Your little ones’ senses—vision, hearing, balance, hearing, smell and touch—all help your children to learn better. When their senses are stimulated, it increases the information brought to their growing minds and fine-tunes their nervous systems in the process. Fall’s new sights, sounds, and activities are great opportunities to sharpen those senses – and have fun […]
I listen to the hushed murmurs of my youngest daughter, Jemma. Her small hands move her toy people as they “talk” to each other. The long hallway is a busy cardboard city. Currently, her attention is on the children in the school area. They’re busy rehearsing a play and festively attired in costumes of tape, […]
In our final post in the series, our experts – Dr. Susan Canizares and Dr. Heather Wittenberg – reveal how to make kindergarten a great experience by preparing in these simple (and fun) ways. Dr. Heather: Starting kindergarten is exciting, but it can also be daunting for parents. Even with my fourth child, I worry […]
As parents, we realize quickly that there is no hard-and-fast rulebook that can prepare us for all the challenges that come along with day-to-day trials and tribulations. But there are occasionally moments that make us say “Aha!” and we realize the right answer is just as simple as we’d hoped. As both a mother and […]
When should YOUR child start Kindergarten? Our experts are here to help you decide! Dr. Susan Canizares, our Chief Academic Officer, not only has a Ph.D. in Language and Literacy Development, she’s a nationally recognized authority on early childhood education. Dr. Heather Wittenberg is a mom of four and a child psychologist who blogs at […]
Your children are strong. Stronger than you might be led to believe by the headlines screaming about the latest parental panic point. Resilience is the best kind of strength to have: It’s the ability to bend, not break, under pressure – and emerge stronger for it. Resilience is hugely important. It leads to happier, longer […]
Is your child ready for Kindergarten? Here’s a quick list of 10 Kindergarten readiness skills and fun tips on how you can boost your child’s learning with the technology you use every day. 1. Hone Fine Motor Skills with a Computer Mouse – Using the mouse helps build little muscles in your child’s fingers and […]
Getting your preschooler ready for Kindergarten can be easy and fun. Dr. Heather Wittenberg shares her favorite tips to get your child ready a little bit every day. For more Kindergarten readiness tips from Dr. Heather, click here. How are you getting your preschooler ready for Kindergarten? Tell us in a comment below.
Is your child ready to start Kindergarten this fall? As a parent, I know it’s difficult to imagine your little one sitting in a “big kid” classroom in just a few months. Believe me, though, you’ll be amazed at the growth your child will experience before then. Here are my ideas for helping your almost-big-kid […]
More is not always better. Often, with “more” comes more stress. Especially as parents of young children, we are dealing with “more” these days: more errands, more family issues, more family from out of town—you name it. All of these result in more on our to-do list. We seem to have less time, less patience, […]
Should your child start preschool at 2, 3, or even 4? Is he late-born, early-born, or right in between? Should he be one of the oldest in the class, the youngest, or in the middle? And what impact will this have on his eventual kindergarten start date? If your head is spinning at making this […]
“Shhhh!” We were in the waiting room at the pediatrician’s office, and any peep the 6-month-old made was met by his mama’s “Shhhh!” She looked embarrassed about her baby’s happy – and wonderfully normal – babbling sounds. I couldn’t help encouraging her to support her little babbler. “Oh, he’s so cute! He’s talking up a […]