As your kids get older vacations become harder and harder. Between conflicting schedules and cranky teens, they seem almost unenjoyable at this point. But fear not, vacations are not just some idea of the past, they can still be fun and family filled like they used to be. Every kid's
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Teen’s Perspective on Vacations
by Sam P. June 30th, 2025 | Teen Perspective, Teens
4 Ways to Create a Memorable Vacation
by Lori Sciame June 23rd, 2025 | Tweens
Family vacations rule! Why? They provide a much needed break from the daily grind, as there are no deadlines to meet, no school lunches to pack, and no fourth grade science projects to complete. Even more importantly, they have the power to create positive and lasting memories for your children.
Strive to make your next family vacation a memorable one by following one or more of the tips below.
1. Tweak Daily Schedules
While you
No Sweat, Active Indoor Games for Kids
by Tania Cowling June 16th, 2025 | Elementary, Entertainment
Summer weather can often be so hot and humid that no one wants to be very active. These no-sweat active indoor games for kids do not require high-energy output but are exciting and fun. Living in the south, these activities kept my kids engaged in easy competitive and skill games in the comfort of the cool air-conditioned house. "No Sweat Olympics" can be set up as a team competition or you can give each child a list of activities to do depending on the child's age
Vacations With Preschoolers and Fun for Parents
by Joe Lawrence June 9th, 2025 | Preschool, Seasonal
Vacation season is finally here. Summer is just around the corner, and many of us have or are starting to make plans for the family. What can you do to make the vacation fun for the whole family?
Plan for the kids
I noticed that most of our vacation plans have been centered on the children for the past several years. For the most part, this is fine. In all honesty, most of our trips would not be happening if it were
Take a Summer Learning Walk With Your Child
by Tania Cowling June 2nd, 2025 | Development, Infants/ToddlersAdd some mystery to the next walk you take with your toddler. Your little detective will have fun discovering colors and shapes in nature.
A day before your walk, talk about color families. Put out crayons from a box of 24 to 48 colors and let your child pick a crayon. Discuss whether the crayon belongs to the blue, red, or yellow families. To future break the families into "cousins" you can create orange, brown, and black families. As your toddler looks at cornflower blue and/or melon crayons,
5 Ways Having A Pet Helps A Teen
by Jane Wangersky May 26th, 2025 | Social, Teens
When we think of pets being good for our children, we usually think of elementary age kids. After all, they're at the age when it's good to start learning responsibility. Teens, not so much. Your teen probably already has a fair amount of responsibilities, maybe sometimes more than they think they can handle.
So if your family has lost a pet, or never had one before, you may not be thinking of adopting one during your child's teen years. But that's something you should reconsider --
3 Ways to Assess Pet Readiness
by Lori Sciame May 19th, 2025 | Social, Tweens
Bringing a new pet into the home can be an amazing experience or an awful one, especially when tweens are involved. While pre-teens may express a desire for a cat or a dog, they simple do
3 Necessary Social Skills
by Lori Sciame May 12th, 2025 | Elementary, Social
Children need to learn a variety of social skills to be able to fit in with their peers. These many skills are critical in the development of a young person's self worth. As suggested by Social Skills Central, "failure to make friends can have a significant impact on a child's life, and can contribute to severe emotional problems in childhood and adolescence."
As a parent, you can do a lot to help your child become adept in a variety of social situations. Remember, you are his or
Get Moving With Your Child This Month and Forever
by Tania Cowling May 5th, 2025 | Entertainment, PreschoolMay is National Physical Fitness Month and a reminder that exercise is so important for health. But, there are many ways to get your kiddos moving that are fun, as exercise shouldn't just be jumping jacks and pushups. It should include daily activities, as well as sporting games. Here are a few daily movement activities that get the body revved up.
Outside
Take neighborhood walks together that include fitness skills. Ask your preschooler to run and skip down the sidewalk.
Turn Off the TV and Play Some Baby Games
by Tania Cowling April 28th, 2025 | Infants/Toddlers, SeasonalSome parents use the television as a babysitter, and I admit I have done this myself when trying to tidy up the house. Yes, the noise and conversation sometimes soothe a baby, and kiddie shows stimulate toddlers. Now, I'm not saying your little one can never watch television, but please keep it to a limit. Every year, there is a designated week where we turn off the TV and electronic devices to engage in other together time activities.
