You don't have to live in the Big Apple to enjoy these children's books set in New York City! These books reflect life in vibrant, joyful, diverse urban neighborhoods but will be enjoyed by everyone, whether you live in the city, country or suburbs. Picture Books There are a lot - I mean A LOT...
Joyful Children's Books Set in New York City
Latino and Hispanic Middle Grade Books (Ages 8-13)
This collection of middle grade novels focuses on the experiences of protagonists with Latino/a/x/é and Hispanic heritage. A wide variety of stories by Latino/a/x/é and Hispanic authors offer young readers the opportunities to dive into contemporary, historical and magical realms during Hispanic Heritage Month–and all year long. Reading Tip: Look for other books written by...
Picture Books about Wise and Wonderful Grandparents
Grandparents can play a special role in family life. These books about grandparents from diverse families demonstrate the important bond grandparents have with grandchildren, imparting wisdom, offering support and giving unconditional love. Whether they live close by or faraway, grandparents have so much to offer, especially as read aloud partners so crack open these books...
Labor Day Books for Kids: The History of Solidarity
Labor Day is more than the last hurrah before school starts, it is bigger than the last barbecue when the weather is still warm. It's not a day to generally celebrate professions and careers. Labor Day is when we remember the sacrifices that working men and women made to advance the cause of workers' rights,...
Road Trip Coloring Page (Visit the Grandparents!)
Magic Squares Math Puzzle (3x3 Version)
The classic magic square math puzzle is the perfect fit for this week's Camp Mathematics theme: computing. After all, my eldest son can't resist a good math challenge and my youngest can't resist whatever his big brother is doing. Although there are numerous (pun!) variations of magic squares, we kept it simple with a 3x3...
Fraction Games for Kids: Visual Learning (Free Printable)
My neighbor's mother is a math tutor and she likes to discuss how "Kids these days just don't get fractions!" (Be sure to say that in a New York accent.) She chalked it up to tech screens' reliance on decimals. Whatever the reason, fractions can be difficult to understand and hopefully these fraction games will...
Fun Math Activity: Parking Lot Addition
Parking lot addition is the perfect math activity for a kindergartener or 1st grader who loves toy cars! As far as indoor activities for kids go, this one has it all. It teaches, entertains, allows your child to use their fine and gross motor skills and will naturally end in play, thus extending the fun!...
Tower of Hanoi: Hands-On Logic Game
Around here we love math and logic brain teasers because they stretch those all important problem solving muscles. After the success of the cubic puzzler and the harder-than-it-looks T puzzle, I was on the hunt for more classic math games stumbled across The Tower of Hanoi. Sounds sort of like some mysterious and legendary monument,...
Funny Graphic Novel Series for Kids
Nothing keeps a kid reading like laughter! With the rise in popularity of graphic novels and comics, a good, funny graphic novel series hits all the right elements to encourage reluctant and voracious readers alike! Below you'll find books for ages 6 through middle school (see individual titles for recommended ages) in a variety of...
10 Tag Game Variations That Tire Kids Out
Tag is a classic outdoor game for good reasons. It's simple, free, uses no equipment and burns off a lot of kid energy. If your kids love to play tag introduce them to one of these fun outdoor tag game variations! Moreover, if you are conducting your own DIY summer camp at home, tag games...
Balloon Rocket Race Science Experiment: Blast Off!
Years ago, my older son and I raced balloon rockets across our living room. This year, for summer science camp we took our balloon rocket making supplies over to a friend's apartment to try outdoors with the kids. As you can imagine, a balloon rocket experiment was lots of fun for active kids who like...
Celebration and Parade Coloring Pages
Celebrate good times with these festive, celebration-themed and parade coloring pages from our extensive coloring page collection designed and created by children's book author and illustrator, Melanie Hope Greenberg! These coloring sheets make great boredom busters for holiday parties and get-togethers with families. Add them to take-along busy bags for your kids when you know...
School-Themed Coloring Pages (Printables)
If your child is feeling a little anxious about going back to school after a carefree summer one strategy you can implement is giving them a few school coloring pages. Coloring pages can reduce anxiety, and improve mindfulness in the moment for children, as well as providing a much-needed break. So perhaps a few school-themed...
