By Mikee Mapalo
How lovely it is to see flowers bloom and trees grow again when springtime rolls around. Modeling for your child how to slow down and appreciate the seasons will help them develop mindfulness and build joy for both of you. (Read about how being in nature can actually make kids smarter and happier.)
If you’re looking for a spring craft to do with your little one to celebrate the season, you can make your own flower pencil holder from recycled materials found at home. This is a fun activity to encourage kids to write, get organized with their writing or coloring materials, and learn why recycling is good for the environment.
In this easy tutorial, your child will learn how to make a cute flower-shaped DIY pencil holder perfect for welcoming spring. This craft teaches kids the power of reusing materials and that their creativity can make new, wonderful creations they can use in learning. Plus, keeping plenty of writing materials around encourages writing, supporting early literacy.
Materials:
- Colored paper
- Toilet paper tube
- Cardboard/cereal box
- Scissors
- Pencil
- Glue
Cost: $1-3
Step 1: Begin this craft by using a pencil to trace around the bottom part of the toilet paper tube onto the cardboard.
Step 2: Then cut out the round shape you traced from the cardboard. Cardboard can be hard to cut, so make sure that kids are supervised when doing this step. You can also use cereal boxes to make the base of your pencil holder. Cereal boxes are thinner and easier to cut.
Step 3: Once you’re done cutting the base from the cardboard or cereal box, it’s time to glue it to the bottom of the toilet paper tube. Spread a small amount of glue around the bottom opening of the tube, then press it firmly onto the cardboard base. It may take some time to completely dry, so you can move on to the next step while you put your tube to the side.
Step 4: While waiting for the toilet paper tube to dry, make five identical petals using colored paper. Just fold the paper in half so your shape will be symmetrical, then draw and cut out a half-petal shape (or just cut freehand), which will make a full petal when you unfold the paper. Then make a small snip from the bottom center of the petal as shown in the picture.
Step 5: Once your toilet paper tube is all dry, you’ll glue the petals one by one at the upper rim of the tube. Bend down the flat base of the petals, letting the bottom flaps separate where you snipped the slit in the petal. This will give the petal a bent shape—just how flower petals bloom. Apply some glue to the bent portion of each petal, then press each into place around the top of the tube, as shown below.
Step 6: Cut a strip of a different-colored paper and glue it inside the paper tube. This will make your flower pencil holder look more colorful.
Step 7: Now cut a green colored paper to size and wrap it around the outer part of the paper tube to resemble the flower stem.
Step 8: You can also add some details by cutting small leaf shapes and gluing them on each side of the pencil holder.
And you’re done!
We hope this easy flower pencil holder craft tutorial will help inspire your child to write and draw! May it also encourage your child to read more books about planting, gardening, and nature. In fact, we’ve got recommendations for some lovely picture books about gardening at the end of this post to get you started.
Want to make other DIY pencil holders or cases on a budget? Try this DIY tutorial on how to make a recycled pencil holder using a plastic container or this easy DIY duct-tape pencil case.
And remember, MayaSmart.com is your one-stop-shop for raising a reader, from evidence-based advice (like answers to parents’ top questions about teaching kids their ABCs) to fun activities that support key literacy learning and recommendations of great reads. Browse around the site for more tips and tutorials, or message Maya with your questions or activity requests!
We believe that every activity with kids is even better when it’s paired with a great book. For this spring-themed DIY flower pencil holder craft, we recommend pairing some springtime books that will help children appreciate flowers, planting, and nature.
Book Pairing
The book, In the Garden with Dr. Carver by Susan Grigsby recounts the story of a young girl named Sally living in rural Alabama in the early 1900s. Sally never forgets the lessons she learned from a wise man called Dr. George Washington Carver, who helped the children with their farm and school garden.
Another excellent picture book is The Secret Garden of George Washington Carver by Gene Barretta, which tells about the boyhood garden of George Washington Carver, the beginning of his ongoing story of triumph over hardship.
You might also check out Michelle’s Garden: How the First Lady Planted Seeds of Change by Sharee Miller. This charming volume looks at former First Lady Michelle Obama’s experience growing a kitchen garden at the White House with the help of local students, the White House staff, and even President Barack Obama himself.
For more reads about the natural world, take a look at our book lists, including picture books about the world of water and picture books about hero animals.
We’d love to see how your craft turned out! Feel free to connect with us on social media to share some pictures.
MayaSmart.com is your one-stop-shop for raising a reader. And, of course, one of the best ways to raise a reader is to read to your child. That’s why we publish lots of kids’ book lists and book reviews, with suggestions of great reads for various ages and interests.
