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11 Creative Ways to Enjoy Reading This Summer
What are your favorite books to read to your kids during the summer? Here are 12 ideas to help bring the joy of reading into your home over school break!
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What are your favorite books to read to your kids during the summer? Here are 12 ideas to help bring the joy of reading into your home over school break!
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Taking turns strengthens communication and creative problem solving skills and helps kids learn more about empathy and patience.
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Understanding and coping with worry are important skills for children to learn — and as grown-ups, we can help them.
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Kids practice compassion when they notice people’s feelings and think about how they can act in a way that is kind and caring.
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Recognizing patterns helps kids make predictions about what comes next. Try these fun pattern activities to help your child be a problem solver!
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A positive parent-teacher relationship helps your child feel good about school and be successful in school. Try these strategies to build a positive relationship with your child’s teacher.
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When they know what to expect and what’s expected of them, kids feel more comfortable and confident about what lies ahead. Here are tips on helping children with routines.
MPT has a new family membership. We invite you to take advantage of this exciting new MPT Family Membership.
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A good student-teacher relationship can contribute immensely to a student’s long-term feelings about school, attitude toward learning, and motivation for success.
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Sharing stories is a great way to help children learn more about themselves and the world around them.
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Are your toddlers fascinated by the kids around them, only to later scream and cry when they have to “share” one of their trains?
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The public library has more than just books! From STEM games to activity kits to community events, your local library has free resources and information to offer. Check it out!
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National Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated between September 15 and October 15. Here are 11 inspiring and colorful children’s books that celebrate Latino voices and culture.
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Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with us! Explore this list of children’s books featuring stories about Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, artist Frida Kahlo and many more!
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With a few strategies, kids can become problem solvers and maintain their friendships, even when conflict occurs.
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Try these simple morning and bedtime routines with your child to help them navigate daily transitions as they wake up and go to sleep
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Here are 10 ways you can create a calming morning routine in preparation for the busy back-to-school season!
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A change in plans scan be tough to handle at any age, but especially for kids. Here are five ways to build flexible thinking skills and help your kids go with the flow when plans change.
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Here are two key guiding principles that can help you reframe “misbehavior” as your child’s efforts to cope with challenges and feel in control of their world.
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When young children learn how to play alone, they learn to trust their instincts, stretch their thinking, and regulate their emotions, and how to cope with boredom.
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Play time is always important for children – and grown-ups! Movement, laughter and creativity help reduce stress and strengthen bonds within the entire family.
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Just like ants, which store and share resources in nature, your child can build a mini library to store and share books with their family and friends.
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Coordinating many activities and priorities can be a challenge. Here are some tips to help keep family life organized, healthy, and fun!
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When kids are all fired up, nothing is getting in their heads or hearts. Research shows that children and adults learn best when they are happy and calm.
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To preschoolers, getting something wrong often results in frustration, a feeling of failure, and an explosion of big emotions. Here’s how to help your child learn from mistakes.
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In this activity, try stopping between each step to give your child a chance to decide if their creation looks like what they are trying to create. Mistakes happen and it’s OK to make adjustments and change course along the way.
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In this collection, families can explore resources designed to teach children about reducing, reusing and recycling.
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Nature play, or time spent in nature, is beneficial for many reasons, including relieving stress.
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It's important for children to know that they can be helpers too! Help your family divide up household chores with this activity.
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Self-care isn’t selfish. It’s a basic need of being human! Teach your child simple acts of self-care to show that taking care of ourselves, and each other, is important.
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Belly breathing is a calming exercise that both children and parents can practice to relax and feel grounded. Try it next time you or your child feel stressed.
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The most foundational technique for mindfulness is deep breathing. Here are 10 tips from a mom and PBS KIDS characters to help your family practice breathing.
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Browse activities and games that explore things we can do to keep ourselves and our families physically and mentally healthy.
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Reach for this DIY mindfulness glitter jar when your child needs help relaxing and settling down.
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With intentional play, games, and activities, we can help our kids learn how to identify and name feelings, understand causes of emotions, and develop strategies for healthy expression.