5 Easy Drawing Ideas for Tweens
Fact: not every kid is interested in drawing and while many lists of drawing ideas for tweens give options like using YouTube videos to learn how to draw specific objects (how to draw a bird, how to draw a house, etc.), that's not going to appeal to tweens who have little natural interest in art....
Pretend Play Ideas for Kids
Kids need free time to stretch their imaginations! During pretend play, kids aren't just keeping busy, they are learning about their world, developing practical skills and expanding their creative problem solving abilities. While children naturally gravitate towards imaginative play on their own, parents and caregivers can nurture a child's imagination with some simple ideas for...
Best Audiobooks for Family Road Trips
For your next road trip don't forget to pack the most important item: an audiobook! Now you might be thinking that there is no way you can find an audiobook that everyone will love, but that's not true! We listened to hours and hours of stories (it was a hardship, but someone had to do...
Ocean Creatures Finger Puppets Coloring Page
Your kids will love to make these ocean creatures finger puppets with our exclusive coloring page from children's book author and illustrator, Melanie Hope Greenberg. It's a great addition to our summer fun coloring page collection! The coloring page includes five finger puppets featuring a mermaid and merman, starfish, swimming turtle, and octopus. The puppets...
Summer Must-Do: Ice Cream in a Bag
Making ice cream in a bag is a a fantastic old school summer activity that is not only delicious, it's scientific! When I was a kid we had this huge electric ice cream maker that we set out in the back yard and filled it full of ice and rock salt and it was such...
May Flowers Coloring Page
Last month we brought you the April showers coloring page and as everyone knows, April showers bring... May flowers! Our May flowers coloring page, created by children's book illustrator and author, Melanie Hope Greenberg, features a smiling family giddy with delight at their armfuls of bouquets. Mom, dad and two kids have just been to...
17 Children's Books about Summer Camp!
Whether your kids are headed off to camp for the first time or they are summer camp veterans, they will enjoy these children's books about summer camp. Use these picture books, graphic novels and chapter books to help allay anxieties about heading off to a new place and having to make new friends, and being...
Summer Book List for Beginning Readers
Nurturing beginning readers is a delicate balance of finding the right books and not applying too much pressure! This summer book list for beginning readers (kindergarten, 1st and 2nd graders) should help you with the first part. To avoid applying too much pressure on your kids to learn to read, let them take things at...
Mondrian Window Art Project for Kids
Dutch Painter Piet Mondrian's bold graphic style makes him a great modern artist for kids to study since they can easily replicate his abstract style in a simple art project like we did with this easy faux stained glass window. I love the way our Mondrian window art turned out and the activity kept the...
Korean Folktales for Kids (Picture Books)
Korean folktales give kids the opportunity to listen to captivating stories that offer universal appeal as well as insights into Korean culture. Plus, young readers will enjoy making comparisons between Korean folklore and traditional stories, fairy tales and legends from other cultures around the world. Use our Korean folktale book list to start your reading...
Hawaiian Folktales and Myths for Kids
Reading Hawaiian folktales and legends to your kids offers the opportunity to discover fascinating stories of gods and goddesses, spirits and tricksters. Sure, it would be great to head over to the islands and listen to these stories while the waves pound in the background. But just in case you are miles away from the...
Children's Picture Books by Asian and Asian-American Authors
This diverse book list celebrates picture books written by Asian and Asian-American authors. May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month but you can (and should!) read these books all year round! For books with Asian and Asian-American protagonists for older readers see our list of Asian American History Month books for...
April Showers Coloring Page
Celebrate spring with a sweet coloring page featuring the joyful experience of spending time exploring the outdoors during April showers. And everyone knows what April showers bring! This April showers coloring page features a child holding an umbrella, wearing a rain slicker, boots and hat. Next to the child is a friendly dog. Nearby, a...
