Over the past few months, theatre camps all over the country have had thousands of kids come through their doors to rehearse and perform a summer musical. They arrive day one with no knowledge of the script or characters, and, two or three weeks later, they are in costume under stage lights singing and dancing their hearts out.
Years ago, when I used to direct these shows, I would look at the kids on their first day, their eager eyes looking up at me, and tell them, “You are about to embark on an adventure that most adults would NEVER EVER be able to do. In fact, if I were to tell a group of adults that, in 11 days, they would be presenting an entire musical fully memorized and fully choreographed, they would run out of the room screaming. But you guys, you can do it! You have the power to see that it is possible…possible with the power of teamwork.”
And then they do it. They rehearse the show, memorize their lines, create their characters and, as a group, tell a story.
I can’t help but think about the skills that we are looking for in our modern workforce. Let’s look at a couple of the big employers in my home of the SF Bay Area:
Google: ”If you’re looking for a place that values your curiosity, passion, and desire to learn, if you’re seeking colleagues who are big thinkers eager to take on fresh challenges as a team, then you’re a future Googler.”
Apple: “This is where some of the world’s most passionate people create the world’s most innovative products and experiences.”
Want to know what the “job description” looks like for the kids in theatre camp?
“Wanted: An employee with a positive, can-do spirit of optimism. Strong teamwork skills required. Looking for passionate commitment to projects. Job requires creative thinking and attention to detail. Self-starters encouraged to apply. Public speaking and quick learning is a regular part of this position. Excellent communication skills a plus and the ability to think outside the box encouraged.”
Nina Meehan is CEO and Founder Bay Area Children's Theatre and the host of the Creative Parenting Podcast. An internationally recognized expert in youth development through the arts, Nina nurtures innovation by fostering creative thinking. She is mom to Toby (13), Robby (10) and Meadow (5).
Ever wish you mastered another language as a child? When kids have a bilingual education, they’re challenged daily to step out of their comfort zone and connect language to the world around them. Becoming bilingual gives children the tools to thrive in many aspects of their lives—now and in the future. Dual language programs help develop critical thinking skills, foster creativity, boost problem-solving capabilities, and improve cognitive performance.
At the German International School in Beaverton, children learn in a supportive environment dedicated to helping them grow into well-rounded, global citizens. GIS is an International Baccalaureate School, featuring German and Mandarin language immersion, and serving two-year-old’s through 5th grade.
Students in the preschool and kindergarten programs at GIS begin making important connections through play-based education, as well as interaction with teachers and native-speaking peers. Children are exposed to German or Chinese (depending on the chosen track) and English through stories, songs, art, movement and immersion-style instruction—building important communication skills and preparing for the transition to the full immersion program. Previous Chinese or German language experience is not required to enroll in preschool or kindergarten.
It’s a Collaborative Community with Student-Centered Learning
The German International School is an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School, committed to developing knowledgeable, caring, bilingual world citizens. The IB program focuses on cognitive development, as well as the social, emotional and physical well-being of each student. The program's aim is to shape inquiring, internationally-minded students, who are culturally aware, prepared with skills to tackle society’s complex challenges and seek to create a better world.
Small class sizes help young learners succeed in Chinese or German immersion. From the classroom to the outdoors, this tight-knit community of students is provided with thoughtful environments and experiences that spark curiosity as they explore. By interacting with warm, knowledgeable teachers and friends of various cultures, kids at GIS become well equipped to connect with a wide variety of people from all around the globe.
Learning Extends Beyond the Classroom
GIS students also learn through music, art, and PE. These specials give students fresh perspectives and ways of experiencing what they’ve learned in the classroom through different mediums. No matter the activity, students have countless opportunities to nurture their curiosity with inquiry-based learning. With a focus on empathy, the school’s Second Step program teaches kids how to recognize and communicate their emotions, so they can be good learners and good friends. Set up a tour today!
