A math art project is a great way to encourage kids who love numbers to get creative and artistic kids to think about how mathematics and art work together. This rotational symmetry art project is just the ticket. As you will see the results of experimenting with rotational symmetry combines grooviness and exactness (such a...
Groovy Math: Rotational Symmetry Art Project
Cheering Fans at a Baseball Game Coloring Page
It's May, which means baseball season is in full swing. This baseball coloring page from Melanie Hope Greenberg will keep your Little Leaguer occupied during big brother or big sister's game. The coloring page is an illustration from Americanly by Lynn Parrish Sutton and features cheering fans as a baseball player hits a run. Will...
Funny 3rd Grade Books that Kids Love!
If there's one thing that will draw an 8 year old into reading, it's a funny book. And so with that in mind I made this list of 3rd grade books! Some of the book will cause kids to giggle, some will make them guffaw, but all of titles on this book list for 3rd...
Questions to Ask Your Kids about Books (Free Cheat Sheet!)
How many books did you read to your child this week? 1? 10? 25? Too many to count? Now, how many of those books did you discuss with your kids after you read them? It's okay if your answer was less than 10. Or even if it was zero. The fact is, I have spent...
Darling Books about Fairies, Dollhouses & Other Wee Things
Miniature worlds are a staple of childhood. These books about fairies and dollhouses and other tiny creatures will spark your child's imagination. This book list appeals to the 6 year old in me, which is why I know your kids will love every one of these picture books—and these books are not just for girls!...
The Key to Ending Tech Tantrums Forever
Electronics can be useful. Our kids use them for school, for getting driving directions, for face-timing with distant relatives, to look up a vocabulary definitions, to get access to the library catalog and yes, even the occasional video game. Technology may not the enemy but when your child is having an epic meltdown—the dreaded "tech tantrum"— after...
Playful Early Chapter Books about Sports
If you have a child who loves to run, jump and score, then they will love reading these early chapter books with a sports theme. I was able to find plenty of books about the "big four"—soccer, baseball, basketball and football—as well as swimming, running, gymnastics and more. There is something for everyone (no curling...
Children Holding Up the Earth Coloring Page
Any time you want to celebrate how children are the future of the planet, just print out Melanie Hope Greenberg's newest monthly coloring page featuring children holding up planet Earth. It's a little reminder that we adults need to make sure we safeguard our precious resources and wisely protect the only planet we live on...
Bedtime Poems Your Child Will Remember Forever
Read on to learn why time spent reading bedtime poems with your children is the one tradition you don't want to miss out on. Sometimes during the nighttime routine I want to throw up my hands, storm out of the room and let everyone fend for themselves. I wonder if you secretly want to do...
Children's Picture Books about Baseball: Nonfiction and Fiction
Your little sports fan will love these children's picture books about baseball. In researching baseball books for this book list I was impressed with the size and breadth of the available books, it was so hard to choose our favorites! I have endeavored to curate a list that includes a healthy dose of diverse books...
Bust Boredom and Get Smart with Watermelon Chess
You are hungry for another traditional abstract strategy game, aren't you? Well, how about one with an amusing name? This week we learned how to play watermelon chess. Watermelon chess, or Xi Gua Qi, is originally from Hangzhou, China. Like most traditional games, watermelon chess is easy to learn and can be played almost anywhere, making...
The Best and Most Inspiring STEM Books for Kids
In the cross-disciplinary tradition of STEM and STEAM, these books inspire kids to learn about science, nature, engineering, art & design, and math and how they intersect with the social and cultural world kids experience every day. These STEM books encourage children to look about them to notice how science, technology, engineering, art, and math...
The Women Cards: Women's History Month Coloring Pages
Children's book illustrator, Melanie Hope Greenberg, has really fun Women's History Month coloring pages for you today: Women Cards! The women cards feature eight women who have worked for good and changed the world. Some of these women may be familiar faces but a few will be new to you and your children and these...
