Summer is in full swing and every day children are gleefully running in the sprinkler parks and playing outside until way past bedtime. With school as a distant memory, it’s easy to forget to sit down with a book when it’s not an assignment or part of your family’s summertime routine. Here are ten quick tips for making reading a fun and relaxing part of every day: 1. Snuggle up. This one is #1 for a reason! A large part of young children’s enjoyment of reading is the comfort

After months and months of puffy coats, clunky boots, and mitten battles, it seems as if spring is finally showing its lovely face. Take one look at any park in town on a sunny day and you’ll find blissful children shedding their layers as they rediscover their favorite outdoor games. This season also brings the reemergence of scraped knees, bumped heads, and the periodic wails of fallen children as they test their own limits on playground equipment. Equally prevalent are th

“So what do you do all day...play?” As an early childhood teacher, I’ve heard this question hundreds of times.  I smile knowingly as I respond because, to be honest, I understand. Glance over at a group of children at play and how could you think otherwise? These children are chatting and laughing, completely engrossed in their materials, and having a blast. How could this be considered anything except pure fun? To understand what’s really happening here, we have to look a bi