Middle Grade Books with Muslim Characters
This list of middle grade books for ages 8-13 features diverse Muslim protagonists. These books will open the hearts and minds of young readers to the lives of others and well acting as mirrors reflecting their own experiences. Books set in Western Countries with Muslim Protagonists The following books with Muslim characters are set primarily...
Children's Picture Books with Muslim Characters
This list of children's picture books features Muslim central characters in everyday situations, experiencing joy in their identities and dreaming about their futures. Books about the Head Scarf Under My Hijab by Hena Khan. What a delightful book filled with strong female role models! A girl narrates her observations of how six women in her...
Poetry Mad Libs Make Kids Laugh!
What better way to teach poetry and vocabulary than with an activity or exercise that makes kids laugh out loud! These Poetry Mad Libs take classic poems and ask kids to turn them into bits of hilarity. It's a great activity for National Poetry Month! As I've written before, we've used Mad Libs to smooth...
Learn to Write Poetry: 4 Week Challenge for Kids
My favorite time of year is April because it is National Poetry Month! And what better time to dabble in writing poetry than a month dedicated to honoring the art form? The purpose of this poetry writing challenge is to expose kids to different kinds of poetic forms and to make the prospect of writing...
Diverse Poetry Books for Kids
The diverse poetry books on this list encompasses a variety of poetic forms. Themes include play, family, identity, friends and just silly and fun poems accompanied by illustrations that reflect the multicultural world our children inhabit. Culturally Diverse Poetry for Kids Out of Wonder: Poems Celebrating Poets, by Kwame Alexander, Chris Colderley and Marjory Wentworth, illustrated...
5 Week Poetry Challenge for National Poetry Month
Our 5 week poetry reading challenge for beginners is the perfect way to celebrate National Poetry Month. I developed the challenge as a way to introduce poetry into the daily lives of my kids. In fact, although I am a lifelong fan of poetry, it was the first time I had truly, intensely and deliberately...
Poetry Writing Challenge (Week 4) - Hyperbole and Haiku
Welcome to the fourth and final week of the poetry writing challenge! I hope it has been as enjoyable for you and your kids as they have been for us. As stated in the introduction to the challenge, completing the assignments can be done spontaneously, which is exactly what happened in our household. Throughout the...
Poetry Writing Challenge (Week 3) - Onomatopoeia and Couplets
Welcome to week three of the Poetry Writing Challenge for Kids! This week we are learning about onomatopoeia and couplets. Last week's poetry writing challenge topic was alliteration and color poems. My 6-year-old adored making up alliterative sentences! I had to ask him to take a break while we were brushing his teeth because he...
Poetry Writing Challenge (Week 2) - Alliteration and Color
Welcome to week 2 of the Poetry Writing Challenge for kids. This challenge is designed to introduce simple concepts about poetry composition to kids of all ages and their families. Although you can jump in anytime, be sure to read the instructions in the post about week 1 here. Last week's poetry writing challenge introduced...
Poetry Writing Challenge (Week 1) - Similes and Acrostics
Welcome to Poetry Writing Challenge for kids. National Poetry Month (April) is a great time to introduce the basics of writing poetry to your kids, and this program is easily adaptable for all ages and skill levels. This poetry writing challenge is an excellent next step after you complete our challenge was all about getting...
Bottle Thermometer Science Experiment for Kids
When your curious kids are bored, spend some quality time with them making a bottle thermometer to test relative temperatures! This a surprisingly quick and easy science project that has a great, "Wow! How does that work?" factor. Did you even know it was possible to make a thermometer at home? And out of a...
Poetry Reading Challenge for Kids (Week 5)
This is the final week of the Poetry Reading Challenge! Even though a month usually has just four weeks, four weeks of poems is just not enough. So I am squeezing in one last poem for you and your kids to enjoy as part of the Poetry Reading Challenge. In fact, I do hope that...
Poetry Reading Challenge for Kids (Week 4)
Welcome to week four of the very casual, very flexible Poetry Reading Challenge for Kids. I must say, my kids have been enjoying poetry all month long, even more than I had anticipated. Both boys still like to show me how they can recite the poem from week one by heart! Last week's poem by...
