Written by Jamie C. Martin of Simple Homeschool
When we first began homeschooling, workbooks represented two things I desperately wanted to avoid: an impersonalized learning system and the idea of fitting all children into the same box/grade level.
We had a few workbooks on our shelf, but I only used them at a child’s request–not very often.
However, as my kids became older, I slowly began to see two benefits that workbooks also have to offer:
1. They leave a paper trail. This comes in handy when you need proof of all the learning, both informal and formal, that happens under your roof.
2. They can calm a mama’s or papa’s homeschool jitters.
Sometimes when you’re homeschooling, you feel completely out of your element. Making a habit of even one workbook page a day can take the edge off those insecurities.
When my kids were littles, my main goal was for them to fall in love with learning. It still is! But I think having the tiniest amount of book work might have settled my own worries just a tad while giving them 95+% interest-led learning freedom.
If this is something you’d like to try, look for a way to encourage your kids to agree to the idea, too, so that even this small minimum will not become a battleground.
Tip: I often tape a $5 bill in the back of a workbook and find that to be quite the compelling incentive! We also use our positivity bean jar to encourage this type of work.
Over the years we have found a few workbooks that worked well for us. So when the opportunity came to partner with Workman Publishing, creators of the colorful Big Fat Notebooks and our favorite Star Wars workbooks, I eagerly agreed to take a peek at their new line of summer workbooks.
Here’s an official overview:
“SUMMER BRAIN QUEST (just released this month) is an exciting new extension of our #1 bestselling Brain Quest brand (with 45 million copies in print).
SUMMER BRAIN QUEST is notable because it offers a one-of-a-kind learning experience that delivers personalized learning to every kid. Personalized learning tailors exercises to each child’s strengths, needs and interests.
Our goal was to empower kids to have a voice in what and how they learn. The workbooks achieve this through their interactive format.
SUMMER BRAIN QUEST is structured like a game; each book includes a pull-out map that guides kids on a learning quest. They fill in their route on the map by earning stickers for completing workbook pages as well as pursuing outdoor activities.”
“The map offers a choice of routes, allowing kids to customize their learning path and pursue what excites them most, and also encouraging them to jump around within the book to follow their curiosity.
Original artwork by video game artist Edison Yan makes every book feel fresh and fun. These are the most visually appealing books in the market.”
A quick guide to what’s covered in each workbook:
Since homeschool families don’t always follow specific grade levels, I thought it would be helpful to show you what’s included in each book so you can choose the one that fits your child best:
Summer Brain Quest: Between Grades K & 1 – phonics, reading, writing, counting, shapes, seasons, habitats, map skills, and more.
Between Grades 1 & 2 – reading comprehension, writing, addition and subtraction, earth science, the seasons, telling time, and more.
Between Grades 2 & 3 – adjectives versus adverbs, reading comprehension, writing opinions, word problems, place value, measurement, map skills, and more.
Between Grades 3 & 4 – writing, reading, number patterns, natural science, timelines, parts of speech, and more.
Between Grades 4 & 5 – reading comprehension, research and informative writing, grammar, multiplication and division, American history, and more.
Between Grades 5 & 6 – reading comprehension, writing essays, ancient history, grammar, fractions and decimals, climate, and more.
In all honesty, I would love these even more if they weren’t categorized by grade levels. I prefer it when workbooks are numbered (like Level 1, 2, 3) but without referring to specific grades–that way they offer more flexibility to homeschool families.
Yet there are many things I find appealing about the Summer Brain Quest series:
– Each page is beautiful, colorful, and well-designed! The gaming concept is fun for kids.
– Each book includes real-life suggestions for the summer, like outdoor games and quests to earn stickers for your map.
– There’s a certificate at the end to give to your child after completing the workbook.
– The back of each workbook features a recommended reading list to take to the library. There’s a little bit of twaddle included here and there, but most of the choices are lovely ones. I appreciate the emphasis on summer reading!
– Many of the activity pages could also be done alongside a parent orally if your child finds writing frustrating.
– Each book contains a section of Brain Quest questions on make-your-own flashcards. I cut several of these out to integrate into our morning homeschool time in a casual way over the months ahead!
This giveaway has ended; thanks for your interest!
To be entered to win, leave a comment on this post answering this question: How old are your kids and what has been your experience with workbooks thus far?
This post is sponsored by Workman Publishing. All opinions are my own!
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I have a 9 year old and 4 year old. Both will, from time to time, grab a workbook from the shelf. We unschool so they aren’t assigned pages, but I think they enjoy the chance to use an activity with a clear start and finish.
My daughter is pre-k so I haven’t tried any workbooks yet. I loved the reasons you gave for using them. Have me confidence since I’m starting to feel that anxiety.
My kids are 9, 7, 6 and 3. They do like some workbooks and like the feeling of accomplishment when finishing one. These look like great for the summer.
My kids are 10 & 13. We use workbooks occasionally but not in a routine way. These look like a fun way to encourage learning over the summer.
My kids are 7, 5, and 1. They love the colorful layouts of workbooks.
Homeschooling two kindergarteners and we love workbooks!!
My kids are 8, 6 1/2, 5, and 3. I love workbooks! My kids go back and forth. 🙂 This seems like a great way to keep the learning up through the summer for kids who don’t like school much.
13, 10 & 6
Typical we’re not workbook people. But we’d be willing to give them a go.
My kids are 8, 7, 4, and 1. We use the workbooks that accompany Story of the World. They enjoy the coloring pages while I read aloud and most times like filling in the map work, as well.
Jamie, once again you have put into words my own dislikes and eventual realizations! With a summer full of travel ahead, I have been looking for an all in one workbook to keep skills up but not take up a lot of space. This looks like the perfect solution!
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Our children are 15, 13, 11, &9. Some of them love workbooks, especially our youngest. We have used the workbooks with some limited success. Thank you for the opportunity to win!
My kiddos are 5, 7, and 9. Our workbook use has been very hot and cold; I’m pleasantly surprised when they choose a workbook off the shelf! I love the idea of a summer “quest”…and that $5 bill!! Thank you!
Workbooks have their place in our homeschool, and make it so that I can be more hands-off on a rotating basis with certain subjects on certain days. When the schedule gets derailed, they are a good back-up plan that doesn’t require any prep on my part. My kids are 13B, 11B, 9B, and 7G.
This is such a great giveaway to win not one but all six books. We love these books. Please don’t include me in the giveaway because my children are to old for these work book but I just wanted to comment about the books and the giveaway. I’m going to share it too.
My kiddos are 1, 5, and 7. I love using workbooks each day. My daughters think they are fun. I just randomly assign a page a day. It hits some skills that I wouldn’t think to cover (like how to count a tally chart). They like that they are bright and colorful.
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My kids are 5 and 1 so we’re just starting out and we don’t really have an opinion on workbooks yet.
My kids are 10, 6, and 4 and the younger two especially love to work their way through workbooks but I have struggled to find some that are worth it. These workbooks look awesome though.
My son is 6 and in our first year of homeschool, and we haven’t utilized any workbooks yet, I’d be curious to try and see if it is engaging for him.
I have a 7 year old who seems to not like workbooks. Or atleast the idea of them. These workbooks look fun though and I think she would enjoy them. And you are so right that even one page a day makes me feel better 🙂
Mine are 7, 9, 11, 12 & 14. I’ve avoided workbooks until about 2 months ago. I decided to try the Brainquest books, actually, and love them! For all the reasons you posted above, it felt like the right time to introduce workbooks. I do also wish it wasn’t by grade level, since mine are kinda all over the place. I told them to ignore that and just know that each book is filled with new information.
Thank you for the giveaway! I’ve got a 5 year old who we just started homeschooling. Also have a 2 year old who loves to tag along with whatever the 5 year old is working on! My 5 year old actually LOVES workbooks and worksheets. She always begs for more school work! I bet she’d love these!
My kids are 12, 11, 9, 7, 3 & 1, and most of them love workbooks and will eagerly pick out new ones to do on their own. We do assign a little bit of Explode the Code each day until our kids are fluent readers, but other than that they’re mostly for fun!
My children are 7,9,13,15. Typically work books have been a challenge for them, they are boring, bland or generally not laid out well. But my youngest loves to “complete things” so she likes workbooks. I have used them regularly in the summer to keep the learning going.
We use workbooks on and off with mixed results. These look like somethinf I hope to try this summer for our 9 and 7 year olds.
Great giveaway. So far I’ve only used workbooks as a kinda of test or check to see how my daughter is doing. But I bought a regular Brain Quest workbook for her to do if she wants this summer! My kiddos are 7, 5, and 2 1/2.
My boys are 11 and 7. If the workbook is assigned then it’s not as fun but they will do them. Sometimes my 7 year old will just go through and do pages because he wants to. This set looks like it would be fun for them. Thanks for this opportunity.
My kids are 14, 12, 10, and 7. We don’t use a ton of workbooks so it is usually considered fun when we do, especially high quality color ones like these!
My kids are 11, 8, and 6. We haven’t used many notebooks, but these look fun! I love that they encourage kids to be active too.
Our children are 15, 14, 13 & 6. The curriculum we use for most subjects is workbook based; it makes reporting much easier for me.
My kids are 13 and 9. If I use any workbooks, it’s for my youngest.