Young children love hearing the same book over and over and over (you knew that!), but regularly mixing in different books to your shared reading will keep it fresh for you and them, plus introduce them to more words and concepts. To make it easy for you to find excellent new-to-you picture books to share with your child right now, we’ve curated some of our best recommendations for diverse picture books that are extra relevant this month.
We include links to Bookshop.org so you can order them from independent booksellers, but remember that reading to your child doesn’t have to break the bank: Your local library may carry these titles, too!
So, without further ado, here’s what to read with your picture-book-loving child this month:
Picture Books for Women’s History Month
March is Women’s History Month! What a wonderful time to highlight and celebrate the groundbreaking contributions women have made to our world. From blazing new trails in male-dominated fields to embarking on monumental careers as inventors, authors, athletes and so much more, women have made a tremendous impact in society, and continue to do so to this day.
It’s never too early to learn about how women have shaped the course of history, showing courage, wisdom, and empowerment. If you’re looking for some empowering books to enjoy with your child for Women’s History Month, we’ve curated a selection of inspiring picture books by and about a diverse set of amazing women in honor of the occasion.
Books to Welcome Spring
Did you know that being in nature can help kids learn better, may combat ADHD as effectively as medication, and can soothe stress? So welcome the springtime and inspire your little nature explorer by reading about all the growth and new life happening at this time of year—and then go out and see it for yourself. You might even snag a picnic blanket and a stack of picture books and take your child on a story time nature picnic.
To get you started, check out the picture books about gardens and gardening that are recommended in our flower pencil holder tutorial post. We’ve also rounded up a list of picture books about one of the world’s most precious natural resources—water! And this is also the season of baby animals, so take a look at these precious picture books about puppies, too.
Books for Surviving Spring Break
If you have kids in school, Spring Break is a challenge and an opportunity. It’s a challenge to keep your little ones happily employed while school is closed, and it’s an opportunity to get in some travel if you’re able. And some great reads will help with both!
Keep your child busy by providing them with plenty of age-appropriate books to page through on their own, in addition to reading aloud to them. Seeking out books that play to their interests, spark new ideas, and inspire their imaginations will also help them fill their non-reading hours. Try our roundup of STEM-related picture books and picture books about sports and athletes, for example. We also have a list of touching picture books that will draw kids into their stories and build their emotional intelligence.
If you’re getting together with relatives over the vacation, reading thoughtfully chosen books with your child will help prepare them. You might read some of these books about senior citizens and aging if you’re going to be seeing grandparents or other older relatives. We also have a post specifically about using books to prepare young children for successful visits with extended family.
And if your Spring Break plans involve any extended car or airplane time, a set of headphones and these audiobooks for toddlers or audiobooks for preschoolers may just save you!
Bonus: Keep your child playing and learning with our literacy activities and educational crafts. In March, try this fun and educational St. Patrick’s Day game, designed to develop children’s phonemic awareness.
Reading widely and frequently with your child is crucial to set them up for success in school and life, as well as a lovely way to introduce them to new concepts. In addition to bringing books into your reading time that tackle timely topics or subjects you want them to know about, always be sure to follow their interests, as well. If your kid loves horses or trucks—go to town on books about that subject (among others!). If your kid is curious about science or loves animals—ditto. Following their interests keeps them engaged and helps you build a responsive relationship with your child. You also won’t go wrong sharing some books you love or titles about topics you care about, as your child will catch your enthusiasm. (If you really want to get your little one to dig into some new reads, dress up a personalized book grab basket to introduce the fresh titles.)
We’ll be back next month with our guide for what to read to your child in April. Meanwhile, go ahead and browse around the site for more tips and tutorials, or message Maya with your questions. We’re so happy to have you here!
What are you and your child reading this month?
In our ever-changing and ever-more-diverse world, it’s crucial to develop tolerance, good mental health, and empathy. Accepting those different from us, helping those in need, understanding different perspectives, and maintaining strong mental health are all important aspects of growing up whole. What better way to start introducing these concepts and fostering these abilities for the young adult readers in your life than through some great books? After all, reading stories has been shown to support the development of emotional intelligence.
The following list of uplifting and diverse young adult books is a good starting point for these readers to explore more about tolerance, diversity, empathy, and mental health. Keep in mind that some of the topics found within may be difficult to read about and comprehend, but each book does a great job of exploring challenging topics while instilling hope at the same time.
Which young adult books pique your interest? Got other favorites? Let us know!
As a parent, the time you spend with your child—reading aloud, chatting, and interacting in countless ways—is pivotal in helping them develop and thrive as a reader, writer, and thinker. From teaching your child the alphabet to playing rhyming games, you instill crucial knowledge and skills through fun, playful time together. Best of all, it builds your relationship, too—and can even help you feel happier and more fulfilled.
That’s why each month we share a special list of featured reads and literacy activities. Expect fun seasonal reading recommendations, complemented with activity tutorials and free printables for an all-out story time experience with your little one.