Whether you’re a brand new parent, you’ve been a parent for a while or you’re looking to plan for your future child’s future, there are so many ways you can plan for your child to have a great life both in your care and as they grow and learn about the world around them. While you might be thinking about financial planning, life planning or some other form of planning, you can form a well-rounded plan that covers all of the necessary bases to set your child up for success.
While of course, you can’t plan out your child’s entire life while they’re still young, eventually they’ll grow up to become their own person, and your job as a parent is to guide them towards that future. By showing them along the way how to care for themselves, making the preparations you need to help them while building a positive home environment, you can prepare and plan for your child’s future in all the ways that truly count. From the financial to the emotional, here are 8 unique ways you can plan for your child’s future.
1. Get Involved in Their Education
One of the best ways to give your child a good future is to ensure that they’re learning to their highest potential. From teaching them to read when they’re younger to helping them with their homework and class selection as they get older, getting involved in their education can help your child make the most of every opportunity. When the time comes to look at colleges and decide what they want with their future, they’ll be able to go at it fully prepared and ready, thanks to you.
2. Build Positive Communication Skills
Part of growing into a positive life is learning to have positive relationships with others, and that all begins at home. As a parent, teaching your children about effective communication skills can set them up for success in all areas of their lives going forward.
3. Start Financial Planning
Everyone talks about how kids can be expensive, and planning for that fact can be one of the best ways for you to prepare yourself and provide for your children as best as possible. Specifically, learning how to budget and setting financial goals for the future can help you set up for your kids financially, whether you want to put them through college, help them into adulthood or anything they might need.
4. Build a Support Network
It takes a village to raise a child, and in order to do that, you need to build that village. You want your children to be surrounded by supportive people who love and care for them, and the best way to start them on that path is to involve great people in raising them. That way, they’ll always have someone to turn to when they need, even if that person isn’t you.
5. Start Forming Your Will
While planning for the day you might not be here anymore isn’t a fun activity, it’s a part of being responsible in the care of your child. If you don’t have a will, making one should be your top priority when you have children. Naming a guardian you trust, deciding what happens to your assets and planning for any possible scenario is what needs to happen when you have kids in the picture.
6. Open a College Fund
Similar to saving and forming your will, another way you can financially prepare for your child’s future is by opening up a college fund. While you don’t need a huge amount of money to open an account, even small sums can grow over time. It’s never too early to start thinking about how you want to provide an education for your kids.
7. Engage in Extracurricular Activities
But what about helping them figure out what they want to do when they grow up, learning hobbies and passions and skills? That’s where activities come in. While, of course, extracurricular activities aren’t the end-all-be-all of planning for your child’s future, they can help your child figure out what they like and remind them to work hard and stay committed to their goals.
8. Show Them Self Care Strategies
Self care is an important life skill that your child can take with them everywhere they go. When you instill those values into your children from a young age, they’ll be more likely to grow into healthy, well-adjusted adults one day.
There are so many ways to ensure that your child has a bright future ahead of them. From preparing financially to getting involved in their education and teaching them life skills, you can truly set your kids up for success from the day they’re born. Your kids deserve the amazing future you have the power to give them.
Kara Reynolds is the Editor-in-Chief and founder of Momish Magazine. A mom of four and matriarch to her big blended family, Kara wants nothing more than to normalize differences in family structures. She enjoys peeing alone, pancakes, and pinot noir - but not at the same time.
Celebrate Earth Day with National Geographic’s new four-episode series, Secrets of the Whales. The documentary from the ocean’s depths makes its way to Disney+ Thursday, Apr. 22!
Are your kiddos into enviro- or animal everything? Your little naturalist can dig deep into the world of the whale in this brand-new series. Not only will your child enjoy Secrets of the Whales, the entire family can get in on the science-packed action of this streaming documentary.
Secrets of the Whales was filled over the course of three years in 24 different locations. The Nat Geo series explores the lives, communication skills, and social structures of orcas, humpbacks, sperm whales, belugas, and narwhals.