4 Easy Ways to Limit Screen Time: Practical Ideas that Work
I hear from parents all the time about their struggles with screen time for kids. They want to reduce or limit screen time, but it's hard! Here are just a few of the emails I've gotten: My son wants to stay on Minecraft all day. Sitting on his butt. No exercising. He fights me to get...
Martinetti Dice Game: A Nail-Biting Family Game of Chance
You know those moments where you are thinking about how you just have to get something done? A phone call to the orthodontist, send off a quick business email, or carefully stir the beurre blanc on the stove. Okay, I'm just kidding about that last one. But you know where I'm going. Your kids have played a...
Fun Game Despite the Name: Drop Dead
Let me introduce you to your next awesome boredom buster. Drop Dead. Okay, the name is a little off-putting, I will give you that. But, look. My kids LOVE dice games. They play it over and over. It's quick, requires no strategy or special skills (although it does sneak in some math practice) and any number...
Gentle Chapter Books to Read Aloud
This list of gentle chapter books to read aloud to kids has been a long time in coming. Several of you have requested such a book list, but to be honest it was harder than I thought. It is likely impossible to make a list of gentle chapter books that will be universally approved as...
Clever Homemade Valentine Cards for Kids to Make
I get it. When the request comes in for 25 classroom valentines for the classroom you reach for the box of pre-made Pokemon cards. It's easy and the kids like 'em. But for Valentine's Day with grandma and grandpa you want the kids to make something a little more special than a scribbled signature on the...
Fox and Geese: A Traditional Abstract Strategy Game
Did you know that playing abstract strategy games like Fox and Geese help build skills necessary for success in STEM subjects? That's right. You can keep your kids busy, have fun and feel justifiably smug knowing you are helping them prepare for future academic success. Win-win-win-win! My children and I have been having a grand...
Funny Flips: A Word Game for Kids
There can never be enough laughter in the world and this word game for kids will give you and your kids the giggles. With sentences such as: Kumquats snooze daily. Pigs flap loudly. Flowers snort nearby. But what's the benefit of a nonsense word game other than a few cheap laughs? Can nonsense be an...
Lovely Books Like Anne of Green Gables
When I decided to curate a list of books similar to Anne of Green Gables, I knew I wanted to go beyond the "plucky orphan" and "turn-of-the-century rural" tropes. I've include both old-fashioned fun titles on this list as well as more contemporary stories with strong heroines finding their place in the world. I am...
Valentine's Day STEAM Projects for Kids
Looking to jazz up the run-of the mill STEM and STEAM projects for you kids? Want to add a new twist to the science experiments you are planning? These Valentine Science Experiments, and STEAM projects (that's Science Technology Engineering Art & design Math, in case you are wondering) are just the ticket. And best of...
Game of the Month: Frog Juice
Let me tell you about a spellbinding card game! In the instruction booklet to their game, Gamewright confesses that Frog Juice is their favorite game, "It's the perfect mix between a fairy tale and a strategy game!" And our family agrees, which is why this card game is our game of the month! We love playing...
Peace Coloring Page
Coloring pages are often touted as meditative devices and what better subject for kids to dwell on than peace? For our monthly coloring page series, Melanie Hope Greenberg inked this peace coloring page depicting a parade a diverse children and grown-ups. Add this peace and diversity coloring page to your library and classroom activity tables...
Books for 7 Year Olds: Get Them Hooked on Reading!
You have probably experienced the difficulty of finding books for your child who has recently mastered reading chapter books. Whether your child is a voracious reader or a reluctant one, this list of the best books for 7 year olds will help you fill your bookshelves with quality books for both boys and girls to...
Lu-lu Dice: A Fun Math Game from Hawai'i
You and your kids may have never heard of Lu-lu Dice, but brace yourselves because you are about to discover an awesome new game that sneaks in some math practice. It's a win-win situation: your kids will be occupied playing a fun game and learning something, will you will get some much needed time to finally...