Books for Black History Month
We believe in celebrating the stories of diverse figures and characters all year long, but Black History Month is an extra reminder to dig into some books about black leaders, stories, and history with your child.
You’ll find no shortage of great reads in our many kids’ book roundups, such as What Color is My World? The Lost History of African-American Inventors by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Raymond Obstfeld, reviewed in our STEM books post. There’s also a wealth of great picture books in Chrysta Naron’s article, Children’s Poems by Black Poets You Should Know (And Love).
Valentine’s Day Picture Books
It’s the season of love, and Valentine’s Day presents us with the perfect opportunity to explore the concept with our little ones. Check out our list of 14 children’s picture books about love this Valentine’s Day to jumpstart conversations about love in all its forms. Whether it’s love for the planet, love for our friends, or even self-love—let these titles take you and your child on a reading journey that highlights what it’s really all about as you explore and expand the concept.
Then build on your story time by doing a literacy-building activity with your child: Scroll down for a sweet Valentine’s Day DIY alphabet game and a “conversation hearts” printable.
Ramadan Picture Books
Ramadan is one of the most important times of year for Muslims, a holy month of fasting, prayer, and introspection that’s meant to help believers strengthen their faith, self-control, gratitude, and compassion for the less fortunate. As contributor and early-childhood-educator Carlene Murray writes, children are exempt from fasting, but they can engage in introspection and cultivate these same qualities through thoughtful shared reading, including sharing Ramadan books for kids.
Murray offers a selection of children’s books about Ramadan to share with your little ones, whether to teach them about their own cultural and religious heritage or to introduce them to another tradition. Note that Ramadan is celebrated in the ninth month of the Islamic year, which is slightly shorter than our Western calendar, meaning the event happens at a different time each year. This year, it begins at the end of this month.
Kids’ Books by Toni Morrison
Award-winning author Toni Morrison is widely lauded for her powerful writing that examines the black experience in America, with a particular focus on women and girls. Both a Nobel Prize and Pulitzer Prize winner, she is best known for her classic novels The Bluest Eye (1970) and Beloved (1987), which was later adapted into a movie with Oprah Winfrey’s support. Her vast and impressive body of work includes 11 novels, nine non-fiction books, two short stories, and two plays.
What many people don’t know about Morrison is that her works also include eight children’s books that she wrote along with her son, Slade Morrison. These delightful and whimsical stories explore a variety of themes that will make excellent conversation starters during family read-alouds.
It’s the acclaimed author’s birthday this month, so why not take the occasion to learn more about Toni Morrison’s books for children and choose some to share with your child?
Story Time Activities
Upcycle a chocolate box into a DIY Valentine’s Day letter-matching game or do an easy conversation hearts reading activity with your child.
New to MayaSmart.com?
Welcome! It’s lovely to have you here. I’m Maya, an author, literacy advocate, and mom. On this site, I publish articles, advice, book recommendations, and activities for busy parents. Through it all, my goal is to help parents like you feel equipped and confident to support your children in reading. Let’s start by understanding what you bring to the effort—your unique superpower.
Find your raise-a-reader superpower now.MayaSmart.com is your one-stop-shop for raising a reader, from evidence-based early literacy advice to fun activities that support literacy learning and awesome free educational printables. And, of course, one of the best ways to raise a reader is to read to your child (and talk about books with them, even when they’re babies—learn more in our post about how to get the most out of your read-aloud time). That’s why we publish lots of kids’ book lists and book reviews with suggestions of great reads for various ages and interests.
Young children love hearing the same book over and over and over (you knew that!), but regularly mixing in different books to your shared reading will keep it fresh for you and them, plus introduce them to more words and concepts. To make it easy for you to find excellent new-to-you picture books to share with your child right now, we’ve curated some of our best recommendations for diverse picture books that are extra relevant this month. We include links to Bookshop.org so you can order them from independent booksellers, but remember that reading to your child doesn’t have to break the bank: Your local library should carry these titles, too!
So, without further ado, here’s what to read with your picture-book-loving child this month:
Books About the Winter Olympics
It’s time for the 2022 Winter Olympics! There’s something so unifying in cheering on Olympic athletes as they strive for excellence on the world stage. The Games also offer an opportunity to teach kids important lessons about resilience, teamwork, discipline, winning, and losing. So go for the gold during read-aloud time with our recommendations of picture books about the Winter Olympics!
Then dive into the world of winter sports and join these storybook characters (real and fictional) as they glide along ice, soar through the air, speed down slopes, and set new records. From silly reads featuring skiing penguins to the true stories of barrier-breaking athletes, these books will inspire and entertain your own little athletes all year long.
