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How to Make Studying Fun

With the start of school comes homework and studying—activities many kids find stressful, frustrating, or just plain boring. Homework doesn’t have to be a negative experience, however. Try some of the following tips and learn how to make studying fun. Start with Excitement Parents sometimes sabotage themselves when children start studying—it’s easy to remember our own adverse experiences with homework and assume our children will react in similar ways. If kids pick up on this

Benefits of Playing Music for Kids

Music comes naturally to humans. From a very young age we respond positively to songs and rhythms. You can see it in the child sung to sleep with a lullaby, or the toddler rocking back and forth in time to a nursery rhyme. As it turns out, the benefits of playing music to children are far-reaching. Here’s a few reasons why you should put on some tunes and rock out with the kids. Music Encourages

5 Flower Girl Gift Ideas

Your wedding’s flower girl might be a serious-minded nine-year-old, pleased to be considered mature enough to be included in the wedding party. Or perhaps she’s a two-year-old, guided down the aisle by a bridesmaid. Either way, you’ll want to commemorate her role in your wedding with an appropriate gift. We’ve assembled five flower gift ideas to help you show how much you appreciate your “petal patrol.” A Shadowbox of Wedding Remembrances This is a great

Personalized School Supplies for Kids

It’s a day that’s been coming since birth: your child’s first day of school. This is a symbolic rite of passage—only big kids go to school, after all—and your child may be excited, scared, or both. You might feel the same way. Basic Supplies Whether your little scholar is heading for Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, or Grade One, he or she is going to need school supplies. The school should have a list of items you’ll need,

Promoting Acts of Kindness for Kids

As parents, we want our kids to be happy. We also want them to be kind, grateful, and helpful. Fortunately, happiness and caring go hand-in-hand—in fact, the more people help others the happier they become. That isn’t just fanciful idealism—scientists have discovered helping others activates the brain’s reward system. Our brains, in other words, are wired to help each other. With that in mind, it’s important to encourage acts of kindness for kids. Here are

Hearing Your Name Called

Even young children love to hear their own names—it’s one reason I See Me’s customized board books are so popular. We wondered, however, why children seem to focus on their names so intently. What, exactly, happens in a child’s brain when she hears her name? The first thing we discovered is that, while it’s relatively easy to use magnetic resonance imaging to map an adult or older child’s brain, it’s more difficult with infants. The

How Coloring Books Relieve Stress

Coloring books are enjoyed a surge of popularity right now. An activity once considered only for children has been embraced by adults looking for a calming, stress-reducing hobby. Oddly, the interest in coloring for grown-ups means we’ve begun to shed some light on how coloring books relieve stress & positively affect children. Once you learn to draw within the lines a coloring book is a gateway to relaxation. Researchers wanted to know why the seemingly

Back to School Gift Ideas

Whether or not to give a child back to school gifts is a hot parenting topic. Some parents think back to school gifts encourage self-esteem and academic performance. Others feel gifts essentially bribe children into learning, when learning should just be expected from them. A third, and somewhat sneaky, option exists. Choose school supplies the child needs, but seem like gifts to the child. With that in mind, here are some of our favorite back

5 Reasons to Read & Play Outdoors This Summer

A number of factors have led to American children spending more and more time indoors. Passive entertainment such as television, computers, and video games can make it difficult to get the kids outside. Concerns with safety make many parents leery of unsupervised outdoor play, while busy adult schedules often interfere with supervised play. Still, it’s well worth the effort to encourage children and play and read outdoors. Healthy Living Childhood obesity rates are at an all-time high.

Top Animal Themed Gifts for Kids

Does your son or daughter love animals? That’s almost a silly question—animals and children are a natural pairing. It’s hard to imagine a child who isn’t excited to meet a kitten, pet a friendly dog, or take a trip to the zoo. Gifts for kids who love animals are easy to come by—cuddly toys are a constant favorite. If you want to surprise your young zoo keeper or farmhand with something different, however, we’ve got