I have 9, 8 and 6 year olds. We’ve used workbooks off and on for several reasons, but mainly as a way to switch up the way we’re learn something. We may practice certain facts or concepts for days, so being able to print off a new/colorful/cute-sy version of those facts can keep it fresh and less monotonous. TeachersPayTeachers is my last minute go-to for worksheets!
I have a 9.6 year-old who has loved workbooks when she was tiny, and a 7-year-old son who sometimes finds his math workbook “boring” but also gets a lot of satisfaction out of completing his pages for the day. These summer workbooks look like a lot of fun! What an easy way to keep kids’ brains growing without too much effort on the part of the mama. 🙂
I have four children ages 8, 11, 14, and 17. Some of my children have loved workbooks, but some want nothing to do with them. It depends on the subject/activity, too.
My kids are 4 & 6. I usually stick a few workbooks in the coloring book stack and they pull them out and do them as they feel like it (which is sometimes pretty often!). We haven’t had any brain quest ones yet though. They look fun!
Our boys are 11, 9, and 6 and I’ve tried summer workbooks before with the insentive of cash at the end but they always loose interest. $5 taped to the back of the book is brilliant! We’re definitely doing that this summer and these workbooks sound like a great fit for us! Thanks for introducing them and giving the chance to win.
My kids are 6, 9, and 11. Two of these kids LOVE small doses of workbooks, and the third will do the work required of him, and this momma would love some independent learning time over the summer!
My kids are 23,20,17,15,13,10,8 (five are still homeschooling) and we have always used workbooks on some level over the last 19 years. For pre-school years the little always liked doing workbooks that were colorful b/c they felt ‘big’ sitting at the table with a pencil. 😉 During elementary and middle school they were helpful for drill-type subjects or subjects that we needed to “refresh” and in high school they were often an easy way to help the kids be more independent in some subjects. I’m all for a good workbook!
I have a 7 and 3 year old I homeschool. My oldest daughter loves workbooks some times and hates them other times. I think it depends on her mood! I think I would feel sooooo much better if she would do one or two pages a day from the various books we do have. Thanks for the giveaway!
My kids are 8, 5, and 3. Workbook use depends on the subject; we use them for the early years of grammar and phonics, map skills, Latin. My kids enjoy the variety. These look great–thanks for the chance to win!
My daughter is 12, and I pretty much avoid workbooks completely except for math. These, however, look pretty interesting!
My children are 12, 10 and 5. We are starting our homeschooling adventure in the fall, so I’m enjoying your blog, thinking about all the things we will do. When my oldest was preschool/ kindergarten age, he loved workbooks. Since being in structured school outside the home, they all like them less. It will be interesting to see what happens when we homeschool. These workbooks look so fun!
My kids are 5, 2, and newborn. My 5 year old looooooooves workbooks–they go right along with how his brain works. It’s also been really good for him to read directions and figure out what the author is intending him to do, since skills like that don’t necessarily come naturally to him (yes, he’s a fluent reader at 5. It’s ben so fun!) These do look fantastic, and I love that they have a game-like thing to follow. (I would love to hear how you deal with using “graded” materials in a different grade–if a kid is usually ahead, would it tend to give him a big head?)
I have a 7, 8 and 11 year old. My youngest loves workbooks and whizzes through them. The others enjoy them as well but a bit slower pace. These look like great books.
These workbooks look great, especially as independent summer work for kids to help keep their skills sharp. My kids are 11, 9, 6, 4, and 7 months. A couple of my kids like workbooks, but one of them really resists any work from a workbook. None of my kids are workbook-lovers, but they may find these more appealing. They look fun to me!
My kids are 2 1/2 and 1, so we haven’t done workbooks yet, but this is the kind of thing I enjoyed doing as a home schooled kid!
Oh these would be wonderful! We have 16, 14, 11, 8 and 4. I have tried various books over the years but mostly just during the summer and not very consistently. We love the brain quest cards we have and always bring them on the summer road trips.
I have a 9 yr-old and she tends to like workbooks if the activities are really fun. Thanks for the opportunity to win. I had never heard of these and they look great!
My kids are 11, 9, 7, 5, 3 and due in August. I have used a few workbooks here and there, but never very consistently. I like the idea of between grades, though. That would be especially helpful during my 6 week “maternity leave”! And, all the books cover right where all my kiddos are at, lol
I’ve got 3 boys: 6, 3, and 8 months. The 6 year old we consider to be finishing first grade and going into second grade. He has a few workbook type lessons, but I made and bound them all excerpt for math. Little brother is doing preschool type activities so I got him a math primer for next year (math u see like we use for big brother) and he’s super into it. He wants to “do school” all the time!
I have two boys age 9 and 3. I feel like workbooks have been torture for my older son, they are maybe not hands on enough for him. Always trying to find the right workbooks.
Our girls are 9 years old. We do workbooks when we are on the road. It’s convenient when there are several subjects covered in one book.
My kids are 9,8,6, and 4 and they love working through books like these. I usually use them as supplemental fun work.
My children are 8, 6, and 2. Workbooks definitely can my nagging mom fears about whether we’re learning enough. Evrry once in a while I buya new one and my kids work through it mostly on their own because they’re excited about the activities. These look like awesome workbooks- colorful, full of activities, and short. Thanks for the recommendation!
My kids are 12 and 14.
I like workbooks for many of the same reasons you shared. Particularly it helps me feel my kids are leaving paper trails and appreciating books in general in a media centered world.
Hi and thank you! My son just turned 6 and is finishing up his first year of homeschooling, a blending of K and 1st grade. He actually likes workbooks and feels a huge accomplishment when he completes them! We love homeschool and feel so grateful that we can give the gift of home education to our child.
Jamie, Would you say these particular books veer towards evolutionism when it comes to the science or nature themes inside?
Haha! I just last night made some changes to our plan to include Critical Thinking Company WORKBOOKS. These look similar, in that the design is so engaging that kids can work almost for fun. These kinds of workbooks really can feel unschooly and I’m excited to have them available for my kids instead of feeling like I have to slog through x number of boring black and white, writing heavy pages.
I have a 6 and 4 year old. I use worksheets as transitions to the next subject or as busy work while I touch base with one kiddo individually. For me, it gives me insight to whether that kiddo can work independently on a skill I taught as well as gives them practice sitting quietly and working on their own. Obviously because of their ages, the worksheets are short and
my kids are 8,5, & 5 and i like workbooks because i work outside of the home two days a week. these would be easy enough for grandma to do with the kids!
My son is 11. We found a workbook for gifted kids a few years ago that was ok, but the rest of the ones that he has tried over the summers have been fairly boring to him. I’m excited to try something new with him that looks so promising!!
Our children are 10, 7 and 4. They love doing workbooks in the summer
I used to be anti-workbook because I thought they would push our homeschool to feel too much like a classroom which we are trying to avoid. But then I saw how much my oldest loved trying out some workbook pages and that changed everything. We got her a workbook and all of a sudden she couldn’t get enough school. She started asking to do school on Saturdays and Sundays because she loved it so much.
My children are 15 and 10. My 10 year old loves using workbooks because she can work alone and at her own pace.
My kids are 6 and 9. We have used a few workbooks here and there. Both of my kids seem to like the practicality of the workbook. I do like to have a few workbooks around in the summer time for extra practice-and I’m not above bribing people with ice cream trips or some extra vacation spending money for working their way through the books!
My kids are 1, 4, 6, 9, and 11.
I love workbooks and we use them almost everyday. I have been a huge fan of Brain Quest for years. I can’t wait to order some of these summer books for my kids. My kids really like them too and sometimes do lots of pages a day for fun.
We do not use workbooks too much in our homeschool – mostly for math and handwriting. However these Brainquest workbooks look fun. My kids are ages 17, 14, 11, 8 and 5.
My kids are 2,6,8,& 10 and we use workbooks mostly for math and handwriting. These seem like a great summer activity to keep learning.
My kids are 9, 7, 5, and 3. We use workbooks some to give independent work to the older kids while I spend time with the youngers. These workbooks look very fun!
We have a 7, 5, 3, and 1 year old. Our oldest really disliked workbooks so we stopped using them but our 5 year old does them willingly and eagerly. Would love to try these as it may assure me that we are doing well in our more relaxed homeschool.
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My kids are 7, 9, and 11. We use workbooks for math and english, but don’t do every page. They give a good framework to build on and I have the option to eliminate pages that are too repetitive.
I have two boys age 7 and 4. We have worked with several types of workbooks with ny 7 year old and only the math and spelling workbook is what he has enjoys doing several days a week. my 7 year kid likes to work on the workbooks independently whenever we have a library visit whereas at home he is less willing to work with workbooks without me encouraging him.
My kids are 3,5 and 6. We’ve used some workbooks with rewards upon completion of a book. It works well for us for “brainy” subjects like math. It keeps it more organized in their minds and mine too. I love mastery approach to learning, so we master a concept using books, worksheets and whatever else comes handy and move along.
Wow, these look awesome!I have used their regular workbooks in the past and we’ve done well with them. Both my kids (8 adn nearly 10) do need extra practice, though they might groan at the thought of ‘summer school’. 😉
Sarah M
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My kids are 4 and 8.
My oldest uses workbooks daily (alongside lessons and activities). He has used them for math, spelling, geography, and writing. I didn’t care for doing math from a workbook last year so we have chosen a curriculum with manipulatives that teach the concepts this year. I also invest a lot of time searching for hands-on activities to accompany the other workbooks. I like the ease of having a workbook to pull from but I get the feeling at times that it’s too much busy work.