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Building self-confidence for preschoolers is essential. We want our kids to see what’s good about themselves, to believe in themselves, and to know they’re important. Here are some ideas, with help from Donkey Hodie and her pals.
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Talking with your child about the environment & ways to help take care of our planet can help your child establish habits that motivate them to adopt Earth-friendly behavior.
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Rain, rain, go away! Weather doesn't have to put a damper on fun and learning. Here are five ways to use the daily weather for easy at-home science lessons!
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Anger and frustration are powerful emotions. Help kids develop coping strategies to manage frustration.
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There’s something extremely helpful about a good belly laugh, especially one that you share with people you love. Discover 15 silly books that get the entire family giggling.
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Help your child understand what it means to be a hero and that there is a hero in every one of us.
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Teaching social skills to neurotypical preschoolers can be tough job, and teaching those skills to children with ASD can be especially challenging.
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Parents, what does your child like most about her new teachers? Explore the importance of a healthy student-teacher relationship in these nine great books about educators!
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May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month! Using lessons from the PBS documentary "Asian Americans," share a new lens on U.S. history and the role Asian Americans play in shaping the nation’s story.
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Bees are one of nature’s best pollinators, which means they help plants produce the next generation. Build a wild bee hotel with your child to provide mason bees with an option for shelter in your garden.
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Transform a recycled plastic bottle into a simple homemade bird feeder.
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Use recyclable materials to make a favorite place portrait in honor of Earth Day.
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Camping may seem like hard work, but the outdoors can be a much-needed escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
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Here are seven free apps you can use to encourage your young gamers to explore their surroundings, use observational skills and have an adventure right in their own neighborhood!
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Here are four reasons that consistent exposure to the farmers market can encourage healthier eating habits with even the pickiest kids.
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Gardening can be an important tool in your child's development! Find out how planting a garden can affect not only your child’s body but also their brain and soul.
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Find out what happens to a pile of old leaves outside when you add a dash of time, maybe some worms, and a healthy splash of moisture?
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Help your child hone their observation skills with an easy scientific approach!
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Here are some tips to remind that you’re strong and that you can help your children and your family through these complicated times.
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When you take time for self-care during times of stress, you’re better able to care for your child. Keep these tips in mind when you’re feeling overwhelmed.
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Here are four ways parents and caregivers can support this vital effort to help kids build perseverance and resilience.
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Here are seven simple tricks that turn a family nature walk into an enjoyable adventure for everyone.
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Help your child develop their mapping and spatial skills! In this activity, children can create a neighborhood map and gain a better understanding of their community in the process.
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In the Neighborhood of Make-Believe, Trolley follows the dotted path to each destination. Encourage an interest in transportation, and have fun creating a unique path for Trolley. Ding, ding!
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It’s helpful for kids to understand where their food comes from. The different seasons change what food is available and impact how the food tastes, too!
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When loved ones live far away, making something special is a great way for kids to remind them that they care. Help your child surprise their mom or another special loved one by making paper Forget-Me-Not flowers.
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Building a kite is a great way to explore wind and how it moves things.
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Want to encourage your child's curiosity about plants, trees, and flowers? As the weather warms, it's the perfect time to take advantage of fresh air and explore your neighborhood.
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Growing seedlings in an egg carton is a great way to teach your child about plants.
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Learn how seeds and plants grow, and build observation skills with this hands-on garden activity!
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Encourage your child to express themselves through music and art by making a guitar out of simple materials around your house.
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There are so many mays to make and experience music. One possibility is to explore how different items around your house sound as musical instruments.
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Teach your child to reuse and recycle with this DIY ocean mobile art.
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Have you ever heard of found poetry? It's the literary equivalent of a collage and a great way to help your kids express themselves.
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Want to help your child nurture their writing skills at home? From making a grocery list to writing a thank-you note, modeling all the ways you write in your everyday life is a great way to start.
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Some of the most powerful ways to encourage young readers are also some of the simplest! The resources in this collection are designed to help kids grow into curious readers and lifelong learners.
