Consider the power of the television in your home.

Do everything you can to make sure everyone in your home is getting enough sleep; it's more important than you may realize.

...how to play with your kids in the ways they need--to form deeper connections, improve behavior, and open communication.

This books contains Ruth Beechick's three smaller booklets--HOME START IN READING, A STRONG START IN LANGUAGE, and AN EASY START IN ARITHMETIC. The entire book is great, but I highly recommend the Reading section for those who are wondering when or how to teach a child to read.

Lucy Calkins says that TALK is the foundation for literacy. She then discusses the stages of reading and writing: how to recognize an emergent reader, how to foster a young author, and how to encourage a love of books and reading through your own interest and modeling. Math, science, and social studies are also discussed.

Some toys that promote symbolic and fantasy play include hats & dress-up clothes, dolls & all their props, moveable action figures and people, stuffed or plastic animals, puppets, medical kits, telephones, plastic food & dishes, face paints, toy vehicles, art supplies, blocks and building sets.

Set clear behavior expectations and allow your child opportunities for practicing self-control, like occasionally pushing his own cart in the grocery store. Even things as simple as carrying his own lunchbox in/out of preschool and putting dirty laundry in the hamper regularly promote a sense of responsibility. You no longer have a baby--it's time to transition out of treating him like one.

Provide your child a space to scribble, draw, and write with paints, markers, crayons, pencils, etc. Writing on vertical surfaces like easels requires different muscles in the hands than working on the horizontal surface of a table. If possible provide both. You could even tape paper to the side of the washing machine or provide tub crayons for use on the sides of the bathtub.

Finger paints are a wonderful sensory experience for children. If you're worried about the mess, let them do it in the dry bathtub, then just rinse clean.

Playdoh is excellent for developing strength and control in the fingers--a precursor to writing. More importantly, it is a wonderful storytelling forum for kids as they talk and talk about what they are doing and creating. Make your own playdoh sometimes as a fun science experiment. There are many recipes on the net.

My 4-year-old son is currently really enjoying this book. It's great for developing pencil control and confidence, as well as imagination!

Every child should have a good Mother Goose treasury! Rhyming is a first step in being able to recognize individual sounds in words, which is obviously a prerequisite to learning to read well.

Reading alphabet books about subjects your child is interested in is a great way to help build vocabulary and familiarity with letters. Also, consider helping the child make his own alphabet book of favorite things. Make a page for each letter and paste photos or pictures cut from catalogs, food packages, etc., on the appropriate page. This makes a great ongoing project!

Dominoes are great for exploring number concepts and recognizing same/different. Dominoes with dots that are all the same color are best to get kids to focus on the number and pattern, rather than the color.

Click is a fantastic science magazine designed for ages 3-7.

Don't forget to enjoy some music--sing, play rhythm instruments, march around & have fun!