See how much fun the
Teen’s Perspective on Earth Day
by Sam P. April 21st, 2025 | Seasonal, TeensIt may just be me, but it seems as though many teenagers do not care about the environment as much as they should. I often see kids lazily tossing bottles on the ground, while they're just a few yards from a trash can, or throwing away an entire lunch at school. I, personally, love our Earth and if we want to keep it how it is today, we need to start taking better care of it. This means recycling, reusing, and reducing what we waste.
At
3 Issues to Warn Your Tween About
by Lori Sciame April 14th, 2025 | Safety, Tweens
Being a parent is a huge responsibility. Children not only need love, they need proper guidance as well. Part of steering a child on the right course, involves teaching him or her to follow safety rules. Some rules are easy to teach, such as "Don't play with fire." Other rules are more difficult to discuss. These rules may make you uncomfortable, but don't ignore them. Make
3 Benefits: When a Child Entertains Oneself
by Lori Sciame April 7th, 2025 | Elementary, Entertainment
I have a cousin who is continually exhausted. It's not because she works too many hours, or that she has an elderly parent to take care of, or even because she has a dozen children. She is worn out because
3 Ways to Keep Manners Alive With Preschoolers
by Joe Lawrence March 31st, 2025 | Preschool, Social
Are manners dying off in today's society? Are we as parents doing our part to keep them alive? According to most studies manners are dying, and we are not holding our own as parents. Here are three ways to reverse this tide.
I never thought I would consider having a toddler and preschooler in the house at the same time as a blessing. They are both very demanding of our time and have to be taught everything. Just when I thought we were past some foundational stuff
Teething Tips for Parents of Babies
by Tania Cowling March 24th, 2025 | Care, Infants/Toddlers
Has your baby been drooling steadily? Does she mouth every toy she picks up? Your little one may be teething. Teething can be annoying to babies; the gums can be painful. Here are some important tips to learn when those pearly whites may pop and what to do to comfort your baby.
Physical Signs of Teething
Babies usually begin to cut teeth between the ages of four to seven months with molars coming in
Teen’s Perspective on Reading
by Sam P. March 17th, 2025 | Teen Perspective, Teens
I love reading. Honestly, I can't remember a time in my life when I didn't enjoy reading. My favorite thing about reading is that you can choose the minute details. You get to picture exactly how everything looks and what each scene looks like. It is like your own personal movie that everyone sees differently. Not only is reading great because it is personalized to your imagination specifically, but it broadens
If You Have Nothing Nice to Say
by Michele March 10th, 2025 | Behavior, TweensThe tween years can be trying. For everyone. As the parent, you may be feeling frustrated with this hormonal, pre-adolescent person, but remember, he or she is feeling that frustration, too. Of course, frustration is not a get out of jail free card for poor behavior.
The key piece of advice I have for parenting during those moments of frustration is based on something my mom used to say:
How to Make Family Dinners Awesome
by Tania Cowling March 3rd, 2025 | Elementary, SeasonalMealtimes should be happy routines for your kids. Remember that pleasant eating experiences are just as important as nutritious foods. At this age, the kiddos are developing their food habits and attitudes - hopefully good ones, although sometimes the dinner table
Teaching Preschoolers the Art of Collecting
by Tania Cowling February 24th, 2025 | Preschool, SocialAre you a collector? Do you have memorabilia that you find interesting? Well, children have a passion for collections, too! From baseball cards, matchbox cars, plastic army men, Star Wars characters, and even pocket collections from an outdoor nature walk (as long as they are not live creatures). Building a treasure collection is fun for preschoolers.
The first thing a child has to do is decide what will fit into her collection- the general topic or category she wants to collect. This is an
4 Infant Behaviors to Expect in the Beginning
Marnie Bii February 17th, 2025 | Behavior, Infants/ToddlersWithin the first few months of life, infants often exhibit a number of curious behaviors that tend to surprise new parents. Infants might scratch their face or body, kick their legs, cross their eyes and root with alarming immediacy. As parents navigate their new caregiver roles, questions might arise about the normalcy of these behaviors. Thankfully, all of these actions are