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Providing reassurance, limiting exposure to media and sticking to routines are just a few ways grown-ups can help kids manage through tough times and stressful situations!
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From drawing in a nature journal to simply heading outside to explore, here are six great ways to experience nature with your kids this spring!
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Curiosity motivates our little ones to explore, learn, and grow. Here are some examples of how to motivate your child through curiosity — instead of control — that can easily fit into your day.
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Pretend play can help your child work through fears and feel more in control.
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Get creative with your fairy loving child by creating a fairy house using an empty glass jar, paint and a few decorative items from nature.
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You and your child can investigate what happens when you heat solid materials and then cool the materials.
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Children will explore similarities and differences between themselves and others.
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Encourage your child to share openly and honestly using these expert tips.
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Bedtime stories are great ways to encourage kids to be creative and confident.
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Emotions can be a big experience, and children may not yet know how to handle them. Here are a few steps to follow to help your children express their emotions.
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Do you have a child who longs to chat with everyone she sees at the grocery store? Here are five ways to support her outgoing personality.
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Research shows that kids who watched Peg+Cat and Odd Squad exhibited significantly improved performance on critical early math skills.
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Persistence is a helpful trait in life. It describes how long we are able to stick at a task, manage frustration, and push through the challenges we encounter.
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Embrace your child’s curiosity and unleash their creativity by encouraging them to become problem-solvers.
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Music can be a powerful helper when it comes to understanding and expressing our feelings. Here is how your family can interact with music to help identify, express, and regulate feelings.
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This salty and sweet popcorn recipe is perfect for a quick snack. Your child will have fun spooning the melted candy and shaking the sprinkles!
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This white chocolate coconut cookie recipe has a secret ingredient: orange zest.
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Light and spongy, devilishly decadent, and dark as a moonless midnight.
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Here are a few heartwarming books about families of all shapes, sizes and customs to brighten these long winter nights.
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Just like your young scientist, the characters in this collection of books for children ages 2-8 are always asking questions, conducting experiments, and building new inventions.
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These books introduce weather in positive ways and will have kids looking forward to playing in the snow, chasing leaves in the wind, jumping in rain puddles, and picnicking in the sunshine.
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Make this awesome telescope with and for your kids using just a few materials!
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Try this experiment with your child to investigate how melting glaciers can cause the sea level to rise and change the Earth's landscape.
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Let's make soap! These colorful, handmade bars of soap make great gifts for kids of all ages.
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Understanding each of our cultural backgrounds is the first step toward respecting our differences! Here, we share tips for exploring new cultures with your child.
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Having open, regular conversations now helps our children grow in their understanding of money for the future. Here are three questions to think about when teaching kids about money.
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Learning how to spend, save, and give away money is a life-skill that takes years to develop. Here are 10 guidelines to help your child on the road to financial literacy.
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Your child is figuring out how the world works. Their ability to manage their own frustrations, problem solve and through a challenge will serve them well — now and far into the future.
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It is natural for all children to experience anxiety at times. The good news? Parents and grownups can use simple strategies to support kids when anxious thoughts arise.
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When children experience different perspectives and backgrounds, they strengthen their life skills for becoming more empathetic, understanding, and open-minded.
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When kids learn to empathize with others and show compassion for their peers, being an “includer” becomes automatic. Here are five ways to help your child learn to include others.
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A change in plans scan be tough to handle at any age, but especially for kids. Here are five ways to build flexible thinking skills and help your kids go with the flow when plans change.
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Rather than become upset when your young child lies — because children will! — try to see these moments as opportunities to help them develop a habit of honesty.
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Have an empty box laying around? Help your child discover the potential of an ordinary box with just a few common art materials and their favorite stuffed animal.
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Encourage your child to express themselves through music and art by making a guitar out of simple materials around your house.
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Explore an Alaska Native dance tradition with your child by making a Yup’ik dance fan.
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Here are some tips for helping your child cope with the ups and downs of friendships.