Narrated by actress Sigourney Weaver, the series was directed by Brian Armstrong and Andy Mitchell. The Nat Geo documentary’s executive producers are James Cameron, Maria Wilhelm, Brian Armstrong, and Shannon Malone-deBenedictis.
All four parts of National Geographic’s Secrets of the Whales will stream exclusively on Disney+.
New research from the University of Edinburgh found that infants may recognize combinations of words before they can speak. The study, which was published in the journal Cognition, challenges the idea that babies learn single words first and then progress to more complex multi-word phrases.
Researchers assessed the language development of 11 and 12-month-olds to learn more about how infants build communication skills. This study specifically looked at language learning behaviors in 36 babies during a series of attention tests.
The tests used recorded adult speech to explore how the babies responded to combinations of three-word sequences. Study researchers then compared the babies’ responses, measuring how long the children looked—also known as central fixation. Using central fixation times, the researchers found that some of the babies were learning their first words while simultaneously learning combinations.
According to Dr. Barbora Skarabela, of the School of Philosophy, Psychology and Languages Sciences, “Previous research has shown that young infants recognize many common words. But this is the first study that shows that infants extract and store more than just single words from everyday speech. This suggests that when children learn language, they build on linguistic units of varying sizes, including multiword sequences, and not just single words as we often assume.”
Dr. Skarabela added, “This may explain why adults learning a second language, who tend to rely on individual words, often fall short of reaching native-like proficiency in the way they string words together into phrases and sentences.”
Spring has sprung, and that means Easter fun is on the way! Looking for Easter gifts that aren’t going to come with a costly trip to the dentist? We have your back and are in love with the coolest kid-tech on the block—Osmo!
Osmo is an educational (but they don’t need to know that) game system that’s fun, academic, confidence-building and creative. This leading-edge tech uses tangible pieces to create a hands-on learning experience second to none. Osmo is an engaging and lovable character that connects with your child, as he can magically “see” how your child is coming along with activities and respond in real-time! A true one-on-one learning experience transforms how kids learn, combining tactile exploration with innovative technology. Bottom line—you won’t find another learning system out there like this, and your kid will keep coming back for more! Read on to learn more about the Osmo kits (and be sure to let the Easter Bunny in on your favorite for the big day!).
This Osmo kit is packed with preschool fun. With four games that touch on core subjects, your little genius will work on building letters with squishy colorful lines and rings, building vocabulary and reading skills. They’ll foster their creativity and drawing skills, watching their creations come to life. With Costume Party, they’ll experiment with clothes and colors watching their new friends react! ABCs helps kids gain confidence in letter recognition, vocabulary, construction, and phonics. Squiggle Magic helps foster creativity and pre-drawing skills. And with Stories, they can work on problem-solving as they navigate stories with their newly dressed up friends. This starter Osmo kit will spark their imagination, teach critical skills, and entertain for hours of fun with these four games!
The next step in the uber-cool Osmo universe, the Genius Starter Kit, includes everything your kids need to experience hands-on STEM learning and digital fun in five different ways. Playing Tangram is a great way to exercise spatial and visual problem-solving skills—start thinking with shapes! Words will have them zooming letter tiles around, spelling creating and having fun, while Numbers will show kids there are multiple ways to solve a problem—making math creative and fun. With Newton, physics meets creative problem-solving as your kid guides falling on-screen balls into targeted zones and avoids a catastrophe! Next, take a picture of anything and Masterpiece will transform it into simple outlines so kids can draw it to perfection. The bottom line with this kit: STEM learning can be creative and fun.
The Coding Starter Kit builds coding skills in an easy-to-learn way, by building in a progression with three hands-on learning games. Watch your kid learn to code (and maybe pick up a thing or two yourself) as they connect colorful blocks of code to chart the adventures with Osmo and friends on their screen. The first step is with Coding Awbie, building problem-solving and logic skills while learning the basic concepts of coding. Is there a DJ in the house?! With Coding Jam, kids arrange coding blocks in patterns and loops to create their own music. The third and most advanced step is Coding Duo, where kids solve advanced side-by-side puzzles on their own or with a friend for double the fun and challenge.