Books About Valentine’s Day
It’s the season of love, and Valentine’s Day presents us with the perfect opportunity to explore the concept with our little ones. Check out our list of 14 children’s picture books about love this Valentine’s Day to jumpstart conversations about love in all its forms. Whether it’s love for the planet, love for our friends, or even self-love—let these titles take you and your child on a reading journey that highlights what it’s really all about as you explore and expand the concept of love.
Then build on your story time by doing a literacy-building craft with your child: We have tutorials for making a sweet Valentine’s Day DIY alphabet matching game from an empty chocolate box (your call how you empty it!) and for a cute DIY “conversation hearts” spelling game.
Books by Toni Morrison
Award-winning author Toni Morrison is widely lauded for her powerful writing that examines the black experience in America, with a particular focus on women and girls. Both a Nobel Prize and Pulitzer Prize winner, she is best known for her classic novels The Bluest Eye (1970) and Beloved (1987), which was later adapted into a movie with Oprah Winfrey’s support. Her vast and impressive body of work includes 11 novels, nine non-fiction books, two short stories, and two plays.
What many people don’t know about Morrison is that her works also include eight children’s books that she wrote along with her son, Slade Morrison. These delightful and whimsical stories explore a variety of themes that will make excellent conversation starters during family read-alouds.
It’s the acclaimed author’s birthday this month, so why not take the occasion to learn more about Toni Morrison’s books for children and choose some to share with your child?
Reading widely and frequently with your child is crucial to set them up for success in school and life, as well as a lovely way to introduce them to new concepts. In addition to bringing books into your reading time that tackle timely topics or subjects you want them to know about, be sure to follow their interests, as well. If your kid loves horses or sports—go to town on books about that subject (among others!). If your kid is curious about science or loves animals—ditto. Following their interests keeps them engaged and helps you build a responsive relationship with your child. You also won’t go wrong sharing some books you love or titles about topics you care about, as your child will catch your enthusiasm. (If you really want to get your little one to dig into some new reads, dress up a personalized book grab basket to introduce the fresh titles.)
We’ll be back next month with our guide for what to read to your child in March. Meanwhile, go ahead and browse around the site for more tips and tutorials, or message Maya with your questions. We’re so happy to have you here!
What are you and your child reading this month?
As any parent who’s looked after one will know, comforting or distracting a sick kid can be a challenge. And then—just when you think nothing will help relieve their misery—you pick up a book together, and it works a small wonder. For a few minutes, a sense of calm and normality returns. Maybe even a smile or two break through.
The idea of books as medicine isn’t unique to parents. Many hospital storytelling programs share moving accounts of how they’ve boosted pediatric patient wellbeing and outcomes. And now there’s scientific research into the effects of reading stories to sick children that appears to bear that out. The results from a study in Brazil suggest that the simple act of reading is healing, at least in terms of suffering, and can serve as an effective, low-cost pain treatment for children in hospitals and beyond.
Let’s delve into what that study found, as well as other research into the therapeutic and preventative benefits of using books as medicine with our kids—plus how to put this into practice at home.
Study: Books Reduce Kids’ Stress and Pain
The Brazil study split 81 children in hospital intensive care units (ICU) into two groups. All the kids were aged two to seven and had similar conditions. A volunteer read stories to one group—the kids were free to choose from eight books, change the story, or ask for the same one to be read again during the half-hour session. The same volunteer ran a half-hour riddle activity with the kids in the second group.
Both groups benefited from the activities, showing reduced pain and stress, plus improvements in emotional regulation hormones and emotional states. But the kids in the story group showed significantly better results across all four of these areas.
Books Soothe Pain and Distract From Discomfort
The children in both groups rated their pain before and after the activity. Both kids showed a drop in the pain they were experiencing, but, yet again, this was greater for the kids in the story group. They registered roughly double the pain reduction compared with those in the riddle group. We don’t know why, but one possibility is that this effect was due to a story’s power to take people out of their surroundings and situation and into another—“narrative transportation.” Whatever the reason, even half an hour of unmedicated and effective pain relief is a powerful thing.
Reading Reduces Stress and Cortisol
Cortisol is known as the “fight or flight” hormone, released in response to a real or imagined threat—and a key indicator of stress. The cortisol levels in both groups of kids dropped, but the levels in the story group again dropped by approximately twice as much. This was even though both groups had the same amount of interaction from the volunteer, for the same amount of time and at the same time of day. Good to know: just half an hour of reading can make stress hormones take a noticeable dip.
Stories Increase Oxytocin and Bonding
Oxytocin is a hormone that plays a key role in our social interactions, strongly linked to bonding, empathy, trust, stress reduction, and emotional processing. And the kids in the story group experienced around twice as much increase in it as those in the other. If stories can help sick kids in ICU—missing family and normal routines—regulate their emotions and feel more connected to their caregivers, that’s huge. And that’s something parents can build on at home, too.