We are transitioning to unschool when we finish our current curriculum so I think these workbooks would be an appealing option to have on the shelf and I like that they encourage outdoor activities. Of course I also like that their learning adventure is tailored.
I have a six year old and three year old…and a new baby due this summer! Both of my older kiddos love workbooks. My oldest will sometimes do a fun workbook in her free time, and her little sister loves trying workbooks so she can be like her big sister. ????
Being an ex-public school teacher I’ve used my share of workbooks. Some are great and others – not so much. I really can’t stand the ones that have all the answers online so as a busy teacher/ homeschool mom, now I need to open a website and find the answers just to correct a page? Ugh. My kiddos are 9 and 12 and we have been using the Brain Quest series since we started homeschooling as a spine book for our curriculum design. I especially LOVE the Brain Boxes that quickly and thoroughly explain the concept if they get stuck (independent learning anyone?). I will gladly and happily be adding these workbooks to our summer program as we school year round! Thank you!
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I have four kids, ages 4, 6, 8 and 11. They love workbooks! I can hardly keep them supplied. ????
I haven’t delved into the world of workbooks, but this post is encouraging and makes me want to try them. Love the $5 idea. My boys are 12, 11, 8, 6, 3 & 1.
My kids are 16, 14, 12, and 7. We don’t use a lot of workbooks, but now that I’m homeschooling so many, I’m eyeing them more often…
I have used the Brain Quest workbooks for the last year to supplement, and I like them! I wish they had them all the way through graduation:) my kids are 14, 13, 11, 9, 7, and 5.
My kids are 9, 7, and 6. We have used Brainquest workbooks and love them!
I like workbooks, my kids do not! These might be just the ticket! My kids are 9, 7, 4 and 6M.
Thank you for the opportunity!
Angela
My kids like workbooks, some more than others! They are aged 11, 9, 7 and 3. Thanks for a chance to win!
My kiddos are 3&6 and I have a bittersweet place for workbooks. I feel that they ARE learning but st the same time they aren’t. Perhaps it’s the Montessori background I have, or the anti “sit at a desk and take out your workbook” stigma I have from my own past- but I have learned to embrace them since they really do reinforce what the kids are otherwise learning.
My children are 14, 12, 10, 6 and 4 months–I enjoy using workbooks like Kumon for skill-specific math practice. We peruse the book aisle at Costco and sometimes pick up theme books for fun, especially if we are going on a trip. I call them “puzzle books” and the kids feel like they’re getting a treat. It’s a sneaky break from the ordinary 🙂
Hi!
I have an 8 and 7 year old that currently homeschool.
I love workbooks for math and phonics skills. I try and pair them with games and hands on activities daily, it makes the work less boring and more concrete.
Ages 4, 6, and 10. Workbooks contribute significantly to our homeschool. We love “Code”.
We’re just finishing up our first year homeschooling (I have 6 and and 4 year year old boys). I was against them initially– and my oldest really seemed to not like them– but we have found some fun ones that challenge just enough, and it’s never a requirement from me, just a fun activity. These workbooks look great; they caught my son’s eye on the computer!
My kids are 7 and 8. We start well with workbooks but always have trouble finishing. I’ve enjoyed the Brain Quest ones, and these look even better!
My kids are 7 & 3 years old. Both of my kids seem to love workbooks. Sometimes my 7 YO gets tired of them though.
Wow! Thanks for sharing these. They look amazing. My kids are 10, 8 and 5. We would totally use these and I’ll probably buy them if I don’t win them. LOL We use workbooks on a limited basis, mostly for language to keep track of how everyone is doing.
They are 6 and 7 and I’ve had mixed experience with workbooks, some good and some bad. Hopefully these will be good!
My kids are 7, 5, and 2. My experience thus far has been if they enjoy doing it, it is a fun way to practice skills. I have particularly loved Kumon, but I’ve looked at Brain Quest products and they look pretty good.
My kids are 7, 5, 3, and 1. My oldest hates workbooks most of the time, but I could see him at least not minding these ones. 🙂 My second is not in school yet, but loves them so much that he’s done more than my oldest!
My daughter just turned 7 and is my first and only homeschooler. Still trying to get in our groove so I like workbooks to give me an idea of where she should be/what to teach. She really enjoys math workbooks.
These look so fun! I am not a big workbook fan for learning concepts, but have found them very helpful for things like handwriting and spelling/phonics. My littlest kids especially like workbooks so they can “do school” like the big ones. ☺ I’m definitely going to look into these for summer practice–it’s nice to have something the kids can grab and do on their own. And my kids are like me–they love new school books!!
My kids are 9 and 7, and when my oldest was about 4, he LOVED workbooks for fun. Now neither of them does as much, but they are helpful to keep school going on long trips, at Dr appts, etc. Thank you for the opportunity to win!
My kiddos are 4 and 7 and they both seem to love getting their hands on workbooks. Completing a page gives them a sense of personal accomplishment.
My kids are 16, 14, 13, 11, 9, 8, 7, 5, 4, 2, and 1. I don’t use many workbooks in our schooling, but I like to have them on hand for extra work if one child works really fast through things – – – or for review over summer or near break times. Workbooks are great for firming up knowledge. This series looks great, and I’d love to use them!
My boys are 11 & 9. I appreciate workbooks for some independent work for them throughout our year!
I have a 4 year old boy, a 2 year old boy and another boy on the way. I have started homeschooling my 4 year old boy and have actually started with some pre-k workbooks which were packed with some fun activities, a little of writing practice, letter rcognition, coloring pages, dot to dots and introduction to some math concepts- like counting, sequencing, patterns, telling time and counting with money. He does a couple of more pages a day and he dictates when he wants to stop. He enjoys doing workbooks and I, for one, love that because I am also able to keep track of his progress on paper.
My kiddos are 7 and 2, the oldest likes workbooks (if he’s in the right mood, lol!) but I can already tell the little one is going to *love* them! We’re pretty unschoolish so these are right up our alley with being engaging and more game-like.
My kids are 11, 10, 8, 6, 4, and 1. We use workbooks off and on for independent work, more when a new baby is born or when there is interest, for subjects like math and critical thinking.
I have 3 girls, ages 10, 9 and 7. These workbooks look like they’d be a lot of fun!
I have a 3rd grader who enjoys workbooks and could use some extra summer catch-up. These books would be great on the driving vacation we’re taking this year!
My daughter is 6 and she will occasionally pull one out when she is doing “school” with her dolls. Works for me because she is still getting the practice!
My son is 4.5, working in Pre-K and going into K soon. We absolutely love workbooks – so much so that I sometimes use them as a “reward” for getting through his other work. Since my son isn’t big on a lot of sit-down stuff I didn’t think he’d take to workbooks too well, but he definitely proved me wrong on that one!
My kids are 7 and 8 and like workbooks (especially with color instead of just black/white printouts). They can work independently and do as many pages as they want. The get excited when they finish them. Really gives them a feeling of accomplishment.
My kids are 8, 8, 10, and 11 and our experience with workbooks has been mostly non-existent!! I can see that this would be a really fun way to shake things up with our learning this summer, though.
My children are 4 (preK) and 7 (1st). We are finishing the year out at our local public school and then moving to homeschooling. We use dollar tree workbooks over the summer and on vacation just for fun, so I have high hopes they will continue to love them! 🙂
Hi Jamie, I homeschool my 9 year old son. We’ve used a few workbooks during the summer months which has been mostly positive. Thank you!
Hi My kids love to do workbook pages but also like to do things on the computer. I have one that does the computer and one who will only do work books. These look like fun for the summer to keep there skills up over the summer. Thank you!!!
I have four kiddos. Ages are 13, 10, 6 and 18 mo. My daughters love workbooks, my son hates them! I try to get them a workbook each summer to try to stay on top of what they have been learning and to supplement anything we may have missed.
My kiddos are 5 & 11 and they actually do enjoy workbooks. Sometimes on the off occasion lesson plans weren’t made, the workbooks are helpful to incorporate some type of learning that day. Quite Convenient at times.
I have shied away from workbooks for many of the same reasons. I would love to give these a try! I have a 7 and 5 year old.
My twins are almost 9. They both enjoy workbooks from time to time
My kids are 12, 9, 6, and 3 (I have another that’s 18 but he’s no longer in school). We love workbooks here. My youngest would do them all day if I let her.
My school kids are eight, six, and four. We started homeschooling last fall and I used the Brain Quest workbooks to help me find where they were, in terms of learning and what they knew, so I could match actual curriculum to their needs. It helped so much!
I have a 16 month old, 11, 12, 13, 15,and 18. We have loved using Learning Language Arts Through Literature workbooks for many years and I love to use muti subject workbooks for summer. These look great!
My kids are almost 9 (only 6 more days!) and 6. We have a couple workbooks that my boys will pick up and work on occasionally, but it isn’t what we do our main learning from. These look great and it would be nice to have something that my boys can pick up and do while we take a more relaxed approach to schooling in the summer :).
They are 9 & 11.
One loves workbooks and the other doesn’t. These look great and the game aspect would definitely entice a reluctant learner.
My kids are ages 16, 11, 7, 4. We’ve enjoyed workbooks around here. I love your idea about taping a $5 bill to the end. My kid’s would definitely be motivated to finish. I will be using that incentive this summer for sure! Thanks for giveaway!
