Grade school star

Test your logic skills with this Pet Pad race puzzle! Complete the puzzle to find out which pet wins the race.

Print and play this fun family board game that gets kids up and active! Players learn healthy habits and earn tokens for activities such as "Jump like a kangaroo" and "Pretend to juggle."

Perfect for a rainy day, this fun action-packed Bingo game will have kids hopping, crawling wiggling for the win!

To help young readers document the books they’ve read, create a reading banner together!

Encourage kids to be writers by setting up an inviting writing basket with cards, journals, stickers and markers.

Nature's free art supplies make for amazing masterworks.

See how the LeapPad3’s Explorer Learning games helped my child develop and master a variety of skills!

We know kids play hard, so we make our tablets kid-tough. Before handing an expensive tablet to your tot, ask "Can your tablet do this?"

Not only does the LeapBand help children learn a wide range of new skills, but you’ll also find that these wearable devices are fun for the whole family!

Take advantage of your son’s natural curiosity, and provide him with plenty of experiences to explore nature using all of his senses. For example, go for a nature walk and let him have fun navigating his way through rocks, mud, snow, tree branches, and roots. You can also give your child a bucket so they can collect leaves, acorns, pinecones, or any other “treasure” he finds. Create a scavenger hunt that includes different sounds, animals, plants, and trees, and work together as a family to find all of the items on your list. If you are not able to venture that far from your home, there are many fun things you can do in your own backyard. Give your child a plastic shovel, and let him dig for worms in your garden. Another fun idea is to simply get out some chalk and let him paint rocks, the pavement, or even the fence. It might get messy, but that’s part of the fun!

Holidays can be a time of joy, fun and excitement, but they can also be full of unexpected changes in routine and overstimulation. This can be particularly difficult for young children, because they thrive on structure and predictability. You are also more likely to be busy preparing for the holidays and hosting guests, which may cause your daughter to become more demanding than usual or act out for attention. While it is necessary to be somewhat flexible to accommodate holiday parties, traditions and family visits, try to stick as close as you can to your daughter’s routine. Make sure that she gets plenty of sleep, and set aside some downtime each day to relax, read, or play a game together as a family.

When children have trouble communicating how they are feeling or what they need, they will often act out or display inappropriate behaviors. Therefore, the first step in minimizing these problematic behaviors is to identify the real reasons behind the behaviors. For example, is your child hitting you as a way to communicate anger or a need for attention? Rather than getting upset or punishing children for their inappropriate behaviors, help them find a positive way to communicate their needs and feelings. You can do this by simply stating that their behavior is inappropriate (e.g., “We don’t hit, hitting hurts,”) and then teaching them to communicate with their words. At first, children may need you to give them the words to tell you what they need or how they feel. Once you address the underlying issue you will find that over time, you child will show less and less disrespectful behavior.

Find the right balance, and kids will thrive.

Helping children develop their global awareness through play and activities

Try these 10 tips to help children hone their writing skills.