spoken by about 360 million people with the vast majority being in the United States. In addition to being widely spoken, English is also the most commonly studied foreign language in the world. Today, for every native speaker of English there are five non-native speakers. In fact, the global spread of English, a language once considered useless outside the shores of Britain, is unprecedented in the history of languages. Who could have predicted that English, an amalgamation of European languages, would one day become the lingua franca of the world?

Modern, or Present-Day English (PDE), has many dialects spoken in countries collectively referred to as the “anglosphere.” These dialects include American English, Australian English, British English (containing English English, Welsh English, and Scottish English), Canadian English, Caribbean English, Hiberno-English, Indian English, Pakistani English, Nigerian English, New Zealand English, Philippine English, Singaporean English, and South African English.

Non-native speakers of English take the learning very seriously. Adults and children all over the world invest years of time and money studying English as a second language. English is the official language of maritime and aeronautical communications. English is the international language of science, business, and the hyper-connected web of global trade. In almost any international education environment, English is the central language. A 2013 Harvard University report found that English skills and better income go hand-in-hand and lead to a better quality of life, a fact not lost on citizens in developing nations.

We are increasingly moving toward a time when no one will be able to claim sole ownership of the English language. It will have become a common property of all, a Global English, albeit with many varieties. A World English will be the common factor that allows for mutual intelligibility among its localized varieties. Unlike most major languages in the world, English has no regulatory agency overseeing its use. Attempts have been made to create a standardized international English protocol, but no consensus on the path to this goal has been achieved. And yet, the language continues to spread.

As languages are prone to do, these Englishes are also continuously evolving. With so many varieties, the possibility exists that English will look different in the not-too-distant future. What’s in store for the English language is anybody’s best guess. Our crystal balls have shattered making it impossible to divine a clear message. Looking at the history of English, once a reliable way of making predictions, is not going to give us a blueprint for the future of a language unleashed to the rest of the world.

six official languages of the United Nations

With native speakers clearly in the minority, the course of the English language may well be dependent on the billion people speaking it as a second language. This influence is not just because of their number, but also because the majority of interactions in English occur between non-native speakers. As Modern English moves into its global lingua franca role, changes are inevitable and could happen out of the purview of its native speakers.

Pronunciation

When looking at how a language may change among differing populations, look no further than the pronunciations most often stumbled over or difficult to differentiate to provide clues as to how English may be adapted. The aspects of a language that promote intelligibility tend to spread while those that promote misunderstanding wither away.

There are linguists who believe that we aren’t finished yet with the Great Vowel Shift. Though some vowels may seem durable, e.g., “ship,” “bet,” “ox,” and “full” have been the same for centuries, other vowels are certainly going to shift and drift. The word “home” was once pronounced “heim” in Germanic, “hahm” in Old English, and “hawm” in Middle English. Someday, it may be “hoom.” Consider the regional pronunciations of the word “tour” in both England and North America.; variations include /toor/, /too-uh/, and /tew-r/. Americans and Britons alike increasingly make less distinction between the pronunciations of “pour,” “pore,” and “poor” or “Mary,” “marry,” and “merry.” These shifts in pronunciation, while subtle, can indicate the direction the language will change in the future.

There may also be changes ahead for consonants. Consider how often the “th” of “this” and “that” are dropped and replaced with either “s” and “z” or “t” and “d.” The soft “l” of “hotel” and “rail” are sounds that can be particularly difficult for second-language speakers to hear. Some clusters of consonants will simplify, surviving in the beginning of words, but vanish at the end of words; e.g., “best” may become “bess” and “accept” could change to “assep.”

Spelling and Grammar

The third person singular (such as “she runs” or “he writes”) is the only English verb form with an “s” at the end and is often dropped by non-native speakers. Simplifying verb phrases also occurs, saying “I look forward to see you tomorrow” instead of “I am looking forward to seeing you tomorrow.” In my own distinct Midwestern American dialect, we Iowans often drop the cumbersome “to be” in passive sentences, such as “the baby wants fed” instead of “the baby wants to be fed,” or “the cat wants let out” rather than “the cat wants to be let out.”