My kids are 7 and 10. Workbooks are good for my daughter, who wants to have minimal instruction from me!
My oldest is 6 and my youngest turned 5 yesterday, and they love workbooks, especially the 6-year-old. I just recently got over my workbook aversion, and I think it’s going to be good for us. They each got one of the Star Wars workbooks yesterday, and my 6-year-old finished his this morning and told me to order the next! Those summer ones look great!
Mine are almost 7, 5, 3.5, and 1. Oldest hates them but my 5 year old uses his. 🙂
My kids are 7 and 6. Honestly, they are not workbook fans, but these look fun!
My boys are 11, 8 and 5 and they love the brain quest trivia decks! . We have used workbooks sporadically in the past, mostly to ease my anxieties or cover specific topics like grammar. I also use them for fun work like mazes and Dot to dots for younger kids and crosswords and Sudoku for older ones. My oldest just asked if we could keep doing some school work during the summer so he doesn’t get out of the habit. These look like the perfect solution!
I have a 7 year old and a 2 year old. I have a brain quest book for each grade and I enjoy using them when I’m feeling under the weather or when we travel, or for boosters in language arts. 🙂
My son (4 years old) LOVES workbooks! He wants do them for fun constantly! We are beginning our first year of homeschool in a few months, and Im looking forward to seeing him learn even more. He loves the Brain Quest cards, and he would LOVE these work books!
My kids are 8 and 5. We actually love work books! Especially game-ish workbooks. We discovered the awesome Star Wars workbooks for my youngest who gobbles them up, but they are too easy for my oldest. Would love to try the higher grade level of these books! Thanks for the review.
Kids 9 and 12. We used workbooks when they were wee little, mostly when travelling, but have gotten away from them as they get older. This look fun and it may be worth trying again!
My kids are ages 5, 8, and 12. Some of them love doing workbooks to feel older and others hate them. It seems to be more about the different personalities of my girls. I like them in moderation for all the reasons you listed, Jamie! The money at the end might be a good motivator for my big girl who tends to resist any structured learning. I’d love to try these out!
My girls are 5 and 7 and we like to have one or two workbooks floating around for when the mood strikes! These look great.
My kids are 9,8,5,3, and 1. Workbooks are good for the 9 and 5 year olds, we haven’t found the right one for my 8 year old son yet.
I have three children, ages 1.5, 3.5, and 9.5yrs old. We have used brain quest question booklets and loved them as well as one workbook. I didn’t know they had summer books. We love workbooks!
My kids are 14, 8, 5, and 21 months. I love using workbooks as a fun way to reinforce lessons that have been recently learned or as a refresher. My girls love them! I remember using Brain Quest cards as a little girl. I cant wait to try out these workbooks!
I have a 13 yr old. We have used workbooks all her homeschooling days. She loves to work independently & proud when she completes without assistance. Very good confidence builder! Their illustrations are precious!
Thank you!
My son is 7 and we use workbooks during the summer months for easy learning/review.
My kids are 14,10 and8. My oldest (boy) never liked workbooks. I have found for my daughters that is a good way for them to be able to do some independent work. They mostly work on it when the want. My 10 year old does it more than the 8. It also helps me see where there is something they don’t know. Also, I think it might help prep them in the style state testing will be. We are with a state charter so my kids take the standardized test at the end of year. Which they never do well on since I don’t teachto the standards. Shrug
My children are 8, 7, and 6. We use workbooks primarily your for math since that’s an area I feel I’m not as strong in naturally. Workbooks have served as a lifesaver when a new baby arrives or mom is not feeling well and a safety net in our early homeschool days when I needed something telling me where we should go next.
I have a 7 year old and 9 year old. We use Logic of English which incorporates the use of workbooks. My daughter eagerly turns to the next page – wanting to find out what is next. It’s worked out really well for both of them – although it is definitely an interactive workbook – not just writing down answers.
My children are 15, 13, 10, 6 and 2! We’ve done very little with workbooks, but just today I was thinking that I might get some for summer! Thanks!
I have a 4, 9, and 11 yo, and my kids have always loved workbooks. We’ve used the older brain quest workbooks very successfully in previous years.
My kiddos are 5 and 7. We do the same, do a daily workbook page just for my comfort! But these Brain Quest books are my fave among the available choices out there. 🙂
My son is 8 years old. We’ve been avoiding workbooks, but I think that comes from the year and half that he was in public school. EVERYTHING was workbooks and tests.
My children’s ages are 16, 14, 6, and 2. As a general rule, none have enjoyed workbooks much past dot-to-dot/ picture find and some Brain Quest at younger ages. However, we have had good experiences with the Complete-A-Sketch technical drawing series, and Dyslexia Games by Thinking Tree.
11, 5, and 2. My 11 and 5yo love workbooks. I don’t like to rely on them TOO much, but I have never minded using a few here and there.
My kiddos are 15, 13 and 10. We do supplement with workbooks in some subjects…and my kiddos really don’t mind them.
My kids are 2, 5, 8, 11, and 17. All but the oldest are home schooled, we just started this year. We use workbooks as a guide, 2 pages a day, and kids finish super quick.
My kids are 15, 13, 11, 9, and 22 months. I have not used workbooks in the past but this year for my two youngest school age kids we did a different curriculum (Timberdoodle). Which had quite a few workbooks. I think it’s going quite well with the two who are doing them so I am not opposed to continuing to have workbooks. They are only in a few subjects so we don’t do workbooks all the time. I have seen the brain quest workbooks at Costco and always wanted to try them! They do look fun and colorful!
My four year old daughter could do workbooks all day long. My six year old son is the exact opposite. We have done some Explode the Code, which has been tolerated. Nice looking workbooks!
My kids are 11, 9, 5, 1.5, and one due August. This past year we switched to doing some workbooks to help calm MY jitters about getting “behind” and wanting some measurable progress. While teaching multiple kids it has been nice to know they are still learning when I can’t sit down and give them a full lesson on a topic. It has been a good helpful switch!
My kids are 13 and 11. They dislike worksheets in general, but when there is one that is creative and fun the like it. They do not like anything that smacks of busy work or just proving you know something.
I’ve got kids ages 8,7,5,2 and with the oldest and 3rd, workbooks have been great. They love doing them! My 2nd does them, but isn’t really into it. I sometimes use them during homeschool burnout to make sure my kids are getting something while I figure out how we can get back into things. I also like the paper trail, and since my kids are required to do state testing every few years, I feel like it helps cover all those bases, too. We have used Brainquest workbooks, but I really like the new ideas in the summer one.
My children are ages 3, 5, 13 & 16. Workbooks have worked well for the younger two specifically my 5 year old. She likes working through them and sometimes goes through them quickly. The youngest loves to do them along with her as he feels like he is doing school. The older two really vary in workbooks. They need things organized so I’ll make notebooks to help them out of their assignments. We are totally interested in Brain Quest. I’m still learning about resources available and what works for each kids. Thanks for the opportunity to win these!
My kids are 8, 6, and 4. Two of the three LOVE workbooks even though I tried to avoid them. My third would probably like the gaming format and colorful pages. She probably would quit when she finished what interest her.
Perfect timing! Finding a summer workbook for my 2nd into 3rd grader was on my to-do list for the day!
My kiddos are 13,9&5. We use copywork workbooks and handwriting. Any other workbooks haven’t really been in our homeschool for several years.
My children are 6,10,13 & almost 3. We have not used workbooks for several years & even then it was a wavering experience at best. We never found any that meshed with learning styles & interests enough to consistently use them or finish them. Also, when we tried to use them I usually ended up feeling guilty , like I had assigned them to some tortuous experience. I appreciate your in viewpoint & tips on implementing the use of workbooks & will definitely be looking into the ones you suggested.
My kids just turned 12 (twins). Workbooks have sometimes been a challenge unless there are some hands on activities or games such as wordsearches or crossword puzzles. These workbooks look like great fun while they are learning! =)
My children are 9, 7, 4, 3, and 5 months. We all really like workbooks ????. These look really great!
When we first started homeschooling my 21 and 22 year olds, workbooks from Walmart were really all I used because I didn’t know anything else. Now, I am “schooling” my 8 year old with OCD/ADHD who refuses to do any work I ask her to do (we are in the middle of quite a medication transition) . I am so looking forward to summer because our neighbor and niece spend huge amounts of time here and I always put together a great program (if I do say so myself) including poetry, art, cooking, READING and BIBLE (this is the only time these two girls are exposed to the Bible). My daughter actually works better with them here and she enjoys workbooks because it gives her a feeling of accomplishment. I love that after every activity a sticker reward is given (not much on reward systems but have learned that children with ADHD MUST have an incentive to do pretty much anything). Will be ordering these for the girls! Thank you so much Jamie. Your recommendations have never failed us yet!
My daughter is 10. We just started homeschooling and used the Brainquest workbook this past year. We have also used the summer workbooks in the past. She loves them and has started to initiate looking at the Brain Box in her own. We would love to win this set.
My kids are 9 and 7 and we do like workbooks. I’d say my daughter is a little more into them than my son, but these look great! Thanks for this opportunity!
My boys are 6 and 4. We use workbooks for the oldest to help with his handwriting. He likes them as he likes a task list and ‘checking off his to-do list’. :-)!
