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.

Whether going off to school for the first time or starting another year, experts agree that a child who feels capable and secure is set up for school success. 

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.

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.

Handwriting is so much more than just being about to write a sentence or your name. Here are 7 reasons why handwriting is key to academic and personal success.

We cannot be the best versions of ourselves and form the best bonds with our kids if we are completely exhausted. Good sleep is crucial for both parents and children.

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. 

Does your kid seem to want everything delivered on a silver platter? Learn how to identify entitled behavior from our panel of experts: 

In this Dear Highlights podcast, Christine French Cully, Highlights Editor-in-Chief, and Hillary Bates, Director of Purpose and Impact, talk with Dr.

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.

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.

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.

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.”

Christine French Cully, Highlights Editor-in-Chief, and Hillary Bates, Director of Purpose and Impact, sit down with Dr. Emily Oster, an economist at Brown University, to discuss how to understand data to improve decision making for parents.  

Kids need time to prepare emotionally and physically for the first day of school. This back-to-school guide provides 5 tips to help promote school readiness, as well as fun and engaging Highlights products that will set kids up for back-to-school success.

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?” 

For years, the National Education Association, the National PTA, and other experts have been actively campaigning for schools to take a more moderate approach to homework

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?” 

The word on the street for many parents of school-aged kids is that kindergarten is the new first grade. It’s no secret that kindergarten today is much more academically rigorous than kindergarten used to be, with less play and longer hours.

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. 

There are few things more adorable than a stack of colorful and engaging board books waiting at home for your baby.

But board books are much more than a design accessory.

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.

Got a kid who thinks the grass is always greener in their best friend’s yard? Here's how to help.

This Dear Highlights podcast discusses navigating friendships, both the fun and the challenging. Highlights receives more mail about friendship, a vital part of a kid’s social-emotional development, than any other subject. 

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. 

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.

The internet was made for posts about cats and kids. But it’s also a massive network storing information about all of us, including kids. How should we think about kids’ privacy online?

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.

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.

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

No matter the kid, late toilet trained or early, older child or youngest sib, most preschoolers delight in potty talk. They pontificate on poop and blab about butts anytime and anywhere. There are three big reasons why:

Kids are proud of what they can do. 

A first grade assignment encouraging students to write about something they knew well sparked a literary career for Nia Mya Reese. 

Let’s be honest: Parenting isn’t all sweet birth announcements and adorable family photos. Being a parent means being there for those messy moments in between — like midnight bed wetting, toddler meltdowns and pre-teen attitudes. 

It all started with a bag of plagues.

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.

In this “Dear Highlights” episode, Christine French Cully, Editor-in-Chief, and Hillary Bates, Director of Purpose and Impact, talk with Nelba Marquez-Greene, founder of the

While homework in elementary school is usually minimal, your child has many years of studying ahead of them. Teaching study skills to kids now – in age-appropriate ways – can pay dividends later as they progress through middle and high school.

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.

The magic of the holidays is here! Or it will be as soon as you can somehow magically summon up ideas for yet. another. list. of gifts for kids.

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

In this “Dear Highlights” episode, Christine French Cully, Highlight’s Editor in Chief, and Hillary Bates, Director of Purpose and Impact, welcome back parenting educator Jennifer Miller to talk about social aggressi

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

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.

Caring for a sick child can tug at a parent’s heartstrings, but doing so while trying to also juggle the demands of a job can induce feelings of anxiety or even panic. A meeting vs a doctor appointment. A scheduled shift vs the necessity of being home with your child.

For parents, few school-related things are as painful as seeing your child excluded. You worry that being left out could lead to emotional problems and other consequences down the road. Although you can’t outlaw cliques, there are moves to make to help your child cope.

Finding the perfect gifts for kids can be tough. What they like today, they might ignore tomorrow. Unfortunately, this means holiday and birthday tokens often end up unused, gathering dust in a closet or toy bin.

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.

Kate Swenson is the owner of the blog, "Finding Cooper's Voice." In this very personal essay, Kate shares the advice that she wants every parent of a special needs child to know. 

One of the most memorable parts of raising a child is recounting all the hilarious things they say when they’re little. Whether it’s pronouncing “blueberry” as “boodiddy,” or giving you advice on how to do your job, kids come up with some pretty funny stuff.

Go ahead. Pump up the volume. We’ve found tunes for all seasons and reasons.

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.

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

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

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. 

It’s no secret that Highlights has some of the best puzzles for kids. But where do they come from? How are puzzles made?

Don’t be afraid to let your kids get a little wild with rough-and-tumble play. A little horseplay helps them grow!

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. 

Tell us more about the history of Juneteenth.

Kids write to Highlights to tell us how they feel about their bodies. And the news is not good. When most adults are also unhappy with their bodies, how can we help kids to relate to their bodies, and to food, in a positive way?