Mass and count nouns are another difficult aspect of the English language that non-native speakers might simplify, opting for “informations” and “furnitures” rather than be encumbered with object/noun agreement. While such “grammatical errors” have a negative ding in any native speaker’s ear, it’s more efficient for non-native speakers negotiating across their own cultural borders.

Technology, slang, and popular culture will continue to have enormous influence over language. Where changes may have occurred more slowly in the past, today they are happening at the lightning speed of satellite connections. Abbreviations and acronyms, once the provenance of military and business cultures, are now the language of tech-savvy youth who text, sext, and share with friends all over the world. Zoom meetings, Facebook groups, and other popular platforms are the virtual trading posts of language. Given one’s field of expertise, there is undoubtedly a long list of acronyms and industry-specific vocabulary that must be known to communicate among global colleagues.

Though the lack of oversight and the changes incurred by non-native speakers may seem off-putting to native speakers, this is English playing its role as a global lingua franca, helping speakers of other languages connect with each other. New dialects, slang, expanding lexicons, and linguistic variations will evolve. Some will stick and others will die out. Walter Raleigh’s expeditions in the early 1600s saw American English take root within a matter of days, with newly encountered Native terms such as ‘wigwam,’ ‘pecan,’ and ‘skunk’ becoming a permanent part of the American dialect. Likewise, it’s imperative that we nurture an adaptability and willingness to adopt new language that will most efficiently serve our communicative needs.

Filed Under: Kinney Brothers Publishing Tagged With: esl, ESL Activities, ESL Flash cards, ESL Games, ESL teaching, esl textbooks, ESL Worksheets, future of english, kinney brothers publishing

English Day – 4/23

04/21/2021 by admin

In 2010, the United Nations introduced an initiative dedicating one day to each of its six official languages: French (3/20), Chinese (4/20), Spanish and English (4/23), Russian (6/6), and Arabic (12/18). The language days recognize the importance of global communication through multilingualism and cultural diversity. The UN first celebrated English Language Day on April 23, 2010.

English, one of the two working languages of the UN Secretariat, is often referred to as a “world language”, or the lingua franca of the modern era because it is so widely spoken. The U.N. also celebrates International Mother Language Day on February 21 and International Translation Day on September 30.

English Language Day aims to entertain and inform people about the history, culture, and achievements associated with the language. The U.N. selected April 23 for English Language Day to commemorate the celebrated playwright and poet, William Shakespeare (1564-1616), whose (speculated) birthdate and death are recorded on the same date. The day often features book-reading events, English quizzes, poetry and literature exchanges, and other activities that promote the English language.

If you’re looking for some activities to celebrate English Day, the British Council offers an English Day lesson plan for teenagers and adults for online or in-classroom lessons.

The British Council will also be holding a special live stream for teachers on Facebook Live on 4/23.

To learn more about the United Nations’ English Day commemoration and language courses, click here!

Best of luck in your classes and Happy English Language Day!

Donald Kinney
Kinney Brothers Publishing

Filed Under: Kinney Brothers Publishing Tagged With: Donald's English Classroom, English Language Day, English language learners, esl, kinney brothers publishing

Easy Sight Words – A Closer Look

01/27/2021 by admin

Whether you call them sight words, popcorn words, or high-frequency words, they are, by definition, “commonly used words that young children are encouraged to memorize as a whole or by ‘sight,’ so that they can automatically recognize these words in print without having to use any strategies to decode.”

In addition, high frequency words can be abstract, difficult if not impossible to represent using pictures, and especially difficult to understand where meaning may have an inferred understanding through context (something a second language learner doesn’t have the advantage of in early language development.)  It can be very elusive to create a clear mental model of words like have and get, both of which can cross several different word choices in a language learner’s native language.