This crafty kit blends kids' real-life doodles with on-screen Osmo action so they can invent, explore and play! Watch your kid's creativity and communication skills bloom as they dive deep into a world of endless imagination. With Monster, they will be amazed as their doodles come to life in Osmo’s hands—it's pure magic! Draw obstacles to get balls to land on target with Newton, and with Masterpiece, any picture is broken down into traceable lines so your kid can practice creating their own works of art.
Recently my friend sent me this great article, “How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Screen, by Linda Wilbrecht, PhD.” It helps frame some of the positive ways that screen time can support teens during the pandemic. When I received the article, I had already been reflecting on how much screen time my two teenage sons have had since the lockdown in March. Since the boys were young, we have always limited their screen time out of the fear of the negative side effects like screen addiction, social isolation, increased anxiety and depression and lack of in-person communication skills.
This past summer, without their regular summer activities, the boys were on the screens a whole lot more, and I know it was the same for most kids. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it wasn’t all bad and that even in my own home there are some really positive ways screen time is helping my kids through this crisis. So much of what my kids were choosing to do was actually helping foster many of the things that I had feared in the first place!
Instead of becoming addicted, they are actually finding their own screen balance, increasing social connection, sharpening their communication skills, and learning new things. One of their friends developed a server for Minecraft, the “world-building game.” Together, they go on adventures and build new worlds including a “Capture the Flag” arena where they actually play “Capture the Flag.” This past weekend, six kids got together to fight the Enderdragon and “win” the game. While they play, they talk and chat through Discord, a communication platform. But the great thing is that they organized this all themselves! From the other room, I hear them working together, being creative, working out conflict and collaborating in ways that they just can’t do right now in person.
Both of my kids are exploring their interests and developing new skills using their screens. One is learning to draw his favorite anime characters while the other is teaching himself to repair and maintain his bicycle. They are also spending time diving mindlessly into the black hole of YouTube videos and there seems to be a place for that too.
We have had conversations about different types of screen time because as Linda Wilbrecht writes in the article, “It may not be the amount of screen time that is important, but what we are doing with our screens.” She makes a good point and with this in mind it became my goal to help them to distinguish between active, productive screen time where they are building skills and passive screen time which is purely for entertainment. Encouraging them to balance active and passive screen activities made the difference between feeling good about their increased screen use and my worry that they are online too much.
My boys still don’t have free reign of their screen time. We talk about it daily, how much, what kind, and how it makes them feel. All screens are off by 9:30 p.m. We make time to connect as a family each evening. We make sure that they are getting enough exercise and sleep. So while I still can’t say that I love the screen, it isn’t scaring me as much as it used to. I am more at peace because I see its value for my sons during this time that they are cut off from their friends. I appreciate their giving me a new perspective, especially during these challenging times.
I'm Jenny Michaelson, Ph.D., PCI Certified Parent Coach®. I live in Oakland, California with my family. I love supporting parents through my practice, True North Parent Coaching. Together we uncover strengths and develop strategies to make transformational changes to overcome parenting challenges and bring more joy, ease and fun back to parenting.
Hearing a doctor or psychologist diagnose your child with a serious diagnosis can be a gut punch for a parent or caregiver. You will need to face your own feelings about the diagnosis, learn about the condition, and take action on behalf of your child.
Maybe your daughter is a late talker who doesn’t allow others to hug her. Maybe your son talks up a storm about Thomas the Tank Engine and can only go to sleep when every engine from the show is lined up in a precise order on his bed. Maybe your child doesn’t make eye contact or reply in a conversational way when you speak to them.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that parents who are concerned about their child’s development talk with their doctor. The AAP recommends screening all children for autism at the 18- and 24-month well-child visits.
