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Usher your kids through the early school years with help from these insightful ParentMap articles. And don't miss our grade school through high school Getting School Ready articles located here. Calendar: events for ages 6-10. Resources: |
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Recent Articles
They Won’t Play With Me! What to Do When Your Child is Left Out
We’d all like our kids to thrive in academics, the arts, sports and citizenship. Here’s another item to add to our wish list for their success: friendship. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), those early social bonds are highly important. “Friends help define personality and indep
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Five Easy Questions: What You Should Ask Before the Sleepover
There were few things I treasured more than spending an overnight (they weren’t called “sleepovers” in those days) at the home of close family friends. After all, I’d practically grown up alongside their daughter. Together, we’d enjoyed beach days, tree-climbing expeditions and countless games of te
Read More »Back-to-School Cool: Mom-Approved Style Trends for Pre/K Girls
Style PointsThe watchwords for this cohort: age-appropriate and comfortable. But remember that sometimes little girls love to look, well, girlie. If your preschooler or kindergartener is in that boat, you can’t go wrong with fun and youth-friendly stalwarts like polka dots and feminine accents. Thin
Read More »Back-to-School Cool: Mom-Approved Style Trends for Pre/K Boys
Style PointsOne thing’s for sure: Don’t dress preschool or kindergarten boys in anything they’ll be likely to ruin. They want to run and have fun, not be hindered by their clothes. As boys get into sports and become more active on the playground, loose-cut jeans are necessary for fall and winter. Tr
Read More »Back-to-School Cool: Mom-Approved Style Trends for Elementary School Girls
Style PointsGet playful! Elementary girls will want to dabble in every trend, so let them have fun with their look. But Mom, you’ll need to help reign it in — she can’t wear a ball gown to school, but she can wear sparkly ballet flats. She can’t wear a cheetah dress to class, but she can wear a leop
Read More »Back-to-School Cool: Mom-Approved Style Trends for Elementary School Boys
Style PointsJust like elementary girls, boys at this age will probably be pretty game to try anything. Color and stripes are huge for fall, so let him pick out items in a variety of patterns and shades. Long-sleeved striped polos are great for in-between weather, and can be easily layered under a co
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Asking More of Kids
Editor's note: If you struggle at times to get your kids out for a walk in the woods or other nature outing, yet feel in your bones how important it is for them, you'll appreciate this gem of an essay by author Julie Zickefoose, which we discovered on ParentMap contributor Jennifer Johnson's blog. F
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Why Your Child Needs More Time Outside
Does your child have "nature-deficit disorder"? In his 2006 book, Last Child in the Woods, Richard Louv coined that phrase, and it's been inspiring discussion ever since. More than ever before, Louv says, children are out of touch with nature and outdoor play, instead staying inside, plugged in to
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