There is no denying that technology has its place in education. At K5 Learning we believe that online programs brings benefits to kids learning. We also think there are instances where using pen and paper in learning is advantageous for elementary school kids.
After school learning
No matter what method they use, kids do benefit from studying after school. Reviewing materials they don’t understand, studying for tests and completing homework are all areas students focus on after school.
At K5, we believe it’s important to support parents and teachers in their goals to help students master their math and reading skills. To that end, we focus on providing high-quality, free worksheets and inexpensive workbooks for kindergarten to grade 5.
As we mentioned, we do believe a blended approach of online and more traditional learning is a good approach for student learning.
Using pen and paper has its advantages:
It slows students down – in a good way
Writing slows students down and forces them to think longer about what they are doing. This slower 
process allows students’ brains to think and concentrate on what it is they are writing about. In writing by hand, students will find they draw deeper connections to the material and the information is, therefore, more easily remembered.
Writing on paper uses more brain power
Writing with a pen on paper requires more mental energy and engages more areas of the brain than pressing keys on a computer keyboard. Therefore, making handwritten notes leads to greater retention of the information than when it is typed.
Testament to this, University of Wisconsin psychologist, Virginia Berninger, tested school-age children and found they generated more ideas when composing essays by hand than on the computer.
Writing by hand limits distractions
Writing by hand allows the brain to make better connections as it is less distracted by its surroundings. In elementary school kids this translates to better problem-solving abilities and better reading comprehension skills.
Kindergarten to grade 5 math and reading worksheets
K5 provides math and reading worksheets organized by grade or by topic, making it easy to find the worksheets you need for further study. The worksheets are free to use and you don’t need to register to use them.
Inexpensive math and reading workbooks
K5 also offers math and reading workbooks available as PDF downloads for more in-depth learning. Teachers and parents download and save the workbooks on their computers to allow them to print the pages as they need them.
Parent and Teacher Reviews
Read what parents and teacher have to say about our worksheets and workbooks.