The Initial Screening & Evaluation
Sometimes the initial screening process goes smoothly and results in a clear diagnosis. Julie and Kyle’s third and youngest child, Aldo, was only two when he was diagnosed with autism, and he qualified for early intervention, a program that offers developmental support to very young children. Julie described Aldo as sociable and charming at times, but he didn’t like to make eye contact and he didn’t seem very interested in other kids. She was concerned by his frequent meltdowns, which were caused by a flood of intense feelings, both physical and emotional. When she took him to be evaluated, the evaluators said his autism was as clear as day.
The evaluation process is not always that straightforward, though. For example, for children who have another major diagnosis, like deafness or cerebral palsy, indicators of autism are harder to recognize. In these cases, a parent might be told that their child’s behavior is due to a diagnosis that is already known.
That is what happened with Julie and Kyle’s second child, Tommy, who is legally blind. When he was in preschool, he was having such violent meltdowns that he had been asked to leave two schools. He didn’t like to be away from home, and it showed.
“His relationship with me and his dad and older sister was wonderful, but anybody else, he was like, ‘burn it all down.’” She knew in her gut something more than his low vision was going on, but every doctor they consulted insisted that vision was the only issue.
“When they’re little,” she says, “you’re trying to figure out, is this their personality or is something wrong?”
Insurance Issues Create Challenges
Sometimes factors like where you live and what kind of insurance you have make a difference as well. In Tennessee, where Julie and Kyle’s family lived at the time, state law does not require autism services to be covered by insurance.
“They were recommending applied behavior therapy for Aldo and we were looking into that,” she says. “After insurance we would be paying $800 a week. It was really shattering.”
So, like many families with autistic children, they researched states where, by law, autism services are covered at 100 percent, and they relocated to Pennsylvania.
After they moved, Tommy’s new school counselor referred him for evaluation, and he received an official diagnosis. It soon became clear that autism runs in both sides of the family. “They were talking about Tommy, but they were also aspects of my life,” Kyle says. He was diagnosed later that year. The family now includes two children and one adult with autism.
As the family settled into a new state, home, and school district, the boys started getting help.
About Autism Spectrum Disorder
Autism is a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition that affects a person’s ability to communicate and interact with others. Autism also affects a person’s ability to process changes and transitions in daily life and sensory information from their environment. Every autistic person is unique, but, generally speaking, autistic children may find it hard to make friends with typically developing peers and may become overwhelmed by sensory input or changes to routine. Some experience meltdowns that caregivers feel powerless to stop.
Autism is a spectrum disorder, which means autistic people experience it on a continuum of severity. Diagnosis is usually categorized as level one, two, or three.
Level 1: The person requires support for learning social skills, organizational and planning skills, and dealing with the expectations of society.
Level 2: The individual requires substantial support with verbal communication skills, understanding others’ body language, and managing changes to their environment or routines, which can cause them significant distress.
Level 3: The person requires very substantial support because of challenges related to verbal and nonverbal communication, as well as intensely repetitive behaviors and severe distress they experience during transitions.
ABA Therapy
Aldo, who is now four years old, attends a preschool that uses applied behavior analysis (ABA), a type of therapy that focuses on teaching specific behaviors and self-care skills. Aldo is working on language concepts, dressing himself, and regulating his emotions.
Kyle describes ABA as providing scripts to follow in a variety of situations, like when to say “I’m sorry for your loss,” versus “Everything will be OK.” As an adult who never received an autism diagnosis or support, Kyle had to learn this kind of thing on his own. “It’s basic pattern recognition for social situations,” he says, “but I’m still not very good at it.”
Julie says ABA works well as long as the teachers develop a rapport with their students first.
“ABA is only as good as the practitioner,” she says. “They were talking to Aldo like he’s a robot, giving him commands and expecting compliance. I told them, ‘You have to have an emotional connection with him. If you are attempting to change his behavior without an emotional connection, he won’t do it.’”
