The death of George Floyd, one of too many black lives lost to violence and systemic racism, is having a profound impact on this nation and the world.  As a mom and a child development expert, some of my many questions not surprisingly involve children:  How should we talk about this incident— and racial discrimination more broadly— with our children?  How young is too young to begin talking about racial bias?  How can we help children articulate the range of emotions they may be feeling or seeing in others? Read more for our tips on how you can start the conversation about race with your child.

The screen time conversation is at a turning point. Since stay-at-home orders have been in place, parents, caregivers, and experts have been re-evaluating their position on how kids use digital media. Dr. Jody sat down with Common Sense Media’s New York Director, Samira Sine to discuss how you can transition from worrying about screen time to embracing the time your kids spend online as a positive element of their day. HOMER has coined a new term for this:  Mindful Media. Mindful Media is the new screen time—built on making conscious online choices for your kids.

Keep reading as Dr. Jody shares our P-L-A-Y framework, designed to help you make those tough (smart) calls.

And the skill of the week is… Memory! 

For this week’s skill adventure, we’re working on memory! Memory is a crucial building block of early learning because it helps our brains store information. Working on your child’s memory will also help cultivate their problem-solving skills, and improve their ability to pay attention and follow directions. This week, we’re sharing ways you can incorporate memory activities into your child’s flexible learning routine. 

Check out tips for implementing memory into your child’s learning routine below!

And the skill of the week is… Letter Play!

For this week’s Skill Adventure, we’re working on the sights and sounds that make up letter play! Identifying letters by name and, even more essential, matching a sound to each letter are two crucial early steps on the road to reading.

Oftentimes, we think of recognizing the way letters look and sound as a skill that grows during storytime or with our interactive lessons. Don’t get us wrong, that’s an amazing way to practice! But letter play can go way beyond “The ABC Song!” In fact, you can incorporate it throughout your day, giving your Letter Liaison real-life opportunities to practice from A-Z.

Check out tips for implementing letter play into your child’s learning routine below!

And the skill of the week is…. Storytelling! 

This week we’re diving into storytelling! Storytelling helps kids understand and process information. It improves their imagination and communication skills. Being able to tell a story also helps build kids’ social-emotional skills. As they create characters and put them in new situations, they’ll practice looking at situations from different perspectives.

Below are some tips for implementing storytelling skills into your child’s learning routine this week!