As a toddler, our son Michael came into our bedroom at night to sleep on the carpet near our bed. He never knocked on the door or asked to come in or tried to climb into our bed with us. He always conked out on the side near his mother. Obviously...
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March 14, 2018
An Open Letter to Students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School
At Highlights, our core value is the idea that “Children are the world’s most important people.” We keep this idea front and center as we create magazines, books, and digital products that are “Fun with a Purpose.”
We...
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March 08, 2018
Why Media Role Models Matter
By Caroline Knorr, Parenting Editor, Common Sense Media
As parents, we have a natural instinct to choose who we want our kids to be friends with -- and who we'd rather they not hang around. The same instinct kicks in for media role models...
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March 01, 2018
What They’ll Remember
I was having breakfast recently with the appealing young woman who used to be my little girl, when she suddenly looked across the table and, out of the blue, began reminiscing about a game we used to play when she was in the first grade. "...
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February 05, 2018
5 Ways to Teach Kindness to Kids
Do kids value kindness? According to the Highlights 2017 State of the Kid survey, they do!
We polled 2,000 kids ages 6–12 to get their views on kindness and empathy. When we asked, “What would you change in the world if you could change...
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February 05, 2018
Change the World with Kindness
My name is Carlie, and I am 13 years old. My mission is to change the world with kindness, and my motto has always been “It doesn’t matter how old you are—you can make a difference!”
I choose projects that are close to my heart and enlist...
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January 25, 2018
“Read to Me,” She Said
by Bob Brody
She was maybe three years old, her face still round and soft, and I was reading a book to her. It was probably the Berenstain Bears, because her mother bought so many of those.
We lay on her bed, my daughter Caroline snuggling on my chest...
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January 18, 2018
3 Ways to Motivate Your Student
With the new year upon us, re-energizing your student about learning can seem challenging. With the right tactics, however, motivating your child to tackle 2018 doesn’t have to be a source of conflict. Techniques like promoting leadership or...
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January 12, 2018
An Educator’s Point of View: 3 Types of Puzzles That Build Student Skills
As a fourth- and fifth-grade teacher, I’ve found that using puzzles in the classroom has benefits for students of all learning levels and abilities. Solving puzzles adds variety to daily lessons, helps children practice math concepts, and...
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December 21, 2017
A Matter of Time
On a recent evening of baby-sitting, I put my two-year-old grandson in the tub for what I thought would be a quick bath. By the time I’d soaped him up and rinsed him off, however, he’d become so absorbed in pouring water from one plastic cup to...
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