Looking forward to trying these Brain Quest resources! My son is 11 and a former preemie, and they sound engaging and hands-on! We’ve had teachers over use worksheets and it takes work to undo the effects of over use. 🙁
My sons are age 3 and 7. My three-year old sometimes uses a Kumon workbook which he really likes. My seven-year old also used the same when he was younger. For the most part we do not use workbooks in our curriculum (except math), however we do use worksheets from time to time to have a record of learning. If I came across a workbook that complimented our current learning I would use it from time to time. My sons seem to not mind them, but we don’t use them daily (other than math) so that may be why.
I have a 21 year old in college, a 17 year old, a 10 year old and a 7 year old; all homeschooled.
We have used brain quest with each one with it being their favorite from the oldest to youngest. The color, and variety of the content keeps them interested and focused. The brain quest workbooks and cards present the information in manner that encourages independent work.
Brain Quest products have been a favored gift at birthdays for our family. Love the idea of taping a $5 bill in the back as an award for completion.
A gift of these workbooks would be a huge blessing for our homeschooling family. ????
My son is 11 years old and we are new to homeschool this year. We’ve used Summer Bridge workbooks for years and LOVE them. This year, we’ve been trying some handwriting and Story of the World workbooks.
My kids are 9, 7 and 4 and have always considered workbooks fun and not actual work. ????
I have 3 kids ages 6,3 and almost 1. We will begin homeschooling in the Fall and I’ve actually bought a couple brain quest workbooks on a homeschool friend’s recommendation. They are great! I would love to use the summer ones!!
My girls are 11,10 and 8 and they all love workbooks, and these look awesome.
My kid is 8, and workbooks are nice because they offer her scaffolding for writing. Plus they tend to be colorful, which she loves.
Ive often wondered about using a Brain Quest or similar type workbook, year round, to sort of fill in the gaps? Im homeschooling for the first time, with a 3rd grader. Next year will be adding in a 5K child as well. We started out very interest led, but after Christmas I realized he was not doing well with so little structure, and I added a CLE Lang Arts workbook he does daily, as well as his Teaching Textbooks math. All other subjects are much more living book based, and this seems to be working well. But, I know he is lacking in a lot of areas, and wonder about using one of these type workbooks as a supplement to at least make sure he is exposed to certain things that may fall through the cracks!?
Also, forgot to add, Ive got a 3,5 9 yr old boy, and 12 year old girl (she went back to private school after Christmas. She REALLY missed her workbooks used there lol. Going from ACE and CLE to interest led was too much for her)
My kids are 11 and 7. We have found workbooks to be super helpful while we were moving across the country and while settling in. We used our brainquest ones the most! They are very well laid out and my kids find them fun to do.
My kids are 10, 8, 6, 4, and 2. My two oldest can take or leave workbooks, but my middle one has to have them hidden from her so she doesn’t complete them all in one day.
I have a 6 year old and find that he enjoys completing workbooks. I didn’t know that Brain Quest made workbooks but judging by the previews you provided it’s definitely something that my son would enjoy.
My kids are 8 and 5 and they like to get workbooks but then don’t do them. It’s frustrating!
My kids are 15,12,9, and 7. I haven’t had great experience with using workbooks in the past. Generally they seem relegated to the “get it done, check it off” category without much engaging learning. These look promising, though, especially for my younger two.
I have a 10 year old and 12 year old. We don’t do a lot of worksheets but to keep the summer slump from happening worksheets come in very handy!! Even if I don’t win I am going to check out these books!! Have always loved the brain quest products.
My children that I currently have at home are 16, 13, 10, and 7 years old. When I first started homeschooling, I was against traditional workbook style learning. I was determined to do things differently. However, after 5 years of homeschooling, I have found that some of my children thrive with this type of learning. So, I have since changed my mind on the value that workbook leaning can provide.
I have a 10, 8, and 4 year old at home. My kids have a workbook, but it isn’t a daily thing. My 10 and 8 year old are working on the Brainquest workbooks right now and when there is a day I won’t have time to work on something else with them, I feel better about giving them several pages to do, so I feel that we “did school” that day somewhat. It is reassuring to have something to point to and guide in making sure I don’t forget something important they should learn.
My daughter is currently working at a 1st grade level. Workbooks are fairly hit or miss for us, some she likes and others are boring. We have done some of the BrainQuest Workbooks and found them to be good coverage on days when I don’t have time for more lessons.
I have 4 and 6 year olds, and they both LOVE workbooks.
My kids are 8, 5, 3 and 1. We tend to jump around in workbooks. The kids accomplish what they are interested in while at times I’ll work with them on certain topics I feel they need some practice. My favorite thing to do with some workbooks is place the pages in paper protectors and keep them in a binder. The kids will use dry erase markers and for big accomplishments I take a picture of the kids with their completed pages as a memory before wiping it clean for another child or for them to redo it.
My kiddos are 2 and 5 and both of them live workbooks.
I have 7 yr old, 4.5 yr old, and 10 month old. Love/hate worksheets also. My oldest did not always do well with worksheets in preK and K, but now that he’s almost finished 1st, I think he’d love these BrainQuest books. My 4.5 yr old LOVES to practice writing and though we haven’t used many worksheets in preK, she will be starting K this fall and loves to copy her big brother.
I have 2 boys, age 7 & almost 5. They love workbooks that have lots of color and cute pictures. Was recently tried to put together summer activities for them, and it would be great to add this summer workbook into the mix. Thanks for the idea!
I have a 6 year old, a 5 year old, a 2 year old and a 1 year old. So far we have had mixed result with workbooks. My 5 year old loves the one he has. My almost 7 year old likes them half the time and hates them half the time. We don’t push the workbooks, but these sound great!!
My kiddos are 13, 11, 8, 4, and 19 months. We have always done our spelling workbook style. I think they have their place in learning too! I can’t wait to dig into these workbooks!
I have an almost 5 year old and she loves workbooks as long as it’s not handwriting practice!
Our children are 3, 6, 9, 12, 14, and 16. We have done several types of workbooks. Generally they are o.k. They do keep learning organized. They are an easy, no prep way for the instructor to give a student to demonstrate learning. But we tend to lose interest and find them to be borrrrinnngg. With that said, I do still use workbooks- they are just plain handy. Skipping around helps break monotony.
I have a 10, 8, 6, and 3 year old. We generally don’t use workbooks but I have noticed a sense of satisfaction when we do. They feel like they are doing “real” school. My 6 year old, in particular enjoys them for work while I am working with the older two.
My kids are 8, 6, 4, and 1 1/2. The oldest two have had lots of experience with workbooks– for all those reasons you mention! We do a lot *outside* of the workbooks, but the workbooks keep us steadily moving forward and give us a place to pick up when we get lost down an educational rabbit hole. 🙂 These look great! Thanks for offering the giveaway.
I have a seven year old. We have a few workbooks around so she can grab one if she is feeling in the mood. Every couple weeks I might leave one open to a page as a gentle nudge to do a couple pages if she hasn’t lately. I like the Brainquest ones and the star wars ones.
I have ages 7, 5, 3, and 1. I don’t assign workbook tasks except for the activities we do together, but my older kids have gone through phases where they are devoted to workbooks while playing “school” (really amusing since they’ve never actually been there). These “fun” workbooks have been from the BrainQuest line. They are really nicely done.
I have three boys ages 4, 2, and infant. My older two started doing dry erase ABC and counting books a few months ago
Eek! This workbook set looks amazing! Being a first year homeschooling mom, workbooks have given me something to work through and see our progress. We use them for math & handwriting. My daughter is 6.
I have children ages 7, 3, and 2. My 7 year old is on her third year of using Brain Quest as part of our homeschool. My three year old begs to do his Pre-K books. We would love to try out the summer books.
I have children 13, 11, 4 and 2. We have only used workbooks occasionally but now that they are older the two big ones use them a little bit more often. it helps to have some documentation up here in VT.
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My sweet babes are 7 and 9. I started out with a dislike of notebooks as well, but we have grown to incorporate them into our daily lessons (a little at a time). I do love the paper trail!
My kids are 7, 5, and 3. My homeschool-age kids love workbooks as long as they are fun and interesting!
My kids are 13, 11, 7, 4, and 1. The only one who loves workbooks is my 4 year old. I suspect, it is due to the fact that he wants to be part of the “school” and feels left out. But this does look interesting.
My kids are 10, 7, 5, 3, and 1 andI have two that LOVE workbooks!
My son is 7 and we enjoy workbooks especially for math. We use them as supplementary practice after teaching various strategies using physical objects. The key is to listen to him explain his thinking instead of just checking them off as right/ wrong.
My children are 12, 10, 8, 6, and 5 and my youngest three also love workbooks! I think it’s the feeling of a concrete stopping point that makes them feel accomplished.
I have 3 boys, ages 11, 9 and about to be 7. We’ve used the Star Wars workbooks because they begged for them. One kid tried to do the entire workbook in a week; one kid got burned out fast because there was writing involved; and the other kid, well, I think I dropped the ball on that one getting finished!
My kids are 16,11, and10. We haven’t really used workbooks. I have tried and usually forget about them. These seem interesting and actually look fun.
We have gone back and forth with workbooks over the year. Now at almost age 11, I think we have pretty good routine down. In the beginning workbooks were a lot of fun because of the color pictures and the fun way of teaching. Sadly a lot of workbook companies take all of the fun out of workbooks as kids move up in grade. Many became stale and boring for our household. We have to check out each workbook to make sure it isn’t just plain stale before buying it! Also, a mixture of workbook and online work, plus book led education, has really been the best way to do things for us. It keeps one thing from becoming boring or uninteresting. The combo of a variety of types of learning has really helped our homeschooling a lot!
