“Grammy, the geese came back!” my four-year-old granddaughter exclaimed in a recent phone conversation. And while I am always delighted to talk with her, I was especially pleased to hear her story about seeing the geese this autumn. The story she told made it clear that her oral language abilities have reached a level that […]

I, like most parents, want my children to have all the tools they need to be successful in this world. And, what we know, is that literacy is so important in both academic and life pursuits. As a parent, and an early childhood educator, I know that we need to support children in becoming strong […]

By Dr. Pam Schiller Critical thinking is defined as analyzing and evaluating information or evidence in order to guide decision making. It is literally thinking about thinking. The term critical thinking is often co-mingled with creative thinking, higher order thinking, and even, problem solving. It is a function of all of these or better put—all […]

Think back to your favorite summer experiences as a young child. My grown children would probably tell you about camp, the beach and family vacations. It’s not likely that they, or you, would put summer reading high their list of special summer memories. And yet, one of the most important things we can do for […]

By Dr. Heather Wittenberg Learning doesn’t have to stop the summer fun. Pre-reading skills give your kids a boost when school starts in the fall, so I’ve created a day of learning that has lots of built-in reading fun. Have the kids help you plan every step along the way!   Early Morning: Go on […]

By Dr. Heather Wittenberg Learning to read is a huge milestone for your child, making it possible to learn about any subject under the sun.  And so we dutifully read, read, read to our kids, hoping that one day the skill will “click”. I’ve got a great shortcut. Summer’s the time for fun and games, […]

Summer’s here! Throughout the month of June, I’ll  have lots of ideas for how to boost your kids’ learning. But don’t worry! My tips are simple, inexpensive, and fun for the whole family – and guaranteed to help that little noggin grow. We’ll start out today with how to get your summer learning off to […]

By Joan Firestone, Ph.D. Spring has finally made it to my neighborhood.  And while parents are busy getting out the tricycles and patio furniture, they are also contemplating the perennial question of what to do with the kids when the school year ends. It might well be that the best answer is to enroll them […]

By Dr. Joan Lessen-Fireston, Ph.D. Kindergarten teachers often worry about inadequate fine motor skills exhibited by many of their students. Every year it seems that more children enter school unable to cut along a straight line, manipulate buttons and snaps, and comfortably hold and use a pencil. But in a time when we focus on […]

A study finds that young children who had more early reading knowledge were slightly better readers when they entered middle school, but preschoolers’ general knowledge of the world was found to be a much stronger predictor of their later success in reading.

By Pam Schiller, Ph.D. Many people think that talking with children is not important because there appears to be so much children don’t understand. This is a huge misunderstanding! Children understand our intonations and speech patterns almost from birth. If they are around talkative caretakers, they understand most of what is said to them by […]