Even if you, as a child, weren’t taught to “look for the helpers” in times of trouble, you probably have encouraged your own children to do so. 

Got a day — or a weekend — without any plans? Whether you have one hour or one whole day to spend outside and off screens, this list of 32 summer activities will yield a fun and unforgettable experience for your little ones.

1. Watch an ant evade an obstacle.

2. Make mud pies.

Kids stuck inside with nothing to do? Try these 11 "boredom busters" to up the family fun factor.

Holidays are times of joyful gatherings and fun traditions for families all over the world. From special meals to funny characters to celebrating the values that unite us, each culture brings its own flair to the festivities — during the winter holidays and throughout the year.

The new Highlights CoComelon mini magazine combines two childhood favorites into a one-of-a-kind monthly subscription that encourages families to smile, snuggle and sing together.

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month is a very important time for me and my children. When my kids were little, I often asked them, “Where are GongGong (grandpa) and PoPo (grandma) from? Where is MaMa from?” 

Caring for children is a busy job and we could all use little rest and renewal with some stress-relief activities. Even kids could use a little wind-down time every now and again. But downshifting doesn’t mean that enjoying family and making memories together have to stop. 

The best backyards have a few things in common: they offer kids a place to explore, experiment, run, jump, learn and collaborate in a safe, familiar environment. The best part: it’s easy and inexpensive to create a backyard space that’s exciting and fun for your child.

A great outdoor space for a baby or toddler doesn’t have to be huge or cost a fortune. All you need is a safe, obstruction-free patio, porch or grassy patch with a shady area nearby where your cutie can test new skills, investigate, play and experiment.

Playing with a pal is not just board games, backyard soccer, slime, bikes and lemonade stands. It’s actually shoring up your child’s mental health, banking trust and developing security that can be drawn on for years to come.

As November approaches and election conversations surround us, conversations about politics can be intense. Children are not immune.

Books are a perfect way to broaden your baby’s horizon and vocabulary.

As children grow, it’s normal for them to experience ups and downs day-to-day, depending on what’s happening at school and with friends and family.

Let’s admit it: In many ways, summer is as much a relief to adults as it is to kids. But as we enjoy the lazy days of swimming pools and sleepovers, there may still be one little worry in the back of our minds: the so-called “summer slide.”

Here are simple ways to boost kids’ interest in food, desire for adventure and appreciation for what goes on in the kitchen.

Each year, thousands of kids write to Highlights magazine to share their creativity, make suggestions for a new feature or puzzle or seek guidance on a problem they are experiencing.

Preparing to add another child to your family can leave you tired and full of emotions as you prepare to welcome your second baby.

Sure, kids make messes and need help from adults — but children as young as 18 months old can learn how to do simple chores like folding clothes and contribute to the household.

Browsing the colorful aisles of a toy store or pages of an ecommerce site, you could easily think that vibrant hues, flashing lights and lots of noise are required for every baby toy.

Hanh Bui fled her homeland of Vietnam as a child. She remembers the challenges of arriving in a new country, with new customs, language and expectations.

Hot toys come and go, but classics like the 6 listed here will never slip out of fashion. We scouted the shelves for the best of the best to create this timeless list of must-have developmental toys for curious babies and educational toys for toddlers. 

When you volunteer as a family, you give kids an up close and personal way to observe life’s complexities and to see how the world looks from another perspective. Here's how to get involved and enjoy volunteering together.

Few parents have heard the term “school refusal,” but many families are experiencing it. In fact, since the pandemic, it’s a big problem. Missing a lot of school causes cognitive–academic, social and behavioral deficits for students.

Tell us more about the history of Juneteenth.

Kids love Halloween! Scary stuff can be so fun . . . or it can ruin bedtime.

It may be hard to fathom, but children as young as age 8 can have suicidal thoughts, and many parents don’t know when their children are in crisis. In this week’s “Dear Highlights” podcast, our host Christine French Cully, talks with Dr.

It is, most likely, inevitable: One day your 2-year-old cutie is quietly sharing her favorite stuffed animal with her 4-year-old brother, when out of nowhere you hear her shout, “Let go!” in the most assertive tone ever.

Whether you have an hour or a day to devote to getting outside, fresh air and outdoor adventures can lift your whole family’s mood. Entice your kids with fun outdoor activities tied to other interests and they’ll soon be reaping the rewards of muscle-building, stress-relieving, fresh-air fun.

Self-sufficient children tend to have greater self-esteem, are better able to manage frustration and are less dependent on others, experts say. Check out the following entry-level self-care skills for preschool and grade-school youngsters that can set your child on a self-care path today!

While there’s no single childhood trait that guarantees a happy, healthy adulthood, scientists increasingly believe that kids who possess self-control may have a leg up on the competition.

From homework to open houses and everything in between, keeping up with your child’s school year can often feel like a full-time job. 

One blustery November morning on the day before Thanksgiving many years ago found me deep in the preparations for our annual Thanksgiving dinner. As I chopped potatoes and sautéed vegetables, I could feel the warmth of our fireplace in the family room.

The air is full of colorless gas. So what makes a sunny sky so blue?

On a beautiful summer day, puffy white clouds drift in a sky that’s very blue. It looks like an ocean you could dive into. 

These 5 tips will help you feel at ease when cooking with kids, while also helping your child feel at ease shopping for and chopping veggies, measuring ingredients and helping you cook and serve dinner. 