For Tommy, the challenges are a bit more nuanced. At seven, he is in school with a one-on-one aide who helps him work on learning how different social rules apply in different places, like the playground versus the classroom, and handling overwhelming sensory input, like noisy hallways.
Even with support, sometimes the frustrations of a world that is too loud, changeable, and demanding take their toll on the boys, leading to meltdowns.
Kyle says, “A meltdown is when pieces don’t fit, things don’t make sense, and they’re unable to reconcile the reality of the situation and deal with it. It is based on the sheer terror of losing contact with the reality you know to be safe and right and good.”
Other Supports & Therapies
Support for autistic individuals often means therapies that target their specific needs. In addition to ABA, which is considered the gold standard for autism support before age four, support may include:
Speech and language therapy offers support for anyone with difficulties that relate to talking, feeding, processing language, and understanding body language and social cues. The communication challenges that make up major features of autism mean that many autistic children receive speech therapy.
Occupational therapy helps people master fine motor tasks like handwriting, dressing, or feeding themselves, and challenges related to sensory processing challenges, which affect how intensely sensory input affects a person’s nervous system.
“This Is Really Hard”
Julie wants parents whose kids have just been diagnosed to know that there is a whole community that understands what you’re feeling.
“I would tell them, ‘you’re not crazy; this is really hard,’” she says. “I’ve had to change aspects of my personality to be a better mom. I’m not a naturally organized person, and I’ve had to dissolve and reinvent myself to become the kind of mom they needed me to be.”
Kyle agrees that the organizational demands of raising children who are autistic are a lot harder than they should be. “You have to be prepared for a nonstop litany of ‘go here first, do this next.’ And you may or may not get where you’re supposed to go.”
Julie says she has had to employ two opposite modes of communication as an advocate for her sons. “One is ‘I’m a complete emotional mess asking anyone for help,’ and the other one is this really hard-nosed, clear-sighted person going for what they need,” she says. “I’ve had to use both of them. I’ve had to cry on the phone to get help with paperwork, and I’ve had to hire a special education advocate because the school was jerking me around.”
Finding social support is essential. “Even though you feel alone, you’re not alone. Find online groups, especially local ones, that are supportive and loving and won’t shame you. Those communities are lifesavers.”
About the Author
Juliet B. Martinez is a freelance writer and editor with close to 20 years of experience writing on health, science, and parenting topics. A graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Juliet has published articles in Chicago Parent and Green Entrepreneur, among others. She lives in Pittsburgh with her husband, a drummer and university administrator; her deaf, autistic, K-pop-loving teenager; and her tween, who still likes to cuddle. Read more of Juliet’s writing at www.julietbmartinez.com.
We’re living in a time when it’s nearly impossible to distinguish fact from fiction. Parents need information they trust to help them make good decisions about raising their curious learners. Britannica for Parents provides safe and credible resources to empower all kids and parents and inspire curiosity for generations to come.
If there’s just one goal every parent in the world has in common, then it is to make their children street smart and able to fend for themselves, if not super-successful. The very fact that you clicked through to this article shows that you’re no different.
Is there a guaranteed way to do this? I’ve written umpteen blogs on parenting and early education, and believe me, there isn’t! But yes, researchers and scientists have (fortunately) shown us that there are a number of steps parents and guardians can take to grow an Einstein at home. Check out the 5 ways to help your kids achieve their best.
1. Expect Your Child to Succeed. OK, this is counterintuitive. Most parenting blogs advise against holding high expectations from your children, for fear of pressurizing them or burning them out. However, a study titled Cognitive Ability at Kindergarten Entry and Socioeconomic Status published in the official journal of the American Association of Pediatrics found that the expectations—well as the encouragement, support, and resources (such as books and computers)—that parents gave their children early on were critical to their academic success at school. Kids who performed best in kindergarten had parents who expected them to eventually attain a college degree. The lesson here? Don’t be a helicopter mom or dad, but do make it clear to your kid that you’d absolutely love it if she did well at school, in sports, or any other pursuit of her choice.