Thank you for having this giveaway! I’d love to try these out and review them as well. 🙂
My kids are 7 and 5 and are NOT fans of workbooks. Most are so dull and repetitive. These Brain Quest books look different. In a good way! I would love the opportunity to have my kiddos check them out too!
I have 3 at home now, and graduated 2 from home. My still-at-home kiddos are 12 & 7. I fall squarely into the hate workbooks camp, but there have been some times with some students that worked. My 7yo twins love “pages” and love to hang them up and show them off. We have a few workbooks for them. My 12yo really, really needs to know exactly what is expected. Like exactly. Asking her to write a story will not fly. She needs to know how many paragraphs, how many pages, with or without pictures, fact or fiction, and so on. Workbook pages for her are very reassuring. She knows how many and she can see, clearly, whatbis required for each page. So I have found myself pushed into the sometimes-use-workbook camp.
My kids are 8, 6, and 2. Miss 8 hasn’t liked workbooks because she has felt they are boring and repetitive. Mr 6 likes them but he gets bored quickly. Reading the description of these new workbooks is exciting. I think both if them would love them. Sounds like the company is really caring about kid-enjoyment!
My daughter is 8 and in 2nd grade. We have workbooks we work our way through all school year. I find that they enforce the learning we’re doing and like you mentioned, they are “proof” for our homeschool year (especially this year as we are in a state that requires a portfolio to be kept).
Mine are 6, 4, and 1. And both older girls LOVE workbooks. I start them out on the kumon ones and they just make it so fun. My oldest is moving on a bit, but YDD begs to do them.
Mine is 10, work books on occasion….if he is interested in them at the time. These do look like he would enjoy them.
My kids are 6 and 9 and I have wasted sooo much money on workbooks until I discovered Brain Quest a few months ago on a whim. I actually bought grades 1-3 and my rising 4th grader and I are going through the reading and writing parts of them because he has some special needs that affect his literacy skills. I’m super excited that they are putting out these new summer books!
My kids are 8,6, and 2. We use workbooks mainly so I can test their knowledge and progress. They only have to do 2pages a day from a workbook of choice. This works well for us.
My children are 4, 5 and 7. I got them some workbooks that I thought they might use when they play school. The ones that they’ve enjoyed the most are from early childhood- cutting and mazes.
We love workbooks! Kids are 4 and 6. These look great!
Our kids are 11, 9, 7 and 4. We really haven’t done any workbook learning, but these look awesome! We purchased the Big Fat Notebooks on your recommendation and are loving them! Thank you for bringing such great ideas to our family!
My boys are 5 & 7. They both really enjoy workbooks. We work in some daily in our homeschool, along with using many other resources. BrainQuest are some of our favorites!
Our kids, ages 7-15, have enjoyed some workbooks more than others over the years…easy to tell by the number of pages that get completed! 🙂
My kiddos are 7, 5, and 3 and we love workbooks for specific subjects! These would be awesome for summer!!
My kids are 10, 8, 6, 4 and one in the oven. While I try not to do workbooks for everything, my kids love to grab them for independent work. It gives them a sense of accomplishment to complete something on their own and gives me a chance to work one-on-one with the others.
My mindset of workbooks was similar to yours. I am not attempting to include workbooks and journals (Funschooling Journals). I have two littles, 7 and 9. I’m currently in the process of planning our summer session. Thanks for sharing these and hosting a giveaway. Good luck everyone!!!
Mine are 9 and 10 and use workbooks for handwriting, but would love a summer of colorful things to do!
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My kids are 8,6,4,&1. We use math workbooks daily and most of the time they(the older 2) like them. My 6 year old especially
My daughter is 10 and workbooks made transitioning to honeschool from 6 yrs of private school sooooo easy, as she was used to doing them everyday, so the “homeschool stuff’ was FUN. But never used these books, they look like good downtime books for us, as we’re swapping to yr round…
7, 5 & 1 last summer we used a summer workbook and it was okay–it was “summer bridge” activities. The content was good, but my son just wasn’t into it.
My school aged kids are 7 and 6. They love workbooks but we generally only pull them out for “school on the road” days. They are a really great review tool though, and the kids think they’re fun!
I have a 5yo who is interested in the stash of workbooks in my bottom drawer, but we haven’t spent much time on them. These look amazing!!
My daughter is 8. We have used some workbooks here and there when they appealed to her–usually in a waiting room, on a car trip, or at rest time. As she gets older, however, she’s request them (these days, she’s working on a cursive workbook she requested). She might enjoy these.
I have 4 kiddos – 9, 8, 4, and 2. I disregard workbooks that I give to my kid and walk away and think my job is done! The only work (book or pages) we use are interactive and parent/teacher involved. However, my older girls are getting more independent and a shift is occurring where I can’t keep up w all they read and do! So I have selected some things I feel ok w letting them complete and explore on their own, such as art curriculum. We take a firm break in the summer (for momma!) and only spend time focusing on reading books and books and books. Seeing this post I would be willing to give one of these workbooks to my girls to complete independently during our summer break. Thank you!
We love Brain Quest workbooks!! They are one of the primary means of education at our house! I have an 8 yr old & a 6 yr old. We just work through each book until the kids are ready for the next level. I agree it’s nice when they can work independently & I have a record of what they’ve completed. We find Brainquest to be more challenging & engaging than other similar workbooks for our age range. : )
My older Three are adults now. It we loved workbooks when we homeschooled. I have a little boy that I want to use workbooks with.
I have a precocious little one-year-old who will have a few siblings, Lord willing. We haven’t done workbooks yet but homeschooling has always been my dream And I’m actively collecting curriculum now. I’m piecing together curriculum myself (we are on a TINY budget), so workbooks would definitely make it simpler and boost my confidence.
Thank you for hosting this!
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I have four children ages 7, 6, 4, and 2. Two of my children particularly enjoy workbooks, so we use them at least a few times a week. We’ve been using the Brain Quest 3rd Grade book, and my son enjoys it. Even my more active learner would love these Summer workbooks with the games and choices!
Our kids are 11 and 9. I like to remove the workbook pages from the book and give them individually to work on. It doesn’t seem a never-ending task to the kids that way.
Love to use workbooks for breaks in regular curriculum or morning time .
Our kiddos are ages 7, 5, 4 and 2. With the ages of our littles and being a newbie in official homeschooling: I am learning that there is a balance with everything. We are more for hands on learning with more of an eclectic approach. But, we do use some workbooks for a few things during our focused school time. It’s nice to have a book all bound together with your child’s progress and for documenting things. However, I love the balance of learning games, printables and unit studies too. I am looking forward to maybe using these as it is colorful and covers some nice material to review.
I have a 6 and almost 5 year, 1 year old, and one on the way but the workbooks that I so despised at first have become a huge hit for my 6 year old. He loves being able to articulate what he has worked on for the day to my husband and will create own worksheets he keeps in his own personal record binder. It has inspired him ( and his little brother) to think more intentionally about what they want to learn and I will find him going back through other pages he’s worked on before bed or find him looking at the pages at the end of the workbook so he knows what to look forward to doing. My husband is working on a PhD so they also enjoy taking their workbooks to the library with Dad because they are students like him. I love the idea of a summer workbook and I am grateful for your outline on some of the content in each age.
My kids are 12 and 10. We have used workbooks on occasion. I like them – they are something different than we usually do and it is good practice for the boys.
My kids are almost 7, 5, almost 4, and 1. We love workbooks because the kids enjoy them – I can use them for motivation to get other work done and they can do them somewhat independently. There are also some on a particular subject so we use those to supplement or if they aren’t interested in something specific (I.e. Dinosaurs)
I love workbooks for the paper trail. It makes reporting at the end of the year so much easier. Kids a k,4,5.
My kids are 8, 6,5,2, and NB. I like to have some workbooks so that I can say “ok, do this page ” to one child while working more one-on- one with another kid. Basicly helps me with homeschooling multiple kids. Usually we go with slimmer workbooks because we don’t rely on them for the whole content of any subject.
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My kids are 7,5, and almost 3. Apart from math I don’t use workbooks unless we’re traveling (which we do a lot), and then mainly because it’s a bit of schoolwork condensed into one small space. We do use math worksheets because I feel like you have to to a certain extent with math. I have found that my oldest complains less when I read the questions to her and write the answers down myself after she has answered them, for drill-type questions.
My kiddos are 11, 8, 5, 4, 2 and 10 months. We’ve tried all sorts of workbooks. Ones that supplement texts, series and stand alone. So far we seem the least successful with math workbooks and most successful with the earliest ages.
My kids are 4,6,8 and 10. I don’t have anything against workbooks but I don’t push them either. My younger ones do like workbooks, especially ones with stickers!
My boys are 7, 4, 2 and baby boy coming in June! We have had good experience with workbooks for the most part, but haven’t used very many. These look amazing and like something that would keep my 7 yr old’s mind busy during the last weeks of this pregnancy and first weeks of new baby! Thank you for sharing about them!!
Three homeschoolers ages 13, 9, and 6. We use workbooks for the littles. We find they are a bit boring. We would love to try something new. I love the concept of these books!