Unplugged Ideas to Keep Kids Busy While You Cook Dinner
One of the most common questions I hear from parents is "how can I keep the kids busy while I cook dinner?" You don't want to plop the kids in front of a screen, but getting food on the table seems impossible. The end of the day is so exhausting. All you (and I) want...
Picture Books About Peace to Inspire Children
Let's begin the new year with an inspiring list of books about peace, shall we? Goodness knows we need it. These picture books teach children about peace through a variety of approaches. Some use poetry and metaphor, some are direct, others ask questions and some profile peacemakers. A few books also mention war, but for...
62 Essential Read Aloud Books for Families
What's the easiest way to spend time with your family when you have had a long day, the kids might be a little whiny and you can't get outside to blow off steam? Reading aloud. You knew I was going to say that didn't you? This list of fantastic books are what I consider essential...
Game of the Month: Mancala
Can a classic board game solve all your problems? Of course not. But let me tell you a little story about mancala. I never played mancala when I was a kid. Never even heard of it. You know what a game nerd I am so that might surprise you. Or you may be asking, "What's mancala?"...
Children's Book Coloring Page: Aunt Lilly's Laundromat
This month, Melanie Hope Greenberg is offering up a coloring page from her newly republished classic, Aunt Lilly's Laundromat. Literacy extends beyond the act of reading or listening and this children's book coloring page is a sweet way to encourage kids to talk about what they read. Read the book, then give the printable to...
10 Quick and Easy Activities for 2-4 Year Olds
Is it hard to keep your toddler busy during the day without going crazy? What about your preschooler? I've heard from so many parents that what they need even more than a strong cup of coffee is an accessible list of easy activities for their 2 year old (or 3 and 4 year olds!) that they...
Game of the Month: Yoga Spinner
There are few indoor games which gets bodies moving as well as brains thinking so you can bet that when I find an active indoor game that my kids enjoy we play it as much as possible. ThinkFun's Yoga Spinner has been fitting the bill lately and I have been pleasantly surprised at how much my...
Thoughtful Children's Books about Kindness
'Tis the perfect season to read a few children's books about kindness. (Okay, every season is the perfect season to encourage kindness with picture books!) The book list below is in three parts, and of course there is a lot of overlap. We want to raise gracious kids but we also have to give their brains time...
Make Your Own LEGO© Board Game
Hold on to your stack of LEGO bricks, I'm about to tell you about the one thing that is going to make your kids love LEGO even more. This idea checks all the right boxes. It's an idea that promotes independent play and family connection. It requires creative, inventive thought. It gets siblings of different ages working...
Christmas Science Experiments You Will Actually Want to Do!
I know you are looking for something unique for the holiday season, something that doesn't involve baking 25 dozen cookies. Am I right? Something you can do with your kids that doesn't involve listening to Jingle Bells over and over? Something that doesn't involve words like "Black Friday" or "Sales" or "Do you want that...
Children's Books About Diversity and Multiculturalism
Over the past few years, there's been an encouraging uptick in diverse representation in children's picture books. The books on this list share stories of multiculturalism at the local and global level. Use the books to start meaningul conversations with your kids about what it means to live in a diverse world, why inclusion is...
White House Coloring Page
With our White House coloring page your kids can turn the presidential residency any color they want before turning it into a backdrop for pretend play! Did you know that this White House coloring page is the perfect therapeutic resource for election burnout? Let me walk you through it in four easy steps. First: get your...
Beginning Graphic Novels (Kindergarten - 3rd Grade)
Graphic novels are an excellent alternative to the standard easy reader books. Please don't shy away from graphic novels for beginning readers. Kids who are learning to read need to have as many opportunities as possible to find books they can connect with—and which will consequently turn them into voracious readers. These aren't just your standard...
Adorable Trick-or-Treaters in Costume Coloring Page
This October's coloring page features three trick or treaters in costume marching on monster stompers having a grand ol' time. No need to confine the fun to Halloween, though. Use the coloring page to celebrate anytime kids like to dress up, such as parties, parades, birthdays, purim, you name it. We are keeping it simple...