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Arguments with a friend can be very upsetting for kids, but it does not have to mean the end of a friendship.
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Here are 15 books that can help us start conversations with our kids about what it means to be a friend.
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Are your toddlers fascinated by the kids around them, only to later scream and cry when they have to “share” one of their trains?
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Our families help us understand who we are and how we fit into the big world around us, as well as explore who we are as individuals and learn to embrace differences.
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It’s normal for young kids to be curious about families. They don’t need much explanation, rather, just the positive acknowledgment that families come in different shapes and sizes.
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Teasing is something many children will experience at some point. Use this Arthur activity to help your child talk about how it feels, then work together to create coping strategies.
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The next time a meltdown arises, try one of these short and simple "Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood" songs to help your preschooler manage and ease those big feelings.
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Is your little one getting ready to start reading? Help your child develop pre-reading skills that will give them a strong foundation for later reading success.
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Every family has its own bedtime routine to transition from day to night. Play the "My Bedtime" game from Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood to spark a conversation about things that help kids at bedtime!
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Just like ants, which store and share resources in nature, your child can build a mini library to store and share books with their family and friends.
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Puppet shows allow children to experiment with storytelling and imagination. Explore the basic elements of storytelling while you craft Peg-themed puppets and a theater for your show.
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Space is a fascinating and sometimes confusing topic for kids. Gather ideas to help you explore the wonders of astronomy with your kids this summer!
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For little astronauts, here are activities, games, and plenty of ideas for a little space exploration from your own home!
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Getting to know the solar system is key to learning about our universe! Help your child learn about outer space with this Ready Jet Go art project.
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Practice cooperation skills by working and playing with others to create a silly drawing.
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Invite your child to take a break and help you in the kitchen to make a delicious banana swirl treat.
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Molly’s mom makes ice sculptures. “Chill out” and make one with your family! Observe how temperature affects water as you create a frozen ice sculpture.
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Children resisting to try new things or engage in activities that they haven’t fully mastered is not uncommon. Here is how parents can help build children’s confidence.
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Play time is always important for children – and grown-ups! Movement, laughter and creativity help reduce stress and strengthen bonds within the entire family.
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Most kids naturally struggle with sharing because it’s difficult for them to think about what others want. Encourage kids to take turns by assuring them that their friends will return their toys when they're done.
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Play this game with your child to help them make their own discoveries using different senses.
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Art + Nature = Fun. For this activity from PBS KIDS, you’ll use outdoor objects like leaves, pinecones and rocks as your paintbrush.
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Encourage your child to explore the trees with their senses by doing leaf and bark rubbings. Then, play a matching game!
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Estimation is a skill we use to make careful guesses. Explore counting and making estimates in this online activity from Peg + Cat !
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Does your little one enjoy making up stories? In this activity, emerging readers build their own story book while strengthening empathy and literacy skills!
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What happens to the sun at night? What are shooting stars? And is there life beyond Earth? These ten books can help answer your kids' space science questions... and perhaps inspire new ones!
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It’s helpful for kids to understand where their food comes from. The different seasons change what food is available and impact how the food tastes, too!
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Harness your child's interest in dinosaurs and travel back in time to when dinos ruled the Earth with this collection of prehistoric page-turners for kids ages 0-9.
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Travel back in time through our imaginations together to when dinosaurs ruled the Earth! If your child loves everything dinosaurs, now is a great time to introduce them to paleontology with these activities.
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Kids’ brains need stimulation, but they need downtime, too. Read on for ways to use screen-free zones, brain breaks and pretend play to raise creative and independent kids!
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Roll homemade dice and use your imagination to tell a unique story! This fun game can inspire countless wacky tales and be played over and over again.
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From fridge art to the MoMa? Here are ways to encourage your emerging artist’s skills — and the milestones to expect along the way.
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This list of books featuring diverse characters and highlighting the importance of diversity in communities is a great way to start conversations about diversity with your young children.
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Reading can be an effective way to teach kids about important issues. To encourage thoughtful conversations about race and diversity with your children, check out this booklist you can read together as a family.