I am really excited about these. My kids are 8, 6 and 3. We don’t use them much durning the school year, but want them to do a little “school” over the summer. Thanks for the post.
I have always loved workbooks for my kids. Most of them have found them to be fun, as long as they have not been ‘forced’. I have 2 girls, 12 and 14, and 2 boys, 7 and 9. We do some workbooks when we have them around…much more fun than texts! We would love these, as 3 of mine would use them and enjoy. What a great idea for summer fun learning.
My kids are 6, 9, and 13. The younger two definitely like workbooks more than the older one. My 6 year old will ask to do work, and bring her books to me. I like that workbooks keep us on task, and I feel like we’re less likely to miss a skill we need to learn.
My boys are 6 and 4 and like to grab their workbooks and work in them. I never impose any certain page on on them, they work them for fun. I have hunk they would reall like Thank his map/game idea.
Whoops That was supposed to say I think they would really like the map/game idea.
My children are 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, and 10. We don’t use workbooks as part of our curriculum but we have a few around. The children see them as a fun thing do most of the time. They can use them when they want, finding a page that is interesting to them. The ones we have are mostly used up and these workbooks look like they would be a great replacement.
I have a six, four and two year old. Due in June with number 4. I worried about workbooks at the beginning of our first year this past year as well. What I found is that a little more workbook work actually brings my children a sense of accomplishment at times. To do “two pages in phonics” or “a page in spanish” was easy for them to follow and understand. A lot of read a loud learning and games were happenings but at the end of the day they could hold onto the workbook page they had completed to show daddy of what they did that day. I would love to win that set of workbooks.
I can’t get over the feeling that workbooks are “busywork,” but they do allow for greater accountability. I think it’s hard finding the right workbook. My son is finishing fifth grade and determining the appropriate level seems harder in middle school. If it’s too easy, it’s “babyish” and he’s offended. But, if I aim too high, it’s too hard and he’s frustrated. The latter was my problem this year. We put workbooks for science and social studies back on the shelf. And because they were a negative experience, I don’t know if waiting and using them at a later time is going to work. Oh, well.
Mine are 10,9 and 8 inlove the workbook because it keeps them on track it helps them concentrate more since all three have learning disability
Ages 13, 9, 4. We use workbooks occasionally, for some added “fun” in our school days. Would live tie give these a try!
My kids are 11, 8,and 5. We have a few workbooks but mostly as fun overview. These look like fun- and I agree that it would be better if the company would not assign grade levels. Thanks for sharing..
Kids are 9 and 6. We like a few workbooks, largely for a paper trail and structure!
My gals are 9,5,2. We love the BrainQuesr workbooks. I usually have one for them in their work baskets. I don’t assign specific pages–they are free to work on them as they choose. Girls love the colorful pages and variety of activities. Thank you for the generous offer!
My kids are 9, almost 8 and almost 5 years old. My youngest will be in kindergarten in August! My kids love these workbooks, especially my two girls who will be in 3rd grade and kindergarten come August! They will ask me if they can do them! LOL!
My younger child, 10, likes workbooks and staples pages together to make them. This way, she knows what she wants to accomplish each day – one page in each.
My kids are 12 &10. We use workbooks for those times when regular school just won’t work. For example when traveling, or just having a bad day using our regular curriculum. Usually we use a math and geography workbook on those days.
My children are 9 (almost 10!), 8, 6, 5, and 3. We have found some workbooks that we love and make my job as homeschool teacher more manageable. We’ve really been enjoying the Star Wars workbooks, that are made by Brain Quest.
I homeschool a 12 year old and a 10 year old. We have usually avoided workbooks, but these look interesting! They seem like they would keep my children’s attention and allow them some freedom in their learning at the same time.
HI!!!! My kid is 5 and we are barely working with workbooks. I like to use them in my homeschooling day but not so much to overwhelm my son. We do a lot of projects and Unit studies but a little bit of work focusing on workbooks is never missed. I will love to try this workbooks with him.
My boys are 6 & 8. They like workbooks that inlucde puzzles, mazes, coloring, and other games along with the material. Open-ended questions often result in some pretty creative answers!
My children are 7, 5, and 4. And one of my kids, the 5 year old, loves workbooks and actually stays motivated to keep going, I think the turning of a page feels rewarding to her, but the other two just get excited when they first crack them open but then it becomes a total chore to keep going. I’m definitely going to be getting these for the summer if we don’t win.
I’ve always felt “allergic” to workbooks, but my youngest, aged 12 a challenged learner (she works at a 2nd grade level), loves them. I finally came to peace about it, realizing if she loves them, it’s encouraging learning. We still are largely a hands-on kind of family, but the workbooks are a nice “reward” for her.
My kids are 12, 10 & 8. We’ve tried workbooks occasionally, but often lose interest after the forest few pages. Then they sit unfinished. Sad but true! Maybe these will be different!
My homeschooling kids are 8 and 5. Though not a part of our daily routine, they both enjoy workbooks.
My kids are 10, eight and five. We use workbooks as supplements, but we don’t have many. They have a purpose at times!
My boys are both 14 and while don’t like workbooks, they do them anyway. Something like this Would be great since both boys are in ASD and recovering.
My kids are 8,4, and almost 2. We are just starting homeschooling this summer and these books look like a great summer Segway from traditional school to homeschooling. My 8 and 4 year olds love workbooks and will voluntarily sit down to do them. They enjoy the accomplishment of finishing the pages.
My children are 6, 4, and 2. We use workbooks very sparingly, so they actually enjoy them when they get the chance to do them!
My oldest just turned 6 and she’s always loved workbooks (as well as pretty much all school). But I’ve found it hard to find good workbooks. My favorite so far have been the School Zone (I believe) from CBD. My almost 4 year old hasn’t started school yet but he enjoys doing a page or to from workbooks because “I want to do school too”.
Our son is 7. He has vision issues and dysgraphia making writing in workbooks one of his most loathed exercises of all time. However we discovered the Star Wars workbooks and he enjoys those. I let him do this at his own pace and in any order within the workbook he has open. We have found the creativity of these workbooks helps him enjoy them more and do the actual work. He even takes this one road trips and does a page or two on the trip! We recently added a scholastic workbook to our daily table time. I take pages out of it and we find ways to work together to complete a 1-2 pages per day. Yesterday we got through half a page. It took FOREVER… but… he didn’t pitch a fit, he didn’t get frustrated, and he didn’t get angry about having to do it. It just took a long time. The Brain Quest Summer books look awesome and right up his alley on style and interests. Thanks for telling us about them!
My children are 5, 8,11,17,and19. Our school experience has been filled with laughter and tears. But I couldn’t imagine not homeschooling.
My children are 1, 4, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 18, 23, and 26. I have found that some of them love workbooks and some, not so much. I love the workbooks. The kids can work them at their own pace and its good to keep track of what they are doing. We have a couple of the brainquest one that my 11 year old especially enjoys. She is driven as she would like to be a veterinarian and wants to be able to take college classes in high school for dual credits so it doesn’t take her so long or cost so much to get there 🙂
My kids are 7, 9, & 11. We enjoy workbooks because It’s easy to look back and see what’s been accomplished and review concepts. Brainquest has been our workbook of choice for summer learning for a few years. We love to take them on trips because they hit every subject and have fun lessons with games.
My kids are 2, 5, and 7. We have done cut and paste workbooks, mazes, and hidden pictures
My kids are 3, 12, 14, and 20. I have used workbooks on occasion and they work better with some learning styles than others. I was thinking the same about these books when I was browsing at the store- wish they didn’t have grades on them.
I have a 16,13,11,9 year old. Workbooks give me a piece of mind that as I am doing something with others the kids can still be learning.
My boys are ages 13, 12 and 9. Like you, I prefer workbooks that classify by “level 1, 2, 3” versus grade (I learned that the hard way when my youngest boy was insulted that I gave him a workbook that was 1 grade below his actual “grade” for a subject that he has struggled with! 🙁 However, we have tried the Star Wars and Minecraft workbooks (at your recommendation) and the boys have really liked them!! 🙂
My girls are 7 and 1. Currently we only use a math workbook, but the workbook format was really helpful introducing reading and writing. These look fun as a motivator and to keep learning fun during the summer.
My son is 9. I hated workbooks as well, but now I see they do give some extra practice in many areas to improve knowledge or for memorization.
My kids are 8 and 10 and they love doing workbooks, especially during the summer.
My children are 8, 6, 4 and 3 months. We have never really used workbooks in our homeschool with my 8 year old, but my 6 and 4 year olds enjoy them!
My kids are 5 they’ve both enjoyed workbook about practicing writing letters and for the oldest, practicing addition and subtraction using Legos on the side. They would love those workbook
My daughter is 8. We have had the best experience with the Brain Quest workbooks and I have used Spectrum workbooks for test prep and to fill in gaps.
My kids are 10, 10, 8, 4, and 2. And we love workbooks!
My kids are 14, 12, and 9. Each has their own relationship with workbooks. Overall they have been a wonderful resource and an easy way to calm any of my “am I doing enough, am I missing anything, etc.” fears that occasionally surface.
We have a almost 4, 6, just about 8, and nearly 9 year old. We love workbooks because most are quick and fun. It’s a good way for us to see if there is anything we are missing, gaps, or just a quick review. I love the idea of in between grades because I feel like we are always between grades with each subject being different.