Narratives Help Kids Integrate Experiences and Emotions
At the end of the activity, all the kids did a free-association word quiz, responding to pictures of a nurse, hospital, doctor, sick person, book, pain, and medicine. The children in the story group responded with significantly more positive-emotion words to “nurse,” “hospital,” and “doctor,” and with fewer negative words—even though the stories they read were not about nurses, hospitals, or doctors. This effect mirrored the physical changes the study found.
Further Health Benefits of Prescribed Reading
Reading is good for your health. It can help alleviate depression, lower blood pressure and heart rate, and help chronic pain sufferers, according to research.
And there is lots of evidence showing that bibliotherapy—reading books on specific themes and topics—can help children who have experienced trauma. The American Academy of Pediatrics also advocates shared reading, such as Reach Out and Read campaigns that integrate early literacy into pediatric care, as an effective and positive early intervention to promote health, wellbeing, and development while preventing childhood toxic stress.
Reading stories is a great way to help children process stresses big and small—from the pain of bereavement to the challenges of visits with relatives. And read our earlier post about how reading fiction has shown to help kids develop emotional intelligence, a building block of good mental health.
Most importantly? Kids who’ve needed relief agree that reading is healing. In one impact report on a reading program in UK hospitals, 99 percent of participating children said that books made them feel better.
Therapeutic Reading: Tips For Parents
So what are the takeaways for parents wanting to help their kids through illness, pain, or stress via healing stories?
The study’s authors highlighted two. Firstly, the type of story doesn’t have to be special or related to illness to have a positive effect. In fact, they deliberately chose titles that were commonly available and light-hearted. Secondly, let children choose the story. Kids in an ICU or hospital setting have especially little control over their lives, but the idea holds true for any child.
That’s not to say that targeted reading doesn’t have value here. For children preparing for or experiencing a hospital stay, bibliotherapy may help them understand what’s happening and what to expect. Books about illness, the human body, injury, or hospitals can work really well (provided they’re engaging to the child), alongside “medical play,” such as doctor or nurse roleplay.
But does the idea of healing reading apply only to hospital stays and illness? There are so many life situations that can trigger stress responses in children—sometimes showing up as mystery aches and pains, or with these symptoms in tow.
Take the pandemic, for one. As the lead author of the study on storytelling in ICUs noted in Portuguese (we’ve translated for you), being in an intensive care unit shares “a lot of similarities with the reality that many children may be experiencing now with the COVID-19 pandemic: the social isolation; the degrees of stress and tension caused by an illness; the boredom of being in the same room for too long; the negative emotions like fear, sadness and anger. The practice of storytelling by parents can be a simple and effective way to improve the child’s wellbeing.”
Have your kids got favorite sick-lit picks for those under-the-weather days? Let us know!
Multiple studies have demonstrated the benefits of children spending time in nature. Exposure to green spaces offers proven advantages for early learners in terms of attention, memory, and focus, as well as mental health. This research indicates that incorporating greenery into our children’s daily lives is incredibly valuable for their cognitive development.
Unfortunately, though, urban areas were often developed without regard for natural areas—a lack often mirrored on school campuses dominated by concrete and asphalt. This is particularly true in financially disadvantaged and industrial areas.
Happily, new opportunities to interact with nature are springing up all over the place. Many public libraries offer a limited number of free or low-cost tickets to botanical gardens and zoos, while neighborhoods are reclaiming vacant areas to create open spaces and community gardens. And more and more communities are embracing the idea of increasing green spaces and natural areas for learning and reflection at schools themselves.
If greening schools sounds good to you, read on for ways to advocate for them in your community. After all, most children spend much of their time at school, so bringing greenery and growth on campus is a powerful way to ensure they get the nature they need.
How to Advocate for More Green Spaces at Schools
Many people are unaware of the benefits of green spaces for cognitive development. This makes information sharing an incredibly valuable way to advocate for green spaces. Sharing articles and research studies about the issue will enlighten more people to the need.
Parents can bring up the subject at PTA meetings or arrange appointments to talk to school administrators about exchanging concrete and blacktop for lush, green playgrounds with trees and grass.
While there’s no doubt that one individual can make a difference, a group of individuals working for the same goal tends to be more effective and efficient. Fortunately, many government agencies and nonprofit organizations are already striving for a greener and more nature-filled future.
Some, such as federal and state environmental protection agencies, are focused on big-picture areas that affect children incidentally, like clean air and water. Others, such as Green Schoolyards America and Space to Grow Chicago, have narrower concentrations, such as adding greenery to school campuses.
