Getting Kids Ready for a New School Year!

As a new academic year is about to begin, students will start the 2021-2022 school year with new goals, opportunities, and challenges. After a few months of vacation, however, it may be difficult for children to get back into school mode. Here are some ways parents can help their kids transition from summer break into the routine of getting up and going to school five days a week.

Happy little boys eating watermelon in a park

Helping Kids Eat Healthy Over Summer Break

Is your child refusing to eat anything but sugary breakfast cereals, burgers, fries, and desserts? All too often, kids are bingeing on unhealthy snack foods instead of fruits and vegetables. Children today can go days without consuming any greens at all. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) suggests vegetables should be consumed with every meal and snack. However, produce intake can be difficult when kids are picky eaters.

Group of school kids reading for education

Tips for Improving Reading Skills

The development of good reading skills in early childhood is the best predictor of future academic and financial success. The earlier kids learn to read, the better. The challenge is, not to teach kids to read, but to create an environment where kids will learn to love reading.

Boy learning how to ride scooter

Every Kid Can Be Courageous

A child’s life is filled with firsts. In no particular order, here are just a few things kids will, at some point in their first few years, do for the first time: 

Adorable boy gives thumbs up in preschool

Help Your Child Develop Self-Esteem and Self-Confidence

Here’s a harsh fact: Not everyone is good at everything. Some people are terrible athletes, some are poor in art or music, and some have difficulty with math or science. Conversely, some people are superb athletes, unbelievably creative artists and musicians, or show brilliance in math and science. That’s just the way life is. Not everyone is good at everything. 

Filled optical form of an examination.

What’s the Point of Standardized Tests?

Standardized tests have been around for a long time; they started before the Civil War and went mainstream around 1875. Of course they have evolved over time, but the purpose of the tests hasn’t changed much. 

Adults and children volunteering at Christmas charity toy donation drive

Contribute to the Community for the Holidays

It’s the nature of children to be self-involved. Their world is comparatively small, consisting of family, classmates, and teachers. It’s normal for children to see themselves as the most important person in that world, which may appear to be selfish, but it’s perfectly normal. 

Doctor having heart object with no smoking sticker

The Great American Smokeout and the Dangers of Smoking and Vaping

On the third Thursday of every November, smokers around the nation come together to take part in the American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout. This event challenges smokers to quit using tobacco products and provides them with resources to stay away. Tobacco use is the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the world, which is why the Great American Smokeout remains an important event.

Kids playing video games on smart phone after school

Dealing With Screen-Obsessed Kids

When’s the last time you saw your kid’s face? Not a silhouette or a partial view—but a full-on, forehead-to-chin, look-‘em-in-the-eye view? If you’re trying to remember the last time, this is probably the answer: It was just before you let them use your phone or tablet for the first time. 

text happy constitution day and flag of USA

Constitution Day: Teaching Kids About the Constitution

Everyone is probably weary of seeing ads for the presidential candidates and hearing the latest poll results. It seems like it’s been going on for years, and that’s because it has. One election is barely over when campaigning starts for the next election. 

Parents helping children with homework

College and Career Readiness for Elementary Students

Parenting is a full-time job, which makes it difficult since most parents already have full-time jobs. Parents have a lot on their plate, so having to add one more thing is probably not welcome news, but did you know that every parent should be preparing their elementary school student for college and a career?