When experts talk about executive function, they’re referring to the set of mental abilities that are essential to kids learning at home and in school. Children aren’t born with these mental abilities, but they are pre-wired to develop them. 

There are many reasons why the holiday season can hurt. We see ads and movies depicting this time of year as joyful and connected. But some families are experiencing hardships – the loss of a job, or a devastating illness or grief after losing a loved one.

Even before they invent spelling based on sounds, preschoolers are starting to grasp rules about how letters go together to form words.

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.

 Dear Highlights,

Some days it seems as if mass shootings, toxic spills and natural disasters are making news with alarming frequency. And chances are your school-age child will learn about these shocking global events and tragedies, whether you discuss them at home or not. 

Try these 6 simple eating tips for raising a real foodie under your roof! Here are simple ways to boost kids’ interest in food, desire for adventure and appreciation for what goes on in the kitchen. 

No matter where or how your child uses High Five magazine, it’s all a positive literary experience. Here are 5 reasons why High Five magazine is great for your preschooler: 

In 2017, Darius Brown watched the coverage of hurricanes Harvey and Irma and noticed that so many dogs needed help. The disasters displaced the pups, and the dogs overwhelmed animal shelters. 

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. 

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.

As soon as young adults step foot on a college campus, they’re flooded with credit card offers. Many sign up for them and immediately max them out. Others might sign up for one and barely use it — avoiding spending money they don’t have. 

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.

From the time they’re born, babies are driven by an overwhelming (and, OK, self-centered) desire to eat, cry, coo, giggle, roll over, stare (at you) and swipe at anything that looks remotely appealing.

It’s a me-first existence—but one that will change.

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.  

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.

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

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.

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. 

Everyone feels upset at times. It’s OK and natural for your child to feel angry, scared or sad. But those emotions don’t have to rule your child's mood. 

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.

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.

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.   

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? 

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. 

Hidden Pictures puzzles are more than just seek-and-find activities. They’re innovative, expertly crafted and full of the humor and challenge kids love.

As kids grow, they acquire new skills that need to be practiced. Puzzles provide enjoyable ways for kids to build their emerging skills. With puzzles, the goal is clear and the feedback is immediate–a puzzle piece either fits or doesn't.

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. 

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

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. 

You undoubtedly know that play is critical to your baby or toddler’s growth and development.

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

The truth about parenting is that it isn’t all happy moments and smiling faces. Between feeding, bathing, playing and all the running around in between, being a parent is a full-time job — an exhausting, never-ending and incredibly fulfilling 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.

Handwriting practice takes time, concentration and rigorous instruction. Make it a breeze at home with the following games and activities that boost learning and help familiarize kids with letter shapes and formation.

It’s no surprise preschool kids develop an intense interest in a particular type of play (dress-up), a concept (knock-knock jokes) or an object (insert your kid’s fixation here).

Teaching your preschooler how to fold clothes is a self-care skill that can lead to long-term independence.

If you think folding laundry is a pain and you would do almost anything to avoid it, you may be missing an opportunity to make your preschool child smarter.

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.

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. 

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.

A curious child is one who loves to learn and relishes the chance to expand their horizons. Here are 11 ways to imbue your child with curiosity.

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?

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.

Altruistic deeds are always a big deal—why not start at home? The list below is packed with thoughtful and clever kind gestures. Try one to two each day to foster caring and compassion in your family.

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!

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. 

Kids are exceptionally active thinkers. From an early age, they’re flexing and stretching their mental muscles in order to learn and explore. It’s important to support and challenge them to grow their intellect and to follow their curiosity.

When your sassy child hollers, “Quit it, Mom!” (or worse), your first instinct may be to shut that behavior down immediately. After all, you want your child to develop good manners and to demonstrate respect to those around them. 

Peyton Anderson, a 10-year-old from Wisconsin, is a champion in and out of the water. When she’s not training for elite swimming competitions, she’s dedicating her time to helping homeless children in Wisconsin and California. 

Dear Highlights,

I have ADHD and I am very hyper. I sometimes get in trouble. What should I do to avoid this? —Anonymous

Stop the antics before they start—or stop them in their tracks.

Much that is mundane to adults is new and exciting for toddlers. No wonder it’s so easy for them to slip over the edge into overexcited territory! Here’s how, when and why to step in. You’ll be glad you did.

‘Tis the season to be jolly, and what better way to get into the Christmas spirit than spreading some joy and giggles with fun and festive jokes. These Christmas jokes for kids are tree-mendous and will have everyone laughing all the way through the ha-ha-holidays.  

Reading is a crucial skill that opens up a world of learning. But not everybody reads: The Literacy Project estimates that only 35% of all public school fourth graders in the United States are proficient readers.

As you can imagine, Judy Burke keeps pretty busy as the editor of