Here is a small selection of organizations that are working towards a greener world and greener schoolyards. Check them out for ways to get involved or inspiration for your local efforts.
The Trust for Public Lands Community Schoolyards Campaign
The Trust for Public Lands has been protecting natural areas and creating parks since the early 1970s. Their mission is to ensure that everyone has access to nature and outdoor activities—a difficult task given the rate of urban sprawl.
Get involved: One of the ways that the Trust for Public Lands is changing the landscape is by transforming schoolyards made of concrete and steel into playgrounds and parks with grass and trees. Their website lists several ways to support the Trust for Public Lands, including local campaigns, becoming a member, or making a donation.
Green Schoolyards America supports the idea of living school grounds: changing asphalt-covered playgrounds into living environments with grass and trees. Along with transforming schoolyards, they also co-founded the National COVID-19 Outdoor Learning Initiative, helping many schools to safely reopen faster by using outdoor spaces.
Get involved: Parents and school administrators can advocate for green spaces by employing the group’s techniques to help enhance their schoolyard or by donating to Green Schoolyards America.
The Children and Nature Network is an organization built on the belief that wild places and the healthy development of children are inextricably linked. The group envisions a future in which all children—regardless of race, religion, or financial status—have access to the green spaces that are so valuable for mental and emotional development.
Get involved: People can support the group either by donating funds or by becoming a member of the Children and Nature Network.
Advocacy by Children, for Children
As parents, advocating for our children helps ensure they have more options and opportunities available to them, and it also shows them that we, as parents, value their wellbeing and are willing to stand up for them. Teaching our children to advocate for themselves provides them with these same benefits and more.
Self-advocacy, or the ability to effectively communicate one’s needs, is a skill that can help our children thrive throughout their lives, not only in their education and career but also in their personal lives. Learning to successfully advocate for themselves and others is empowering and may help improve their self-esteem and resilience.
For the youngest children, this might look like drafting a family Bill of Rights, participating in Earth Day activities, or—yes—advocating for greening their school campus. Little ones might spot unused areas that could be transformed into something living. Parents can help young school-aged kids draft letters to school administrators or contact local nonprofits to improve either their own circumstances or that of others, and older children can volunteer with local groups or pioneer their own.
For another example of teaching kids to advocate for causes they care about and modeling civic involvement, see our post on three ways to support libraries with your kids.
Book Pairings
MayaSmart.com is your one-stop-shop for raising a reader and a thinker, from evidence-based early literacy advice to fun activities that support key literacy learning, as well as great book recommendations for readers of all ages. Browse the site for more tips, tutorials, and book lists, or message Maya with your questions or activity requests! We’re so happy to have you here!
What does Easter make you think of? If you said eggs or eating, bunnies or bells, maybe you’ll understand when we say that, for us, Easter is also a great opportunity to explore long and short E sounds.
Understanding how different letters and letter combinations correspond to different sounds is key for reading and spelling. But that letter-to-sound correspondence isn’t as simple as we might wish, as any parent who encourages their child to “sound it out” quickly realizes.
Helping our kids recognize common spelling patterns—and exceptions—builds their reading and writing skills. And the best way to do that isn’t to drill our kids on patterns or “rules,” but rather to trickle in simple lessons during fun times together, then reinforce them when we can.
The long E (as in Easter) and short E sound (as in egg) are especially challenging. There are so many different letter combinations that make the long E sound (think of cream cheese and berries, for example), and so many variations (think bread and spread).
That’s why we’ve put together a sweet Easter-time snack activity designed to help kids explore different spellings of the E sounds. You can read this Easter Egg Bread recipe together, noting the spellings of long and short E sounds, and then make your treat.
As you review the recipe with your child, note the various words with long and short E sounds. I suggest handing your child a pencil and helping them circle all the E sounds they find. (To help you, here’s a list of letter combinations that make a long E in this recipe: EE, EA, Y or IE at the end of a word. The letters that make a short E in this recipe: E, EA as an exception.)
Chatting about these different spellings and patterns, and noting the exceptions to the spelling “rules,” as you make a treat together will help stick them in your child’s memory.
This recipe is part of our Read with Me Recipe series of printable recipes that are super easy to make—and read—with children. They feature simple words and short sentences typed in an easy font that will set your little one up for reading success. Just print out the recipe and then read it with your child as you cook together. The idea is to make it easy for you to mix reading and spelling into everyday life with your kids. This kind of “everyday literacy” is key to raising thriving readers.
Tips for teaching reading with this recipe:
- Introduce your child to how recipes work. If you’re not sure they know them already, be sure to explain words like “ingredients” and other cooking terms to build their vocabulary.
- Watch out for specific words in the recipe they may not be familiar with, and give a simple definition. Taking time to explain or define words you encounter together will make a big difference.
