Latest Articles

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  The Importance of Providing Your Child with Rich Sensory Experiences

  In the early stages of life, the five senses are the most important tools that our little ones have to gather information about the world around them. As your child feels textures, absorbs shapes, and takes in new sounds, they are engaging in discovery, exercising their memories, and making connections.

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  Why Does My Child Like Reading the Same Books Over and Over?

  As adults, we crave variety. Anything that breaks up the monotony of life is a welcomed thing. So it may be a bit perplexing when your child asks to read the same book night after night or listens to the same songs on repeat. You may wonder if it gets boring or even if your child is getting enough exposure to new learning experiences.

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  Creating the Perfect Bedtime Routine in 5 Easy Steps

  There’s no doubt that parents of children of all ages understand the importance of sleep. Aside from preserving parental sanity, a child’s sleep is critical for their development. According to the CDC and the Sleep Foundation, adequate sleep is crucial for preventing poor mental health, obesity, type 2 diabetes, a weakened immune system, and both attention and behavior problems. Yet somehow, about 30% of children in the U.S. don’t get enough sleep.

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  Promoting Problem Solving to Raise Independent Kids

  As much as we want to support our children in all areas, it is important that we are training them to eventually become independent, productive adults. One way we do this is to teach them how to solve problems for themselves.

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  Why Listening is an Essential Part of Learning How to Read

  While developmentally-conscious parents institute storytime as a vital part of their household ritual, primary classrooms fill their schedules with “rhyme time” and daily songs. Any parent or teacher can tell you how much children love to listen to stories, songs, and rhymes.

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  Is Baby Talk a Bad Thing?

  Baby talk is the one language we all have in common when confronted with a small child. Despite how naturally it comes, an adult’s inclination to melt into a series of coos and sing-songy speech when in the presence of a baby has often been the topic of debate. Wouldn’t it be much better to speak properly to children so that they learn what’s “correct”? As it turns out, our instinctive tendency to use baby talk has three major benefits to language development and is completely appropriate up to a certain age.

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  What Should I Do if My Child is Having Trouble with Sight Words?

  Soon after your child learns the alphabet, he or she will begin learning their sight words. Sight words are commonly seen words that do not follow the typical rules of spelling, like does, can, and the. Because of this, they can be difficult for children to decode and are taught through memorization at school. Learning age appropriate sight words is vital for reading fluency. So what should you do if you notice your child isn’t catching on as quickly as they should be?

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  6 Simple Games to Strengthen Reading Skills at Home

  Whether your child has just started discovering their letter sounds at home or is learning to read and write at school, you can support their reading development by playing simple games that require little to no prep.

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  Creating a Positive Learning Environment at Home

  Your home is your child’s first classroom and you are their first teacher. The environment that you provide will determine how ready they will be to receive learning and expectations once they start school. It will also provide the foundation to how they approach life. Will they be organized? Will they be problem solvers? Will they be curious and well rounded? Studies show that these traits are heavily influenced by a child’s environment. Fortunately,  creating a positive learning environment in which your child will thrive is simple with a few intentional practices at home.

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  Promoting Language Development at Home

  Language development is highly linked to future academic achievement in children. Your child’s ability to communicate and express themselves is integral to moving through life. Naturally, you’ll want to do everything you can to promote proper growth in those first few years. As with most areas of child development, exposure is key. Consider the following tips to create a language-rich environment at home.

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  Guided Reading Activities for Babies and Toddlers

  Guided reading is an approach to storytime that promotes engagement and comprehension. It encourages thinking while listening and helps kids make stories more meaningful by making connections.

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  How to Nurture Your 4 Year Old’s Communication Skills

  Is your 4 year old starting to answer simple questions like, “what are hats for?” or “what are you doing?”? That’s wonderful news! This is a milestone for your child’s developing communication skills.

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