"Screen time" has become a loaded phrase, conjuring images of sedentary, isolated children absorbed in a virtual world... so-called "screen zombies"! However, it's crucial to recognize that not all screen time is created equal. In this article, the authors explore the imperative of providing educators and caregivers with…

Research shows that home environments play a critical role in developing children's early literacy skills. Given the importance of developing early literacy skills to bolster children's chances for subsequent academic success, this article highlights the role of parent-child shared book reading. Summarizing research on different types of…

What is the motivation to fill each waking minute of the day with activities and events and to excel at everything? Are we trying to create the "superkid," defined as "a child pressured by parents and by society to do too much too soon?" Are parents overcompensating because they feel guilty about the time they spend working or away from home?…

In today's hyper-connected world, children's exposure to technology as a tool to communicate, learn, and socialize has increased exponentially. As teachers and parents recognize the demands for increased use of technology among young children, they should be able to identify and address the challenges associated with such exposure. Cyberbullying,…

Recent research on parental involvement has explored connections between parental involvement in school and children's academic achievement. While many schools have active parent organizations and a base of parents who offer additional support, others struggle to make connections with their parents or community members. Even in places with active…

As an early childhood professional, this author spent the first 17 years of her career as an advocate for children and their families. With an advanced degree in early childhood special education, she learned about the pitfalls and triumphs of special education. After leaving the classroom and entering the world of academia in teacher education,…

When parents get together, the subject of appropriately addressing the behavior of their children often comes to the forefront of conversations. Parents share various challenges they face with their children, including issues associated with listening, eating vegetables, doing chores, and a host of other discipline-related situations. The plethora…

You have young preschool children. You think ahead to when they will begin school, and wonder what you might do to make it easy for your children to learn to read. This article offers some hints for parents and caregivers about learning to read: (1) Reading can begin at birth; (2) When reading aloud to an infant, make the experience a warm, loving…

Although bullying is hardly a new phenomenon, highly publicized media accounts about bullying have raised the awareness of many people (Limber, 2003). Bullying can no longer be sloughed off as quiet, inconsequential kid stuff experienced by only a few victims who "probably deserved it anyway." It can no longer be considered the rite of passage…

Every family wants to ensure a positive preschool foundation in order to build interest and success in the coming school years. Beyond an intuitive hunch, however, many families may not know exactly what to look for as they begin the search for a preschool. In response to both the perplexing nature and the significance of the task at hand, this…

Technology is a way of life for most Americans. A recent study published by the National Writing Project (2007) found that Americans believe that computers have a positive effect on writing skills. The importance of learning to use technology ranked just below learning to read and write, and 74 percent of the survey respondents noted that children…

If global warming has an upside, it may be the development of an enhanced awareness of the environment and the dangers faced due to profligate and destructive habits. The ways in which most people live in the industrialized world separate those from the natural world and hence make it difficult for them to understand and care about the planet that…

Exposure to cell phones, DVD players, video games, computers, digital cameras, and iPods has made today's young people more technologically advanced than those of any previous generation. As a result, parents are now concerned that their children are spending too much time in front of the computer. In this article, the author focuses her…

This article offers an explanation of standardized tests so that parents may understand the significance of their children's tests scores. Definitions of terms such as "percentile ranking," "norming group" and "criterion-referenced" are given. The author also questions the validity of high-stakes tests as a true…

Children growing up in today's fast-paced, disconnected world are in need of family customs and legacies. Although we tend to associate traditions with elaborate holiday celebrations, these can, and should, be an important part of our day-today lives. In its most basic form, a tradition is a regular event that helps define and distinguish your…