- Keep an eye out for tricky-to-read words, such as “knife.”
- For little ones who aren’t reading much yet, just pointing out what you’re reading and emphasizing a few key words or letters is enough. If you make the recipe again, you can help them find the words you pointed out before.
- Use this as an opportunity to show them punctuation, as well as words and letters. Point to the commas, periods, or other punctuation marks, and explain what they mean.
- If they can’t read the recipe on their own, give them chances for success by asking them about what they do know, gently underscoring key knowledge. E.g., ask, Can you find a letter T? or What letter does this word start with?
- For kids who are reading already, encourage them to read the recipe themselves. If they have trouble, just calmly help them with any words they can’t quite get. E.g., if they have trouble with the word “banana,” try covering “nana” and helping them read just the first part of the word before you uncover the rest.
- Bring your patience. Give your child space to read a word (or identify a letter) before you jump in, but be prepared to help if they’re showing signs of frustration.
Bonus:
Ready for some more practice with reading and spelling short and long E sounds? Read the following Easter poem with your child, and note the spellings together.
Easter eggs,
Yellow and blue.
Easter eggs,
For me and you
Easter eggs,
Candy sweet.
Easter eggs
Are good to eat.
Easter eggs,
Pretty and funny.
But … where oh where
Is the Easter bunny
(—Anonymous)
Easy Easter Recipe: Egg Bread
- Bread
- Cream cheese (alternative: peanut butter)
- Berries
- Bananas
- Butter knife
Step 1: Cut the bread into an egg shape.
Step 2: Spread the cream cheese on the bread.
Step 3: Cut the berries and bananas.
Step 4: Put the berries and bananas on the bread in an Easter egg pattern (or make an Easter bunny face).
Step 5: Eat!
Like many traditions that have endured over the years, making New Year’s resolutions serves a valuable purpose. It creates room for reflection and for refocusing ourselves on living with intention. In the whirlwind of raising small children, this is especially hard to do—and especially needed.
Days with little ones can feel so very long, yet the years feel all too short, and living them mindfully helps with both. To aid you in thinking about your values for the coming year, we’ve put together our picks for five meaningful New Year’s resolutions for parents with small children, plus some useful tips, tricks, and tutorials for putting them into practice easily and painlessly.
Spend Quality Family Time (Here’s How)
Time is what every parent of young children feels they have the least of … and it’s the one irreplaceable gift to our kids, and ourselves, that really matters in the long run. But the funny thing about time is that it’s not absolute. Instead, it’s malleable, stretching or compressing in experience and memory.
Just like hours in pleasant company can disappear at breakneck speed while minutes at the DMV stretch like hours, truly meaningful moments will loom larger in memory than the days or weeks surrounding them. Focus on creating those meaningful moments with your little one this year, and give yourself a break about the rest of the time.
Fantastic ways to construct quality time together include sitting down to do a DIY craft or activity with your child, cooking a kid-friendly recipe together, cuddling over a shared book, or playing an old-fashioned board game. (You could even make your own DIY board game.). Why not take a few minutes to brainstorm what you’ll do together, so you have something up your sleeve when a window of time opens up?
Get Outdoors
Researchers have found that spending time in nature is wonderful for our mental and emotional wellbeing, as well as naturally supporting physical health. Various studies have found that exposure to nature reduces stress, supports greater attention and focus, and improves children’s behavior. It even appears to make kids smarter, as various studies have found that time in green spaces correlated to higher IQ. Read more in our article about the benefits of green spaces for children.
This year, why not look for opportunities to spend time with your child in nature? That might look like having a picnic dinner now and then, sharing a book together in an urban garden, or taking a 15-minute walk in a green space after school or daycare pickup. You might also check your local library for tickets to botanical gardens or other nature areas, and note options nearby.
For inspiration, consider taking a nature walk story time with your child, picking up some good picture books about nature, or going on an alphabet scavenger hunt together outdoors.
Focus on Mental Wellbeing
Mental health is like a gate. It can keep you and your children from reaching your full success, potential, physical health, and joy just as surely as a gate can block your way. Open up your family’s path by making mental wellbeing and social-emotional health a priority this year.
And we’ve got some great news: You can start just by curling up with a good book. Because, as it turns out, reading stories nurtures emotional intelligence, open-mindedness, and altruism. It also helps kids build social-emotional intelligence. Learn more in our article about the benefits of reading fiction.
Plus, engaging with kids during shared reading has been shown to support parents’ mental health. In fact, in research, mothers who received coaching about how to read with kids and engage more with them reported as much stress reduction as people get from therapy or direct instruction in coping mechanisms.
What a lovely way to nurture ourselves and our children. Read our post about how to practice engaged reading with your child for tips to get you going.