2. Hold Real Conversations. Kids with stronger communication skills are likely to have better grades, better jobs, better relationships, and so on. No surprise there, if you ask me. That said, talking to kindergarteners like you would to adults—holding actual two-way conversations instead of barking “Shut the door” and “Wipe your feet” can be instrumental in developing strong communication skills that will serve them well throughout their life, a joint study by researchers from MIT, Harvard, and the University of Pennsylvania found.
“It’s almost magical how parental conversation appears to influence the biological growth of the brain,” said John Gabrielli, the senior author of the study. “Children coming from families with lesser income or parental education [also] showed the same benefits from conversational turn-taking,” he clarified.
3. Encourage Science. It is widely recognized that traditional education is no longer effective at stimulating children’s natural curiosity and bridging the gap between academics and actual learning. STEM education—a pedagogy involving Science Technology Engineering Mathematics—promotes schooling policies, curriculum choices, training methods, and skillsets that can inculcate a growth mindset and curiosity in kids in their growing years. Research shows that young children who’re starting their school already have divergent thinking capabilities. They are curious learners with natural reasoning, logic, and spatial skills. Strengthening these innate abilities should begin at the earliest.
You can introduce science, math, tech, and engineering to kids as early as two years. Doing experiments, reading, and discovering stuff on their own increases children’s metacognition and wires their brains to be receptive to (and not fear!) these significant subjects throughout their lives.
4. Let Them Solve Their Own Problems. One of the most difficult things to do (by not doing anything) is watching your child fail. We all walk a fine line between protecting our kids and letting them tackle tough situations on their own. In a famous TED Talk, Julie Lythcott-Haims, author of How to Raise an Adult, emphasizes the need to let children make mistakes, solve their own problems, and compel them to do household chores.
In fact, this is very easy to do today, as both kids have access to a lot of resources. Your duty as an adult is to get them to focus on the task at hand and keep at it until they arrive at a solution. Don’t lecture them; ask open-ended questions instead. Subtly encourage creative thinking with “how” questions and teach them cause-and-effect with “why” questions. And yes, let them use Google. Or YouTube, for that matter.
All this develops their resilience, resourcefulness, and their ability to think critically—and sets them up for success down the line.
5. Keep Them Happy. Happy Kids = Successful Kids. The importance of a caring, supportive, and fun-filled environment at home cannot be overstated. Help your children construct their own vision of a happy and fulfilling future (don’t mind if they keep changing their version) and tell them what they need to get there. According to Dr. Edward Hallowell, author of The Childhood Roots of Adult Happiness and one of the country’s foremost ADHD experts, kids need
to be deeply connected to at least one other person
the opportunity to play and imagine
the time and encouragement to practice one or two things well and ultimately to feel mastery of it
recognition of hard work
Above all, love is the radiant force that keeps children on the path to a stable and successful life ahead. In order to “practically” teach your children to love, respect, and trust, you need to start with being happy yourself. Help them build deep connections and relationships with family members and other kids.
Kids suffer a lot more “setbacks” than adults (like broken toys). They need to know it isn’t the end of the world. Give them a healthy dose of optimism every day and show them the bright side of things.
Remember that intelligence isn’t everything. In the race to make your kids smarter, don’t forget to instill empathy and ethics in them. As P. J. O’Rourke proclaimed, “Smart people don’t start many bar fights, but stupid people don’t build many hydrogen bombs.”
Shreiya Aggarwal-Gupta is the owner of the early education startup Kidpillar, which aims to provide developmental opportunities & resources for young children in the field of STEM (Science Technology Engineering Mathematics) via kid-friendly journals, practical DIY-kits, and simple project-based learnings & workshops.Shreiya is also a passionate blogger, computer science engineer, finance whiz
We asked our #OutdoorsAll4 Facebook Group of over 12,000 parents to share how their kids will be learning this fall. No surprise, the breakdown looks pretty different from school years past: 49% of kids will be learning at home, 28% will participate in “hybrid” or online schooling and 19% are attending a school or center, in person, either full or part time, while the remaining families are either undecided or simply have kids too young for “schooling.”