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Even the best of friends sometimes have problems they must work out. Try "Dog and Bear: Two's Company" and other bedtime stories to share this lesson with little ones!
MPT is here to help parents and educators keep kids laughing and learning all summer long. Look to our new summer resource collections including MPT Summer On!, weekly theme-based activities, and At-Home Learning: Summer Edition for daily activities connected to our PBS KIDS broadcast. Count on MPT to always provide access to high-quality, educationally-based programming for your family. Anytime and anywhere – on-air, online, and on our free mobile app.
Look to our education website, Thinkport.org, to find safe, adult-led activities for young children, and independent student learning resources for students in grades PreK-12.
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Find learning games and activities matched to your favorite PBS KIDS shows.
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At-Home Learning continues with our back-to-school edition to support families and educators with new digital resources and hands-on activities aligned to our PBS KIDS broadcast.
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Find fun, daily activities and crafts to do with your children using items in your home and a few basic supplies.
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Looking for resources to encourage students who are interested in STEM or research? These are a great start.
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When you take the time to learn about individuals with autism, you might end up learning something about yourself! Learn more about autism spectrum disorder through 26-year-old Tyler Leech's story.
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Covering your mouth when you cough or sneeze and washing your hands are among the most important healthy habits we can teach children!
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A flavorful chicken tender recipe marinated in a honey mustard sauce and cooked to perfection.
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Many holidays throughout the year include food traditions. One food that comes up a few times are pancakes! Here are four fun ways to make your own pancakes!
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We’ve made a list of books full of nutritious and fun dishes for kids to create.
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The 2020-2021 school year is going to look different for families across the country. PBS KIDS is here to help no matter what learning situation your family is facing this year.
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Play with shadows, control the weather and roll and slide objects down a ramp, all in the free PBS KIDS Play & Learn Science App!
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Even the best of friends sometimes have problems they must work out. Try "Dog and Bear: Two's Company" and other bedtime stories to share this lesson with little ones!
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This picture book celebrates diversity by showing how children in one classroom all grow and learn from each other’s traditions.
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To teach our children to be “colorblind” eliminates the beautiful diversity of our communities.
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Anti-racism is the practice of working to eliminate the unfair treatment of people based on the color of their skin. Some things to do to begin your family's anti-racism journey.
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Conversations about racism will look different to each family, but it’s important to talk to children about race and racism. Here are some tips.
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Families should be talking more about race so that we can understand it. Dr. Aisha White explains what race is, and how grown-ups can talk about it with young children.
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Talking with young children about race and racism is tough and important. Here are ideas to help you prepare for conversations, ask questions, and model anti-racist behavior.
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Here are seven ways Dr. White recommends using picture books (with questions and conversation starters!) to talk about race and racism.
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Parents can create opportunities to talk about race through regular media use. Here are a few ways to make everyday media moments more meaningful.
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In this short, Arthur, Buster, and Mrs. MacGrady talk about ways we can all fight racism and stand up for what’s right.
MEET THE HELPERS is a public media initiative designed to introduce children to community helpers and practice emergency preparedness.
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Preschoolers learn best through exploring, using all of their senses to understand their world. Here are some resources to support your child's early learning.
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PBS KIDS “You Me Community” music videos will help children explore the helpers that make up a community, and how to say thank-you to others.
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Learn about the people that make your community special! This PBS KIDS playlist is packed with songs and stories from your favorite TV shows
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"Germs, Germs Go Away. Don't come back any day" Use these tips from Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood to keep germs away by washing hands and coughing into your elbow.
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When Daniel is sick, he imagines that he is a germ-fighting superhero that can make all the germs go away!
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These PBS KIDS role models prove that you can be anything. Check out these inspiring videos featuring a doctor, astronomer, paleontologist, engineer, and two musicians.
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Keep in mind: apps don’t equal learning – they are potential tools for learning.
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Every day is full of possibilities and so is your child! Get crafts, activities, parenting tips, recipes, and more that you can use to play and learn with your kids emailed to you every week. Sign up here!
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