Here at merka, we often talk about how important it is to read to your child. Reading together as a family is one of the best ways to help your child succeed academically and learn to love reading themselves. But sometimes it can be a challenge to fit reading into our busy schedules, or to get kids interested in it, especially as they get older. Whether you want to start a new routine of reading in your family, or you want to increase your child’s capacity for being attentive to a story, here are some tips to add more reading...

“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...

Now that it’s the middle of winter and the excitement of the holidays has worn off, it’s the perfect time to add some zest to your snow day or after-school routine with some crafts or games that double as educational tools, and allow you to spend some quality time with your child. These ideas can also be used in a classroom or child care setting. Read on for five of our favorite winter-themed learning ideas. Paper Plate Snowflake Yarn Art This fun craft is cheerful, colorful, and helpful for practicing hand-eye coordination and beginner sewing techniques. Winter Collage Scene for...

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...

Welcome to 2018. Even though it’s a new calendar year and not a new school year, this is around the halfway point in the academic calendar of a traditional school year, which makes it the perfect time to stop, take stock of how your child is doing academically, and set or refresh your goals to help them succeed the rest of the year. Here are some areas to consider as you think about finishing the 2017-2018 school year strong: How is homework going? Is the after-school routine a source of stress, or a predictable time for your child to unwind...

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...

Early childhood education is a profession and a calling all on its own. As parents and teachers of toddlers, there’s so much to know about early brain and language development that can help us facilitate their learning in the best way possible. Here are some tips that are simple to remember and implement. We hope you’ll enjoy trying them out with your toddler. Ask your toddler for help. Have her put her things away, bring items to you, throw trash in the can, etc. It takes more time to have your toddler do something rather than doing it yourself, but...

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...