By Chrysta Naron Arrr, me mateys! It’s the 19th o’ September, which means we be celebrating “Talk Like a Pirate Day!” For this silly and seaworthy occasion, we’re taking the opportunity to create a pirate treasure map reading activity and story time. And, along the way, we’ll be working on literacy and an important life skill: the ability to follow written directions. With that goal in mind, the treasure map we’ll be creating today isn’t any ordinary one. Instead of pictures, dotted lines, . . .
Kick off a Winning Story Time with 10 Picture Books About Football
By Courtney Runn Whether you and your family root for your college team or love to watch your favorite NFL players, you’ll all be a fan of these football picture books! These sweet reads capture the magic of a fall day in the stadium: the excitement in the stands, the heartbreaking losses, the underdog victories, the athletic feats, and the inspiring stories of the players themselves. Aspiring football players and all sports fans—kids and adults alike—will enjoy learning about legendary . . .
16 Favorite Picture Books for Fall Holidays from Around the World
By Chrysta Naron It’s fall, y’all! Time for the weather and the apples to get crisp, the pumpkins to plump, and the holiday season to get rolling. People from countries and religions around the world observe a wide variety of fall traditions that celebrate the harvest, change of seasons, and love of family and friends. To help you bring reading into your favorite fall celebrations or learn about those that are new to you, we’ve curated a list of a few favorite picture books for fall . . .
20 Picture Books about Baseball that Score a Home Run for Learning
By Courtney Runn One of the best ways to engage children in reading is to share books about topics they're interested in. When kids are excited to cheer on their favorite players or love to play sports themselves, books by and about athletes are ideal to capture their attention. Like all sports, baseball offers countless life lessons about teamwork, discipline, perseverance, and having fun. Plus, its history will spark important conversations with your kids about racism and equity in . . .
Inspire Your Young Scientist with these 11 Awesome STEM Books for Young Kids
By Chrysta Naron It happened on a Thursday afternoon. I was watching a friend’s two children for the day: eight-year-old Topher and his five-year-old sister, Elizabeth. Topher was helping me set up lunch on the back porch and Elizabeth had gone inside to get her doll. As Topher and I came back inside to grab juice boxes, I noticed the house had become quiet. Too quiet. The kind of quiet that all parents and teachers know. That kind of quiet can only mean one thing—trouble. I found . . .
9 Best Picture Books to Help Your Child Start the School Year Right
By Chrysta Naron The time is fast approaching: The sound of new zippers rings out and the smell of sharpened pencils fills the air. It’s back to school! Whether it’s your child’s first year in school, it’s their first year back post-pandemic, or they’re an old pro, a new school year can be daunting. But don’t worry! There’s something that can help ease their worries and spark some enthusiasm for their upcoming year—books. These picture books are special because they cover a wide range of . . .
3 Great Picture Books to Read With Kids on Nelson Mandela’s Birthday
By Laila Weir For parents seeking to teach their children about history through the true stories of people who’ve worked to shape it for the better, it’s hard to imagine a more inspiring subject than anti-apartheid activist, South African president, and Nobel prize winner Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela. Introduce your kids to this towering figure of modern history through these picture books produced by Mandela himself and the Nelson Mandela Foundation. Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson . . .
16 Inspiring Picture Books to Celebrate the Summer Olympics
By Courtney Runn There are few better books to teach children about the importance of teamwork, resilience, and discipline than the true-life stories of legendary Olympians. Whether you’re gearing up for two weeks of cheering on your country or basking in the inspiration afterwards, we curated a list of picture books celebrating unforgettable Olympic moments and exploring the history of the Games. Learn about athletes who broke racial barriers, shattered records, and went on to extraordinary . . .
Your Kids will Love these 10 Children’s Audio Stories for Preschoolers
By Andrea Hunt By the age of three, many kids will be open to the idea of listening to audiobooks, if they aren’t already enjoying them. And the good news is that audio stories are so much more than a useful tool for entertaining captive audiences in the back seat. Research has found that children also can continue to develop their literacy skills through listening to them. What’s also great for parents is that, when it comes to choosing audiobooks for preschoolers, you have a lot of . . .
Scoop Out Time for Learning with This Ice Cream Reading Activity
By Chrysta Naron I scream, you scream, we all scream, “Ice cream!” And, if you’re like me, you might also be screaming for a break from the summer heat. However, I still want to make indoor play fun, creative, and, if possible, educational. Enter scoop sentences! When kids are learning to read, they can begin to identify sentences by capitalization and punctuation. Yet, when they begin to write and construct their own sentences, it can be difficult to know what a sentence needs. This super . . .