One thing all of these families agree on, and we know to be true, is that kids need play. If kids are learning at home, they’ll need the opportunity to learn on their own—and how better to do that than through purposeful play? If they’re online for all or part of their schooling, they’ll need breaks to play and go outdoors in order to balance the impact of screen time on their bodies and minds. And, if they are heading into a school environment, they’ll likely benefit from the joy and wellness benefits that outdoor play provides once they’re home for the day. And, grown-ups, don’t forget that play is good for us, too!
How do you build in play? Add in play breaks!
No matter what your family’s schedule, here are some simple tips to build play breaks into the part of the day your kids are home.
If kids are learning at home: Build blocks of time for play into your schedule. Research tells us that kids need a minimum of 30 minutes for self-led play to start, take hold, and realize its magic. Yet we’ve seen play last far longer, kids benefitting from plenty of time to explore and develop their ideas. We recommend 1-hour chunks of time with flexibility to go even longer in your schedule.
If kids are following an online program: Make sure kids use some of the time they’re not required to be on screen to get up, move their bodies, and get outdoors. If you can, schedule at least 30 minutes or more once or twice a day for designated playtime. And, use transition times between tasks to build in small chances to move and be playful.
If kids are going to a school or center: As much as possible, try to refrain from scheduling too many structured activities after school in order to leave more open-ended time for play. Though teachers and schools are doing heroic work to make schools feel like schools, kids’ freedom may often be limited in exchange for their safety—not to mention the extra level of stress on everyone involved. So, all the more reason for free, kid-led play when the school day is done!
If kids need a break: No matter how learning is structured in your house, we all know those moments when kids just need a break—and when we might need one too. A play break can work wonders!
How do you inspire kids to play?
To help all families inspire kids to take a break for play, we have developed our new series—quick, easy ideas that inspire hours of purposeful (and fun!) outdoor play. Starting September 6th, each Sunday, we’ll release a new set of five play break ideas to help inspire play throughout the week.
The ideas surround a new theme every week and are available for three age groups: babies and toddlers, preschoolers, and school-aged kids. All of our Play Breaks are derived from our Tinkergarten learning method and are engineered to inspire joy and help balance children’s bodies and minds. For a sneak peek, check out a sample of a week’s worth of Play Breaks designed for preschoolers here.
Step 1: Set up a “Play Break” Jar.
We recommend that you designate a large jar, basket or box as your Play Break grab bag. Each week, print out or write down the Play Break ideas you like best, and put them in your jar. You can always invent and add your own ideas, too! Like one idea in particular? Keep putting it back in the jar—repetition is a wonderful way for kids to deepen the quality of their play!
Step 2: Pick Out an Idea.
Whenever it’s time for a break, let kids pull out one of the ideas at random—the element of surprise adds even more joy to the mix. Read the idea, and off kids go! If you need a break, yourself, join in, and benefit from the chance to play and connect with kids.
Step 3: Talk about the Play
Later, when you have a moment to talk with kids, ask some questions to get kids reflecting on their play Questions like the following can help kids develop their communication skills and give you a window into the kinds of play breaks they’d love more of:
Can you tell me about what you played today?
What did you use to make nature pie?
How did you build a home for your stuffies?
Want even more ways to thrive this fall? Click here to access our Fall Family Playbook.
After 18 years as an educator, curriculum developer and school leader, Meghan has her dream gig—an entrepreneur/educator/mom who helps families everywhere, including hers, learn outside. Today, Meghan serves as co-founder and Chief Learning Officer of Tinkergarten, the national leader in outdoor play-based learning.
