Parents boost STEM skills by scaffolding children's attention and discovery during play, but many need support doing so. Using human-centered design (HCD) methods, we created activity kits fostering parents' (a) involvement in and (b) valuing of parent-child play to promote preschoolers' STEM skills. Study 1 documents how HCD methods informed the…

Background: The study describes preschoolers' digital home environment, focusing on parent-child writing interactions using a smartphone and exploring its contribution to children's early literacy. Methods: Participants were 65 Israeli preschoolers (M = 62.37 months) from middle SES and one of their parents. Parents responded to questionnaires…

This guidance report offers early years professionals seven practical evidence-based recommendations to provide every child--but particularly those from disadvantaged homes--with a high quality and well-rounded grounding in early literacy, language and communication. One recommendation focuses on the importance of high quality interactions between…

This rejoinder provides responses to the conceptual concerns expressed in the nine critiques published in this issue of "Educational Researcher" of the 2008 National Early Literacy Panel report. It explains the necessity of adhering to clearly established study selection parameters in conducting trustworthy meta-analyses and the need to be…

Planning youth and family programming in the 21st century is daunting given family members' busy schedules. This is even more challenging when planning programs in rural areas, where there are vast distances between communities. This article discusses a research and educational outreach project that uses best practices in program development…

School-ready children are children who are prepared to learn successfully in school. These children show growth over time in their physical, social and emotional, language, and cognitive development. They also show increasing interests in new experiences and in mastering new skills. Getting "school-ready" starts long before the weeks or…

This article describes fifty-five skill-building activities for use in teaching grades Pre-K through 8. Activities are labeled according to basic skill areas, and activities for parents are included as well.

The article gives suggestions for parents on activities which will help their young children learn to focus their attention and also help develop skills such as sorting, matching, listening, and memorizing. (PHR)

This booklet shows parents how to help their children develop a number of strategies for understanding words by working together on a methodical, 12-week program of word study. Sections of the booklet describe the program week by week. The techniques described are: Read and Use Context; Search for Synonyms, Antonyms, Homonyms; Learn Important…

For homework assignments to be effective, they must serve to develop skills and help students gain a sense of accomplishment. Suggestions for developing interesting, positive homework assignments that use contracts and skill cards are offered. (DF)

This handbook is designed to help parents help their children learn to read and to deal successfully with school tasks. It contains suggested activities and games, many of which can be made at home. Suggestions are also given for how to make reading an easy, pleasant task instead of a difficult tiring one. Suggestions are offered for children of…

The goal of the Parents Aid School Success (P.A.S.S.) program is to help parents cultivate the necessary attitudes and skills so they are equipped to assist their children in reading and other school subjects. This handbook is for anyone interested in setting up such a program in his/her school. Steps for preliminary planning and program…

Designed to be used independently by parents or other family members with their preschool or kindergarten-age children, this book presents (in easy-to-read cartoon-style letters) specific ideas for developing literacy skills during day-to-day activities. The book provides practice for children in the following skills: 1) life skills (such as…

The program materials in this book are offered as a resource for group meetings with parents of preschool children. Fourteen units are provided, each focusing on a different topic. Topics include the development of the child's self-image, language abilities, and physical movement abilities. Some units provide guidelines for story reading and story…

Follow Through, which builds on the foundation provided by Head Start and similar preschool programs, is a program designed for children in the early primary grades. The Follow Through curriculum presented in this document is based on certain assumptions about children and the learning process, among them the understanding of the importance of…