“How was school today?” “Good.” It’s pretty much a guarantee that you’ve had that conversation with your child at some point in their school career. It can be frustrating when you genuinely want to hear some highlights from your child’s day, but even when you ask them open-ended questions, they don’t give you much of anything to discuss. Pushing through the challenge of sharing a little bit about their experiences every day is good for both your child and you. Oftentimes they would really like to connect with you about what they’re going through, but they don’t know where to...

Giving kids a sense of their place in history can orient them to their identity and culture. Knowing history allows us to form a mental image of when any given historical event took place. For example, you may have never heard of the AD 17 Lydia earthquake, but if you have a general knowledge of ancient history, you might hear about this earthquake and you’ll have a sense of what the world was like at that time. Learning the fundamentals of ancient, medieval, and modern history gives you a framework to understand the passage of time and how our world...

As your child moves from kindergarten into the upper grades of elementary school, she’ll begin to encounter more “real” tests on the material she’s been learning. Elementary school is the perfect time to start teaching good study habits. Here are some ways you can help your child prepare for test day. Review daily. If your child has a spelling test on Friday, go over the words with him every day that week. Don’t make the review session long and arduous; by revisiting the information on a daily basis, you can keep it short and sweet while still encouraging memory retention....

Learning isn’t a destination; it’s a journey. One of the best gifts you can give your child is the gift of knowing how to learn—both a) loving the process and b) understanding that knowledge about any subject is attainable as long as you’re diligent. Loving to learn Take advantage of your child’s natural curiosity; this is what can lead to a lifelong love of learning. If your child has a question, see if you can figure out the answer together (rather than immediately Googling it!). Encourage your child’s fascination with the natural world, and their inquisitiveness about people, places, and...

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and when your child is home from school, it’s a great time to involve them in holiday-related activities that can still foster learning and give them lots of fun experiences and memories. Here are some of our favorite ideas!   Family traditions Traditions are very valuable to kids, and the holidays are a time of year when you can make memories that will last them their whole lives. Whatever your family enjoys can be a tradition; it doesn’t to be Pinterest-perfect or just like what other families do. What matters is putting...

Gift-giving season is in full swing, and we want to share some of our favorite suggestions for gifts that are both fun and educational. This is a great time of year to add to your child's collection of learning resources!   From merka: Let’s start with some highlights from our catalog. We think these gifts will be useful and beloved for kids and parents alike: Our Toddler Learning Kit has lots of bright and colorful pictures that will delight little ones, and give you easy tools for learning and memory all year long. Placemats make fact retention fun and natural;...

Some adults would call themselves artists, but many have never sought to achieve their artistic potential once leaving childhood behind. For those of us who are parents but don’t consider ourselves to be especially creative and artistic, it may not come naturally for us to encourage our kids to explore their artistic sides. Yet art, like music, holds incredible value for kids. It can enhance their brain development, intelligence, emotional regulation, and the way they experience the world around them—not to mention, being creative is just plain fun. Here are three ideas on how to incorporate art into your daily...

Last month we shared some of our favorite fall-themed learning activities. Now that Thanksgiving is just around the corner, we wanted to give you some more ideas for seasonal activities. Read on for crafts and games with an educational twist! String of leaves: This string of leaves is so pretty and would be perfect for hanging above a doorway or on a fireplace mantel. As a bonus for the non-crafty parent, this one requires very basic supplies and has simple instructions. It’s a good way for a younger child to practice her cutting skills. Mini maracas nature craft: Using one...

When it comes to science, you probably love it or hate it… meaning, you might have a visceral reaction to the subject based on how you felt about it as a child. Science was never one of my favorite subjects growing up. I preferred reading, writing, and history. I found it so much easier to understand things that have happened in everyday life versus the abstract concepts science describes. But, thankfully there are lots of ways to make science more interesting and even enjoyable for kids. Here are some tips for helping your child enjoy science outside the classroom, so...

Toddler Learning KitSports, dance, music, languages, theater, gymnastics, and more... With so many options to choose from for extracurricular activities, why should you invest time in music education for your child? And if you do choose to give your child music lessons or incorporate it in some other way, how much time should you spend to make it worthwhile? Here are some benefits of including music education as your child is growing up, even if music doesn’t become your child’s primary pursuit: Classical music and brain development “Much like reading aloud to a child, calm classical compositions engage a child...

Reading aloud is one of the most important habits that I seek to cultivate in our home. Yet in spite of how much I value literacy and literature, I’m surprised that often several days go by and we’ve barely read anything besides naptime stories. Even though I think of myself as “a mom who reads aloud,” it’s easy to let the habit slip in the midst of the busyness and distractions of daily life. I have to remind myself often to keep read alouds a priority and a default activity. Here are some of the benefits I like to remind...

In elementary school, American school children start learning about the United States government and history. Teaching kids about their home country is a key element of shaping their cultural identity and sense of self. Whether your child was born in the U.S. or not, learning about her country of residence is important for her education. And giving kids an understanding of our national history can help them begin to form their own understanding of our country, both its geography and its political structure. Here are a few things to keep in mind when teaching kids about the U.S.: Wondering where...