fab kids’ app: interactive books, music, & more (& iPad mini giveaway!) I’ve looked at dozens and dozens and dozens of kids’ apps in recent months. Many? Kinda cool. A handful? Pretty rough around the …Read morefab kids’ app: interactive books, music, & more (& iPad mini giveaway!)
alphabet and reading on the road The kids and I spent the weekend in Pennsylvania, showering my baby sister and her husband with love for their soon-to-be baby boy. Though we …Read morealphabet and reading on the road
listen to what kids are saying: highlights state of the kid report One thing I love about the great team behind Highlights for Children is that they listen to kids. They read every single letter sent to them. Over …Read morelisten to what kids are saying: highlights state of the kid report
how to make silent reading more meaningful Silent reading can–and should–be a meaningful, rich, awesome experience for kids. And parents can–and should–be able to …Read morehow to make silent reading more meaningful
iPad apps: best apps for teaching, learning and fun Here it is–the long-awaited post that I promised months ago: iPad apps for teaching, learning, and fun. But what better day to share it than …Read moreiPad apps: best apps for teaching, learning and fun
Hidden Pictures: lunchbox notes Halloween is over, so our joke notes are pushed to the wayside. Our wordless riddles are taking a break, and the troops are ready for someserious …Read moreHidden Pictures: lunchbox notes
develop strong reading skills early: skimming vs reading I realized something recently that I should have noticed way before now. Actually, I had an idea about it, but I wasn’t really for sure for …Read moredevelop strong reading skills early: skimming vs reading
national book festival 2012: why families need to go My favorite event of the year–the National Book Festival & Gala-was just a few weeks ago, and so many of my pals have asked why I love this …Read morenational book festival 2012: why families need to go
morning and evening reminders for kids: easy reader style Every day is a little bit different in our house—and everyone’s house. But deep down, we all thrive on consistency, on patterns, on …Read moremorning and evening reminders for kids: easy reader style
help! when kids hate reading: 3 tips for parents It’s hard–I get that. Parenting in general is a tough gig, but when your child dislikes something that you love? Something that …Read morehelp! when kids hate reading: 3 tips for parents
what to do after kids learn their abc’s: next steps to reading Many parents know that their children need to learn the letters of the alphabet, but what happens next? You’ve got a ton of alphabet books, you …Read morewhat to do after kids learn their abc’s: next steps to reading
10 fun ways of helping kids learn the abc’s It’s so easy for us to say we want our kids to learn the ABC’s and 123’s before kids hit Kindergarten, but how do we actually do …Read more10 fun ways of helping kids learn the abc’s
how to make summer reading FUN for your kids For many children, summer reading is not a big deal. They’re readers by nature, so the task of reading ten books–or more–is a …Read morehow to make summer reading FUN for your kids
everyday journals: creative, thoughtful daily activities for kids This week, we officially began our Smart Summer 2012, a summer filled with fun learning, focused and free days, and a whole lot of …Read moreeveryday journals: creative, thoughtful daily activities for kids
kicking off summer reading: backyard book party The school year is slowly winding down, and finally (finally!) we’re settling into our summertime schedule–not the spring-summer overlap …Read morekicking off summer reading: backyard book party
counting, identifying, and writing numbers during play One of the things I believe in strongly is that any time can be a great time to sneak in some sort of learning. Whether it’s counting the candies …Read morecounting, identifying, and writing numbers during play
words 3 ways: learning sight words for kindergarten Cora is totally into learning how to read, so I am seriously running with it. She wants to practice the sight words that were included in her …Read morewords 3 ways: learning sight words for kindergarten
learning during read-alouds: critical thinking, new literacies I read an extremely interesting article this week that has really left me thinking about how I read with my children. It …Read morelearning during read-alouds: critical thinking, new literacies
quick & easy grid games: concepts of print It’s been a busy few days for us, but we’re slowly getting back to the routine, and it (gulp!) feels pretty good. Though boy oh boy do …Read morequick & easy grid games: concepts of print
disney word searches: getting kids ready for the trip! We were on a major word search kick a while back, but we’ve taken a good long rest from them. So in honor of our upcoming Disney Social Media …Read moredisney word searches: getting kids ready for the trip!