Back-to-School Prep List for Parents

EI Editor Posted On Jul 27, 2021 | Back to School

5 Tips, Tricks, and Toys That Set the Stage for Success

If you’re like us, you’re already looking ahead and thinking about how to prepare for back to school. School is the perfect place for kids to build academic skills, social-emotional skills, motor skills, and more, and your kids’ teachers are the heroes who make those things happen. One of the best things you can do for your kids—and their teachers—is to supplement and support the advances your kids make at school, at home! Below, the Experts in Play at Educational Insights share our back-to-school list for parents:

1. Get Excited!

Put on your hype man hat and set the expectation for an awesome academic year long before it’s time to go back to school. Tell your kids how much fun this year is going to be, talk about the new friends they’ll meet and the fun things they’ll do, and get them pumped and feeling positive about heading back to class.

2. Do a Dry Run

The unknown can be scary, but running through your routine a few days before school begins is a great way to eliminate stress and anxiety. Get up, get dressed, eat breakfast, and head to school, on time. Show your kids where their classroom will be, where they’ll wait to get in, where they’ll play and eat lunch, and more importantly, where they’ll get picked up to come home.

3. Send Them Stress Free

Calm mornings make for productive school days, so back those bedtimes up beginning at least a week before school starts. Help your kids pack their bags and pick their clothes the night before, then wake your kids up with ample time to get dressed, eat breakfast, and get out the door without rushing.

4. Help with Homework

Paying attention to at-home assignments is one of the best ways parents can support their kids’ teachers at home. Sit with your kids while they work so you are on hand to answer any questions, then review their work when they’re done, helping them make any corrections before they turn their work in the next day. Ask to see any classwork that comes home each day and have your kiddo walk you through what they did and what they learned.

5. Reinforce the Basics

Much of elementary learning is built on a foundation of facts, and practice makes perfect! Practice and reinforce in-school learning the playful way, with five of our favorite, best-selling, back-to-school toys and games, including:

Playfoam® Shape & Learn Counting Cards – Practice number formation, counting, and quantities the creative way with this simple learning activity for preschoolers! Kids squeeze and smash squishy, squashy Playfoam to match the shapes on 13 reusable, double-sided practice cards. Ages 3+.

Hot Dots® - Kids can practice everything from letters and numbers to reading, math, science, and more—all on their own!—with interactive Hot Dots! Simply review a colorful question, then press the interactive electronic pen to any answer for immediate audio and visual feedback. Ages 3+.

GeoSafari® Jr. Kidscope® - Get kids excited about science—and give them hands-on, confidence-building experience with a real scientific tool! This kid-friendly microscope offers 3x magnification, an easy double-eye viewer, a built-in LED light, and 15 slides featuring 60 real images. Ages 5+.

Math Slam™ - Finally! A fun, physical way for kids to master critical, foundational math facts, including number order, addition, subtraction, algebraic addition, triple addition, and subtraction. Kids just read the question in the window, scan the answer buttons, and slam the right one. Time games, flashing lights, and fun sound effects keep kids coming back for more. Ages 5+.

Artie Max – Start kids down the path to coding with this coding, coloring robot! Kids follow simple step-by-step instructions to write basic code, then Artie Max draws what they’ve coded—in full color! Kids can build on code they’ve learned to master more complex coding languages and design even more brilliant masterpieces—and reap all the benefits of learning to code at a young age.

With a bit of time and preparation, you can make back to school a brilliant time for everyone!

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EI Editor | Posted on Nov 10, 2021

Holiday Gifts for 7- and 8-Year-Olds That Build Self-Confidence

Your elementary-aged kiddo is growing by leaps and bounds! These years are some of the most exciting in your child’s development, as they’re making noticeable advances in language development, social emotional development, and the mastery of academic concepts.

One of the biggest factors impacting your child’s happiness, health, and success is self-confidence. Confident kids are better equipped to deal with frustration, failure, and peer pressure, and to overcome challenges that come their way. You can help boost your kiddo’s self-confidence by choosing holiday gifts that nurture your child’s sense of self-worth. As the holidays approach, the Experts in Play are sharing some of their favorite, confidence-building holiday toys for 7- and 8-year-olds, including:

Artie Max – Build your child’s confidence, encourage creativity, and introduce the wonderful world of coding with this year’s must-have holiday gift! Artie Max, teaches kids to code amazing works of art in five different coding languages, beginning simply and building on what kids learn to tackle more advanced languages. Perfect for who love robots, computers, video games, art, and creating, Artie Max features crystal-clear, step-by-step instructions to engage kids in the wonderful world of coding while building STEM confidence.

Dice of Fury – Build math skills—and math confidence—with this furiously fast, whole-family dice game! Flip a challenge card and all players start rolling (and re-rolling), placing their die in their die holder one by one until they match the card. Players add, subtract, think even and odd, and complete mental math challenges as they play, building math confidence and creating a solid math skills foundation.

Circuit Explorer Deluxe Base Space Station – Help build your space-loving child’s focus and attention with a circuit building construction set they can assemble themselves! Kids follow a series of symbols to assemble the pieces and connect various circuits, activating lights, movement, and sound. When complete, the pieces are perfect for space-themed, imagination-building pretend play.

Kanoodle – Encourage problem solving and critical thinking skills, increase your child’s attention span, and provide opportunities for success with this best-selling, brain-twisting puzzle game. Place the pieces shown in the challenge book, then use your noggin to fit the rest. There are hundreds of possible combinations, but only one completes the puzzle correctly. With 200 challenges to complete, Kanoodle will keep your 7- or 8-year-old engaged all season long.

BrainBolt® Game – It takes focus and attentiveness to remember the order of the flashing light sequence and follow along without breaking the pattern in this mind-melding light-up memory game perfect for holidays at home or holiday travel! With both solo and two-player modes, kids can challenge friends and family to see who can remember the longest sequence.

Nancy B's Science Club Microscope and Activity Journal – Take hands-on exploration to the next level this holiday season! This kid-friendly microscope and activity journal set provides experience with a real, scientific tool and builds scientific confidence that transfers to the classroom. With a 400x zoom microscope, 26-piece scientific tool set, and 22-page activity journal, kids will be building STEM skills that last for years to come.

Nancy B’s Science Club® MoonScope™ & Sky Gazer's Activity Journal – Broaden your budding astronomer’s scope and build their scientific confidence with this 90x magnification stargazing MoonScope and 22 page activity journal packed with engaging activities. Specifically designed to get kids outside to explore the world and stay curious, this MoonScope will make an out-of-this world holiday gift for the special space-lover in your life.

Confidence is one of the biggest gifts a care giver can give a child. This holiday season, choose gifts that do double duty, delighting your big kids AND building the self-esteem and confidence they need to grow and thrive.