I was born and raised in Mexico City and ironically, as soon as I left my country 17 years ago, I started paying more attention to how I celebrate my Mexican traditions, like Day of The Dead, and magically they got a whole new and powerful meaning.  

Few parents want to clean up after their children constantly. Sure, kids make messes and need help from adults — but children as young as 18 months old can learn how to do simple chores and contribute to the household. 

For many parents, a child talking back or being rude is met with immediate anger or sternness—perhaps an instinctual response from their own upbringing or beliefs about respecting our elders.

Parents Trent and Carly Shepherd join Christine French Cully, Highlights’ Editor-in-Chief, and Hillary Bates, Director of Purpose and Impact, on the Dear Highlights podcast to share more about a major lifestyle chang

Here’s proof that bathing isn’t just for scrub-a-dub-dubbing. Check out the following activities. (Hint: They have nothing to do with getting your child clean!)

When school lets out, a whole new world opens. For some kids, that means splashy pool days, sidewalk chalk and stacks of library books. For others, it means quiet days at home, skipped lunches and fewer chances to learn or play. That gap isn't fair.

Father’s Day is the perfect holiday to spoil the amazing dads and father figures in our kids’ lives. Instead of just wrapping up a few gifts, why not plan a day full of activities that Dad and the kids will love?

Hooray for the holidays! Three cheers for family gatherings and school vacations! Woohoo for … an overpacked schedule and feelings of stress?

Would you like your future citizens of the world to serve their community, do good deeds and feel compassion for others? Here are 21 community service ideas to help kids learn how to give back. Give these child-tested philanthropic activities a try. 

To celebrate Black History Month, we dove into our Highlights archives. From space to sports, these original stories and activities from Highlights magazines will inspire you to learn more about Black history all year long. 

Last week in Texas, and this weekend in Ohio, parents received startling emails from their schools informing them of a threat made by someone claiming to be a Russian terrorist organization to plant bombs in U.S. schools, including theirs.

Arts and crafts are a great way to bond with your child and foster developmental skills. To help your kids learn art, rustle up some supplies and start designing.

Here are just some of the developmental skills your preschooler learns while working on crafts:

At Highlights, we receive thousands of messages from kids each year. Some are silly. Some are heartbreaking. All are real. And every single one matters.   

Small talk is a big deal. Although we usually dismiss small talk as chatter about topics that seem unimportant, kids need to know how to strike up, and hold, a conversation with you, friends, family and teachers, as well as bosses and colleagues down the road. 

In this episode of the "Dear Highlights" podcast, Christine French Cully, Editor-in-Chief, and Hillary Bates, Director of Purpose and Impact, are joined by Highlights CEO Kent Johnson.

Every parent has experienced it. The anticipation of catching up with your child after a long week, the mental planning of questions to keep dialogue going. You begin the conversation with an easy ask, hoping to grease the wheels for a long discussion: “How was school today?” 

It's important for adults to nurture children’s creativity, respect and identify it, listen to it and encourage it. Here's an age-by-age guide for how to support your innately creative child. 

I love sharing the traditions of Hanukkah with my children and extended family because it’s important to me to pass down the rituals of Judaism that my ancestors have been following for thousands of years.

There is no perfect formula or kindergarten readiness checklist to follow, but understanding what kids learn in kindergarten, what they do during their day, and how early childhood learning happens can help parents decide if it is the right time to enroll.

True or false: Teaching good manners should begin when your children are babies. 

True. The ways parents and babies relate to each other, such as by playing games and eating together, lead to developmentally appropriate group behavior, also known as good manners. 

Between the sweet baby smell and the sound of your little one cooing with delight, there is so much to be excited about in this new chapter — and, of course, plenty of unsolicited advice.

For 75 years, Highlights magazine has received thousands of letters and email from kids every year, and we answer every single one. “Dear Highlights” has always served as a way to help ease children’s concerns and help encourage them to become their best selves.

It’s probably not an overstatement to say that kids (and grown-ups) have been infatuated with space since the beginning of time. And, lucky for the current generation, today’s options for engaging in planetary playtime extend well beyond telescopes and Space Invaders.

Kids love to imagine what could be – like traveling to mystical lands or exploring the furthest reaches of our universe. 

In this “Dear Highlights” podcast Editor-in-Chief Christine French Cully and her guest, educational psychologist Michele Borba, EdD, discuss how the pandemic has affected children as thei

Raising children to be empathetic and kind toward other people — beyond just friends and family members — can feel like a daunting job for many parents. Fortunately, there’s a time-tested way to do it: parents can teach kindness and compassion by setting the right example for their kids.

Sand and sun – here you come! You’ve got your beach trip booked and are already dreaming of blue skies and boardwalks. BUT – you’ve still got your to-do list standing between you and the soothing sound of lapping waves. 

A balanced and nutritious diet is crucial for a child’s wellness. What should parents do when their child is a picky eater? How can moms and dads make sure their picky eaters stay healthy and get enough to eat? 

Raising a reader in an increasingly screen-filled world can seem like an impossible and, sometimes, unnecessary or obsolete pursuit. But don’t give up: Reading will always be a timeless pleasure and the foundation of all learning. 

Gratitude is the appreciation of good things in our lives and in the world, accompanied by a sense of thankfulness and a desire to express it. Nurturing gratitude helps children develop empathy, resilience, and a positive outlook—skills that benefit them throughout life.