Digital media has become an integral part of our day-to-day lives. Avoiding it completely is impossible, but you can make sure that your child only has access to the best, most enriching programming options available. Here are our top 10 picks for great educational apps for preschoolers: 1. PBS Kids Games As a parent, the carefully curated, educational content from …
First grade is an exciting time for your child! For a child that’s 6-8 years old, words and reading comprehension take center stage in the classroom. A life-long love affair with books can really start to take root in first grade. Here’s a quick guide to where your child is at developmentally in first grade, as well as what they’ll …
Small class sizes have become a key selling point in private education, and with good reason. “Small classes” aren’t trendy—they are effective at fostering student success. In a private school setting such as Virginia Academy, you and your student become cherished members of the academic family. Your child is not just a number. Each student matters profoundly to the academic …
Does your child’s physical classroom setting matter? Isn’t learning learning, no matter where it takes place? Not necessarily. In fact, the classroom setting can influence more than you might imagine. Researcher Annie Murphy Paul has uncovered that “the physical environment can have such an impact on students that it could affect a student’s academic progress by as much as 25%.” …
Early elementary school isn’t just for dramatic play and recess anymore. The foundation your child sets in kindergarten through third grade can set the stage for the rest of their academic career. But don’t panic! There’s no need to feel heavy pressure. Early childhood education is an incredibly rich time for your child’s rapidly developing mind; their brains cannot wait …
“I just don’t understand this math homework,” my bewildered friend texted me late one night at the beginning of the school year. His oldest had just started kindergarten, and yes, he already had homework. Homework that was perplexing to even his bright, 30-something-year-old parents. Kindergarten has changed in the last decade, and not everyone is happy about it. Today, pre-kindergarten …
Play is an essential part of the way your child learns. And it’s not just about burning off all their extra energy so that they can focus on the lesson (though that plays a part), it’s about learning through play. For children, play is about solving problems in the world around them and interacting with others. When they play, they …
More and more parents are putting an academic focus on their children’s earliest years. Science has shown us that 90% of a child’s brain develops by the age of five. “A newborn baby has all of the brain cells (neurons) they’ll have for the rest of their life, but what really makes the brain work—and enables us to move, think, …
The tween years may just be some of the most challenging of all for child and parent alike. Middle school is a uniquely awkward time, featuring highlights such as the start of puberty, new interest in the opposite sex, and outlandish amounts of insecurity. Combined, you end up with a perfect storm of relational drama and unchecked mood swings that …
Middle school is a challenging time for parents, but don’t forget, being pre-teen is tough for your child too! The tween years are notorious for being a time of fragile self-confidence. The combination of hormone surges, developing bodies, attraction to the opposite sex, drama with friends, and preparation for impending adulthood can create a whirlwind of emotional instability and insecurity. …