Do Good
Taking actions to support positive change in the world and help others in need are among the most powerful commitments we can make. They also instill important values in our children. And what’s more, doing good is remarkably empowering.
This year, choosing to take some simple actions with your child to support a good cause will teach them that they can impact the world for the better—and that you think it’s worth their time and effort to do so.
Browse our list of some awesome organizations that support literacy in different parts of the world for a cause that’s close to our bookish hearts, or think about issues that matter to your family. We also recommend finding ways to help out your local library.
Read Together
Well, we know we’ve mentioned this above a few times, but this is a site focused on raising readers, after all, so what did you expect? Make a resolution to read together this year—for a few moments or a few hours, in the park or the doctor’s office waiting room, at night or at the breakfast table—and you’ll further all these resolutions and more.
To get started, add some awesome new reads to your repertoire. We’ve got lists of picture books for all kinds of themes and occasions to inspire you, plus a selection of articles on how to maximize the benefits of story time, even if you have just a little bit of time to stretch into reading memories. Add some of our recommended books to your library list, or ask your librarian for books that match your child’s interests (and your own).
Happy New Year!
Kwanzaa is almost here! And Kwanzaa educator Jessica “Culture Queen” Hebron is on a mission to equip parents to introduce children to its festive traditions, as well as support families already celebrating. Culture Queen’s hallmark is crafting experiences that leave kids humming with positivity and enthusiasm for themselves and African American culture.
“If you’re trying to find yourself and you’re trying to figure out what it means to be black and American or African American, [Kwanzaa celebrates] very uplifting, positive, universal principles that you can try to follow and align your life with to give yourself self-empowerment,” she says.
From breaking down myths surrounding the holiday to explaining the history behind it, Culture Queen has you covered with three ways you can celebrate Kwanzaa with your children and start new traditions together this year.
Educate Your Children—and Yourself!—on the History and Significance of Kwanzaa
If you have questions about the Kwanzaa tradition, you’re not alone. There are lots of common misconceptions about the holiday, from people assuming it’s a religious ritual to wondering if it’s even a “real holiday” at all.
In this post on five Kwanzaa misconceptions, Culture Queen breaks down the history and significance of this holiday and why it’s an important day for all black Americans.
“The principles were created to be universal for black people in America,” she says. “So no matter what their religious experiences or cultural experiences, they have one thing that they can unite with—Kwanzaa.”
Before celebrating in your own home, discover the rituals associated with this special celebration—contrary to popular belief, gifts are encouraged!—and spend time discussing its history and significance with your children.
Read Picture Books about Kwanzaa Together
Kwanzaa’s use of the Swahili language, a formal table setting, and a candle lighting ritual can intimidate newcomers, so Culture Queen recommends that people of all ages first learn about the holiday through picture books. The illustrations, examples, and simple wording make the holiday accessible and engaging.
She shares her favorite five picture books that show families living the seven principles of Kwanzaa. These are: Umoja (unity), Kujichagulia (self-determination), Ujima (collective work and responsibility), Ujamaa (cooperative economics), Nia (purpose), Kuumba (creativity), and Imani (faith).
For young readers, she recommends It’s Kwanzaa Time: A Lift-the-Flap-Story for an engaging, age-appropriate introduction to the holiday. If you have little ones with longer attention spans, Kevin’s Kwanzaa goes deeper with short encyclopedia-like info boxes that provide rich context and history.
Discover three more Kwanzaa books that kids of all ages will enjoy. (Plus, if you’re looking for more holiday reads, don’t miss our roundup of seasonal picture books by black authors that we think will become beloved family favorites.)
Bring the Holiday to Life
Giving Kwanzaa the magical, glittery treatment other holidays receive will make the celebration truly come to life for your kids.
So, how do you go about doing that? Culture Queen suggests returning to your favorite traditions year after year—reading picture books, sharing history, and so on—and also adding new ones, as well. Whether that’s incorporating rituals you haven’t tried before or creating your own Kwanzaa candle holder together, introducing new ideas keeps the celebration exciting and engaging for the whole family.
In this blog post on how to celebrate Kwanzaa, Culture Queen shares her own memories of her first Kwanzaa, as well as how she celebrates every year.
We hope these articles will help you and your family celebrate Kwanzaa if you’re already fans of the tradition, or learn about something new together if you’re just discovering its history and rituals.
And remember, MayaSmart.com is your one-stop-shop for raising a reader, from evidence-based early literacy advice to fun activities that support key literacy learning and recommendations of great reads (like the ones in this post). So go ahead and browse around the site for more tips and tutorials, or message Maya with your questions or activity requests! We’re so happy to have you here!
Do you celebrate Kwanzaa? Will you this year? What are your favorite Kwanzaa family traditions? We’d love to hear from you!
