Teaching Children the Meaning of Thanksgiving

Trapped between the candy-filled excitement of Halloween and the magic of the winter holidays, Thanksgiving doesn’t always get the attention it deserves from children. And that’s a shame, because Thanksgiving is one of the most important days in American culture. Fortunately, teaching children the meaning of Thanksgiving isn’t difficult, and brings opportunities to develop our children’s ability to appreciate personal blessings.   Start with the Story To understand Thanksgiving, children need to know the story

How to Teach the Alphabet

Teaching the alphabet is the first step in a child’s journey towards literacy—and the wonders hidden in books. How to teach the alphabet, however, isn’t something that comes naturally. If you’re struggling for ideas, we’ve got a list of helpful, alphabet-friendly strategies to help your little one learn her ABCs.   Read The more you read to your child, the more she’s exposed to the ABCs. Any storybook helps with letter recognition, but books dedicated

Lunchbox Notes for Kids

School can sometimes be tough. Kids are learning and meeting new challenges—both in the classroom and on the playground. Slipping a fun note into his lunchbox can turn a bad day around, or just remind your child he’s loved. We’ve come up ideas for fun lunchbox notes for kids.   Jokes or Love? You know your child better than anyone else. Will he feel all warm and fuzzy if the note says “I love you,”

Why Puzzles Are Important for Fine Motor Skills Development

Cognitive activities for toddlers encourage logical thinking, hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills development, and more. Puzzles can play a significant role in developing these skills, as even a simple jigsaw puzzle engages a child on multiple levels. Personalized puzzles help children learn the letters of their name and introduce beginning pre-reading skills.   Children need to explore their world and, equally important, interact with it. Making a puzzle offers opportunity for children to do just

How to Improve Reading Habits

Developing reading skills is a vital part of any child’s learning, and one which can have long lasting effects. A life-long love of reading is associated with a love of learning, creativity, and imagination. Learning how to improve reading habits helps parents ensure that their children experience the special joy of getting lost in a good book. Make Reading Fun If we were told we could only give one answer to the question “how to

10 Halloween Adventures Inspired by I See Me! Books

Looking for ideas for a Halloween costume for your child? Browse the books on iseeme.com with your child to come up with ideas! Your child will have not only a clever costume but also a “story” that goes along with it! Here are 10 dress-up ideas inspired by I See Me! books (for Halloween and year-round dress-up/pretend play, too!): 1.    Princess:  Awaken your child’s inner princess by helping her get dressed up in a

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

Controlling Halloween Candy Consumption

Halloween is a major celebration if you’re a kid. You get to dress up in costume and go out in public, roaming the neighborhood or local shopping center asking for treats. Sometimes it’s a little scary, but the brave kid knows the house with all the spooky decorations is also likely to be the one with the best candy. From an adult perspective, Halloween’s a little nerve-wracking. Complete strangers are handing your child candy, and

5 Custom Halloween Bags

Plastic Halloween jack-o-lantern treat buckets may get the trick-or-treating job done on October 31st, but they’re hardly the most imaginative candy containers. Instead, why not give your little one a Halloween bag that stands out from the crowd? We’ve got five suggestions for unique, fun, and slightly spooky custom Halloween bags and buckets. Frankenstein’s Monster Cereal Bags These bags are fun to make with kids, and have an added advantage—they don’t hold huge amounts of

Homemade Halloween Costumes for Kids

Halloween’s coming up fast, and the stores are filling with pre-made children’s costumes. You’ve got zombies, ghouls, and monsters to pick from—choices which many parents understandably shy away from. You’ve also got an abundance of outfits based on whatever Hollywood franchise is hot this year, whether or not it’s appropriate to use as a child’s costume. This year, why not bypass the store-bought costumes in favor of homemade Halloween costumes for kids? A little preparation