My two-year-old has a 10 p.m. bedtime. It happened gradually, over the summer. Longer, relaxed days, keeping up with her older siblings, and special outings and occasions have all pushed her usual 8 p.m. bedtime to this ridiculously late point. It’s gotta stop. I can picture us during the first week of school: bleary-eyed children […]

One day, your husband brings home another woman, saying, “I love you so much, honey, that I brought home another wife. We will share everything we have with her.” Flip the scenario if you’re a dad. You get the picture. Sounds horrible, right? That’s how our children feel when we bring home a new baby. […]

My friend Gina has these incredibly predictable twins who used to nap like clockwork. But after their second birthdays, everything went out the window. Poor Gina had fussy, overtired toddlers who refused to nap. Afternoons became a nightmare of whining and meltdowns. None of my four babies were predictable nappers, so I shared my Five […]

You need time to recover and recharge, and that’s OK! What have you done lately to take care of yourself? Leave a comment below!

Don’t fall victim to the comparison game … strive to do YOUR best.

ABC 2.0 – Your Toddler Can Type As parents, we’re proud when our kids learn to sing “A B C D E F G…” But in today’s digital world, we need the Alphabet Song version 2.0. It goes something like this: A S D F G H J K L ; …” What? Semicolon? Yes! […]

Kids love pretending to be grown-ups with jobs. Jobs such as doctor, teacher, librarian, firefighter, scientist, vet, cook, artist or mail carrier. Encourage and enrich their pretend play and you’ll give your children beneficial literacy learning opportunities. As you know, pretend play benefits children in so many ways – with social skills, vocabulary, imagination, self-control, […]

Kindness Counts in different ways. Here at Sprout we like to remind you that every day is a good day to be kind to your body. Try this quick and easy recipe with your child today! Do you have a favorite recipe that’s kind to your body? Share it below in a comment.    

Do you remember what it’s like to be young? To be silly and carefree, when your only job is to learn and have fun? Back then, it was all about the journey and never the destination. Living in the moment was your only choice, and you couldn’t help but be present for every astonishing and […]

 Neuroscientists say that the noggin power required to play tea party – or any other kind of pretend play – is very complex. Here’s what it takes: The desire to play nicely with friends. The skills to follow the social “rules” of the party. The ability to communicate. And last but certainly not least, the willingness […]

Keep the learning going at home with these fun and education activity suggestions! Write numbers 1 – 5 on paper bags. Have your child add items into the bags to equal the number on the outside. Count as you go! Look through coupons and have your child sort them into piles based on amount saved. […]

Have your child count the number of windows in your house. Are they all the same size and shape? This activity works on both motor skills and counting! Cut the top off of a clean milk carton. Take turns pitching pennies into the carton – after a minute or so, count how many made it […]