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...

We’re so excited about the release of our Toddler Learning Kit, which we began offering last week. We love the options included in this kit, and we think you will too. No matter what tools you use, it’s good to remember a few fundamental concepts when you’re teaching your toddler. Here are 7 tips to keep in mind: 1. Patience is key! Toddlers’ brains are bursting with ideas, development, and busyness. They’re not ready for long or detailed lessons yet. They have windows of time when they’re well-rested and are seeking engagement and mental stimulation. Recognizing those windows and keeping learning...

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...

At this point in October, we’re well into the fall season, and Halloween is quickly approaching! Today we’re sharing some creative, educational, Halloween-themed activities you can do with your child to celebrate the season. Here are some of our favorite ideas from around the Web. 1. Pop Goes the Pumpkin from Martha Stewart If you need a creative and decorative game for an October party, give this idea from Martha Stewart a try! You’ll need some foam board, burlap, duct tape, and a few other materials to create it, but once you have the materials assembled, it’s simple to put everything...

As parents, we know that we play an important role in our children’s education, whether we send them to a traditional public school, private school, or choose to homeschool them. Learning at home is vital from the very beginning, when our children are babies and are just learning to take in the world around them, all the way to graduating from high school and beyond. A home where education is valued is one of the most important components of a child’s future success in life and in a career. But sometimes it’s easy to lose sight of keeping learning a priority,...

The alphabet, numbers and counting, body parts and shapes—helping your preschooler learn to explore and identify the world around him is one of the best parts of being a parent. One of the earliest sets of facts you can teach your child is familiarity with various animal species, the sounds they make, and the areas of the world where they live. (Bonus: learning about animals is actually an early introduction to biology!) With that in mind, here are 3 of our favorite ways for you to teach animals to your preschooler: Go see them in real life This is one...

Fall is officially in full swing, and now is the perfect time to grab your PSL and do some fun, educational activities together! Here are some of our favorite ideas for family bonding over fall learning: For preschoolers: This adorable roly-poly acorn art will be a blast for your toddler. For a farm-themed sensory activity, try making a corn bin for hauling. (You might want to take this one outside!) Candy corn learning printables are an amazing idea, am I right? What toddler (or parent) is going to complain about educational candy activities? I really want to do these cute...

Do you want to be better at helping your child learn? As parents and teachers, this is our common goal. Maybe it includes: Helping with homework Homeschooling One-on-one tutoring Building areas of strength To help in any of these areas, we have to know our child as an individual. A simple way to do that is to identify his or her primary learning style. The goal isn’t to pigeonhole students, but to be better equipped to help them learn. It’s all about finding out what works for each child. You can use your child’s learning style as a key, unlocking...

A lot of excitement accompanies the beginning of a new school year. As our kids are getting settled into new classrooms and new routines, it’s the perfect time for parents to consider how we can encourage their academic success this year. Elementary school is a special season of life, and it’s the right time to lay the groundwork for future success in junior high, high school, and beyond. With that in mind, we want to share four simple guidelines to keep in mind to help your child have a holistically successful year: Get involved Parental involvement is one of the...

Learning to write by hand is often a long and arduous process. Handwriting integrates brain development, letter recognition, and fine motor skills. All of these areas working together help your child master the skill of writing letters and words. Some students excel in one aspect of handwriting while finding another aspect more difficult, so it’s important to know your student’s strengths and weaknesses so you can help them become better at writing. Here are some of our favorite tips and tricks that will help you guide your child in developing better handwriting skills: Prepare As always, one of the best...