Studying can be a true challenge for children—for some, the thought of having to sit at a desk for hours alone causes dread. It can be difficult to think of ways to help make your elementary school student’s studying less tedious, so here are...
Read MoreAha! Blog
November 30, 2017
Building Empathy in Our Children
In school, our children are focused on learning facts, how to do math, and how to write. This type of intelligence helps propel them forward in school, earning high grades and college acceptances. But…what if IQ alone isn’t enough to make your...
Read More
November 16, 2017
Speaking Up for Kindness
It was the morning rush and, as usual, we were racing the clock. The children were slow to put on their shoes, I left my coffee on the steps, and we got stuck behind a garbage truck. When the car in front of us stopped in the middle of the street...
Read More
October 27, 2017
Parents, Be Kind! Your Kids Are Watching
News flash: Parents aren’t perfect!
All right, this isn’t actually news. Any parent who has lain awake at night replaying in his or her mind a regrettable lack of self-control—a harsh tone, a sarcastic comment, a slammed door, or worse—...
Read More
October 12, 2017
You Want Me to Read to My Baby?
I’ve never had parents say exactly these words to me when they come for a well-child visit for their six-month-old, but it’s what the look on their face more or less says. As a pediatrician, I participate in Reach Out and Read, a program that...
Read More
October 05, 2017
Grandparents Who Care: When Grands Provide Childcare
By Rebecca Parlakian, Director of Parenting Resources, ZERO TO THREE
My mom watched my newborn son as I made the transition back to work. One day, I handed him off to her for a nap as I got on a conference call. When he woke, I went in to...
Read More
September 21, 2017
Raise a Hybrid Writer!
by Pam Abrams
By the time kids enter kindergarten today, most are, unsurprisingly, well versed in the basics of digital communication. Which isn’t a bad thing, except if it takes the place entirely of learning to write by hand.
For many kids now, that’s...
Read More
September 15, 2017
5 Important Ways Moms Influence Kids
By Sierra Filucci, Editor, Common Sense Media
Media has a huge influence on kids -- and as kids get older, the online world has an even tighter grip on them. You can see it in the way they imitate their favorite TV characters,...
Read More
September 08, 2017
4 Ways to Help Your Elementary-School Student with Homework
When helping your elementary-school student with homework, it’s important to be prepared. Keep reading to learn four ways you can help your child get the most out of this educational experience.
1. Show—don’t tellIt can be tempting,...
Read More
August 10, 2017
How to Raise an Optimistic Human in a Pessimistic World
By Caroline Knorr, Parenting Editor, Common Sense Media
If you're raising kids today, it can be easy to focus on the negative. And it's no wonder: Thanks to the 24-hour news cycle, social media, cell phone notifications -- and even sources...
Read More