This is why students of English need to be exposed to the patterns of speech and inferred meaning of sight words early on in oral and writing exercises.  Inevitably, as you move children from decoding individual words to decoding language in connected text, sight words should be a regular part of your ESL program.

  • Preview Download
  • Kinney Brothers Publishing (Amazon)
  • Donald’s English Classroom (pdf download)
  • Donald’s English Classroom support materials
  • Preview Download
  • Kinney Brothers Publishing (Amazon)
  • Donald’s English Classroom (pdf download)
  • Donald’s English Classroom support materials
  • Preview Download
  • Kinney Brothers Publishing (Amazon)
  • Donald’s English Classroom (pdf download)
  • Donald’s English Classroom support materials

As your emergent readers display rudimentary reading ability and become capable of decoding and deriving meaning from connected text, including sight-word practice is imperative. The habits that you build into the children’s learning activities will help them to acquire new words more quickly, build on their knowledge base to infer meaning, and progress more confidently in their studies.

Filed Under: Kinney Brothers Publishing Tagged With: Donald's English Classroom, ESL Activities, ESL Flashcards, ESL Games, esl textbooks, ESL Worksheets, kids writing practice, kinney brothers publishing, popcorn words, sight words

Phonics Series – A Closer Look

01/17/2021 by admin

Kinney Brothers Publishing Phonics Series

A solid phonics program is the cornerstone of many pre-K through elementary classes. Focused phonics lessons and phonemic awareness improve pronunciation, listening comprehension, and give students the confidence to read and understand English. The Kinney Brothers Publishing five-book Phonics & Spelling Series is designed to teach kids the fundamental sounds and spelling of English in a multi-year, step-by-step ESL program.

The Phonics & Spelling Series series is also published by Independent Publishers International (I.P.I.) in Japan and available with a special discount through David Paul’s ETJ Book Service.

You’ll find an abundance of support materials for this series in our online store, Donald’s English Classroom.  Visit for downloadable flashcards, charts, games, and activities.

A to Z Kinney Brothers Publishing
  • Preview Download
  • Kinney Brothers Publishing (Amazon)
  • Nellies English Books (Japan)
  • ETJ Book Service (Japan)
  • Donald’s English Classroom (pdf color and black & white)
  • Donald’s English Classroom support materials
  • Preview Download
  • Kinney Brothers Publishing (Amazon)
  • Nellies English Books (Japan)
  • ETJ Book Service (Japan)
  • Donald’s English Classroom (pdf color and black & white)
  • Donald’s English Classroom support materials
Phonics & Spelling, Book 2 Kinney Brothers Publishing
  • Preview Download
  • Kinney Brothers Publishing (Amazon)
  • Nellies English Books (Japan)
  • ETJ Book Service (Japan)
  • Donald’s English Classroom (pdf color and black & white)
  • Donald’s English Classroom support materials
Phonics & Spelling, Book 3 Kinney Brothers Publishing
  • Preview Download
  • Kinney Brothers Publishing (Amazon)
  • Nellies English Books (Japan)
  • ETJ Book Service (Japan)
  • Donald’s English Classroom (pdf color and black & white)
  • Donald’s English Classroom support materials
  • Preview Download
  • Kinney Brothers Publishing (Amazon)
  • Nellies English Books (Japan)
  • ETJ Book Service (Japan)
  • Donald’s English Classroom (pdf color and black & white)
  • Donald’s English Classroom support materials

Kinney Brothers Publishing offers a wide range of textbooks including a Communication Series for upper elementary through high school language learners, an Easy Sight Words Series, and Trends for adult English language learners. If you’re looking for more support materials, be sure to check out Q&A, Cursive Writing!, and a treasure trove of games, charts, and flashcards in Donald’s English Classroom!

Filed Under: Kinney Brothers Publishing Tagged With: ABC and phonics, ABCs, Donald's English Classroom, ESL Activities, ESL Flashcards, ESL Games, esl textbooks, ESL Worksheets, kids writing practice, kinney brothers publishing, phonics and spelling

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