My kids are ages 5 months, 2, 4, 8, 10, 12, 12, 14, and 15. I love to use workbooks.
My kids are 4.5 and 6.5 and honestly, we all love workbooks. We do a mix of all different styles but we’re definite workbook people 🙂 These books look great – can’t wait to try them!
My daughter is 9 and I was surprised to find that she liked doing workbooks when we bought a couple at Barnes & Noble about a month ago. She even enjoyed doing a “standards aligned” 4th grade reading comprehension book and does not mind the math or spelling. I resorted to doing workbooks because it felt like we lost our way after my husband had unexpected open heart surgery. We didn’t do our usual school routine for a month or two and the workbooks helped me to find my bearings again and get her back on track.
I have 7 and 11 year olds. I like workbooks for accountability, but can be alot to accomplish.
My kids are 9, 7, 5, 5, 3, and 1 and I love the Star Wars workbooks. These look great too and I want to try them!
My daughter is 9, and my sons are 7 and 5. My daughter has loved Brain Quest in the past and I was just thinking the other day how I should get Brain Quest workbooks again because I’m pretty sure my boys would love them!
I home school my son that is 9, and just starting with my 3 year old. We like workbooks that are colorful and easy to follow but not distracting. We find some books are easier for him to focus on than others. He prefers workbooks that he does not have to do a lot of writing, due to his struggle with fine motor skills.
My kids are 6 and 2. My 6 wants workbooks,likes filling them out, but I have a hard time finding good ones that align with our learning/her interests.
My kids are 8 and 4. We have tried a variety of workbooks to see what sticks. They love the Brainquest workbooks! What an awesome raffle!
My kids are 7 and 9, and workbooks have actually been good for us. They keep us on track and we can use as much or little as we want.
My children are 3, 5, 7, 9. I have three that LOVE workbooks. My 3 yr old uses all of the 5 yr old’s partially finished workbooks. I like that on “weird” days if we get a page done in each book subject then I feel like we accomplished one thing.
My boys are 11, 7 and 2. We use workbooks once in a while. My boys enjoy doing them from time to time. On those days, I definitely feel a little more accomplished! Those Summer Brainquest workbooks look awesome!
My kids are 15, 11, 7 and 4.
I don’t love workbooks, but I have found that sometimes we “need” them for various reasons. I would really like to try these workbooks!
I have twin toddlers to 2 teenagers and 4 in between for a total of 8 homeschooled kiddos. We would love to try these workbooks for summer activity!
The specific ages of my kiddos are 1,1,4,6,9,11,13, and 15. We use some workbooks for handwriting and spelling, but prefer reading aloud. My kids don’t mind workbooks and like the ability to work ahead!
My children are 10, 8, 6, and 3. We’ve use workbooks from time to time to supplement what we’re doing in our homeschool. Everyone likes the change in routine. I would love to try the Summer Brainquest workbooks.
I have five kids ages 10,8,6,4,3. I have workbooks on the shelf but rarely use them. My kids will sometimes ask for one and use it for a few days then move on.
My oldest three children graduated from public high school. I started homeschooling my fourth child when he was nine years old and continued on through the next five. I am now homeschooling my 7 year old grandson (of whom we have custody) and hopefully his 5 year old sister next fall. He is very competitive and enjoys doing a math worksheet here and there to beat his time. There are some days when playing outside with the goats and dogs, climbing trees and getting muddy in the creek, are the best things to do and an occasional worksheet can fill in during the rest times.
My kiddos are 9 and 12 and even though we tend not to use text or workbooks in our homeschool, I love the Brain Quest workbooks for just the reason you describe…a little bit of a paper trail and the pages are not too cluttered with clear instructions and tips. Both my kids LOVE the stickers at the back. We would love to receive the summer pack and give it a whirl! Thanks.
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I have 1 son who is 10. I also work with my friend’s children who are 9 and 7. I am a former teacher and never liked worksheets. I have struggled to find worthy workbooks to use in my homeschool. I would love to try this new series!
I have a 6 year old and a 2 year old. My 2 year old loves to grab her brother’s workbook and do “work” on her own, but my son struggles a bit with the reading comprehension assignments. Some days are better than others, of course, but this series that you’re offering sound fun. I know he’d enjoy them! Thank you for this opportunity!
Would love the chance to win. Thank you!
We have 8, 5, 2, and 10 months. We like workbooks off and on, as long as they are mixed with other types of learning. The Star Wars workbooks are a big hit here, and these look like they would be as well!
Our kids are 10, 7, 5, and 19 months. Our 10-year-old has never liked workbooks (even the fun original BrainQuest books) and our 7-year-old thinks they’re pretty cool. So we’ve got mixed reviews here. The BrainQuest summer workbooks look really neat! Thanks so much for the giveaway and the chance to win!
Our kids are 10, 7, and 3. Workbooks can be good or bad. Oftentimes, I find I have to really look to figure out what it is a section is asking for, which can be frustrating for both me, and the student. There have been some diamonds in the rough though! Thank you for the chance to win-theses books look like they would be pretty fun!
Such great looking work books! My boys are ages 10, 8, 3 and 15 months. My husband and I both cringe at the thought of workbooks and textbooks but recently (within the last few months), one of my older boys picked up some work books that we had on the shelf (gifted to us) and began to use them – and enjoyed it! I also found it wonderful to look back and see his progress and he enjoyed that too.
I really love the addition of the sticker chart and the wandering paths to be followed in this new book set. I can see my two older boys spending lots of (willing!) time in these books. I’ve already decided if I don’t win the set I’m going to buy it!
My boys are 6 and 9. By far their favorite are math workbooks they love them. When my older son was younger he worked through a good bit of a second grade Brain Quest workbook and we enjoyed it.
My kids are 9, 7, 5, 3, and 1. Workbooks seem to always be either too hard or too easy for the level they are intended for, so I am excited to see these.
I have 2 kiddos, 6 and 4. They are excited to start workbooks but we rarely complete them.
My eleven year old just informed me he missed workbooks. He’s decided he likes a little structure. He also likes the feeling of accomplishment he gets when he finishes a page or two. I like that they offer him exposure to bits and pieces of a subject. And I agree, they can also quell a parent’s fear that their child isn’t learning enough.
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My kids are 7 years, 5 years, and 11 months old. I appreciate workbooks to 1. Help reinforce what we’ve already done or present a concept in a different way 2.encourage flexibility in terms of using different terms, directions, phrasing of questions, ways to respond, etc. 3. Encourage independent work (my older son uses a few workbooks that he thinks are fun while I work with my middle son on his math and phonics) 4. They’re great when love gets crazy and you can’t create those really beautiful authentic learning moments…like when I had a baby last year, during a huge home renovation, while traveling etc and, of course, for those reasons mentioned by you all. This series looks like a hit!
I have a 4 yo and 2 yo. We have been gifted a few workbook type materials (probably purchased from the dollar store) and my 4 yo found some pages she wanted to do: things like matching, which one is different, mazes, etc—a lot like what you get in coloring books. Would love to try these out and see if my kids like them!
I love this! I used to be anti-workbook but the points you mentioned, especially the one about having a paper trail have been my reasons for warming up to workbooks. My 8 year old has always enjoyed them.
I hit “post” too soon. I also have a 5 and 10 year old. They both like workbooks but my 8 year old likes them best.
My kids are 9, 6, and 3. My girls go through phases where they are really eager to use workbooks, and alternating periods where they’re not so keen on them. I just try to roll with them. It does sometimes ease my mind to see them working through a workbook that is at their “grade” level, just for a bit of a gauge. We LOVE brainquest!!
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We have 2 girls, ages 9 and 3 (almost 4). We’ve used Brain Quest workbooks in our homeschool since we started, in 1st grade, and love them! My daughter enjoys doing workbook type work so I usually let her do a page or two each day, I actually have to limit it or we don’t get to anything else! She does love to receive the award at the end too so I’m glad they add that in 😉 and I love the little question cards at the end, we usually do them at dinner time, she asks for them over our other dinner time activities and I enjoy the activity also, so win-win!
My son is 10 and enjoys Brain Quest workbooks. We have used them for the past couple of years. We use them for practice and to introduce new information. We have found their pages to be more challenging than the workbooks found in big box and department stores. We are so excited about this series for Summer enrichment. We are a family of readers and I am a literacy advocate; so we are really looking forward to the reading list suggested by this publisher.
Hi Jamie , I loved this post on the workbooks. In fact the headline caught my eye and I had to read it. i just recently got a level 4 Brainquest book for my daughter and had not started it till I read this post. She likes it now and so do I 🙂 I am exploring homeschool options and ardently following your blog . Pls keep more book reviews coming in.
My kids are 11, 9 and 7 – we don’t use a Ron of workbooks but I have found them useful for some self paced and self directed learning. I have Ben impressed with the brain quest series before!
Ha- spell check- a ‘ton’ of books and I’ve ‘been’ impressed! Thanks for the chance to win! ????
My kids love workbooks. These look like fun.
I am so thrilled that this could cure the boredom of a 9 year old this summer!!! Thanks a bunch!
I have a 9yo and a 14yo. We are pretty hit and miss on workbooks. They both liked them pretty well when they were younger. My son (14) is pretty much aged out of them now. They don’t make workbooks for his grade level. My daughter likes them if they are “fun”… these look like they’d measure up to that… but loathes them if they are just busy work. But then I don’t like those either. 🙂
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