Family & School Engagement Resources

Monday, April 20, 2026

A Birthday Scrapbook Builds Creativity

Learning is a gift. And sometimes, creating a gift promotes learning. If a relative has a birthday coming up, help your child create a birthday scrapbook as a gift.

Start by having your child do some research: Help your elementary schooler send email or letters to other family members. Your child can ask them for funny stories, quotes or memories about the birthday person, and see if anyone has a photo or two to share.

When the material arrives, your child can begin to arrange it in a scrapbook either on paper or on the computer. This gives your student a chance to design the layout. In the process, your child will have to decide what information is most important.

Making the scrapbook will help your child practice research and writing. And the creative gift will be treasured by the birthday person more than anything your child could buy.

Tuesday, April 21, 2026

How Many Groceries Can your Child Write

One simple way to provide reading and writing practice is to have your child write your grocery list for you. Say the names of the items you need. Give your child a chance to try writing the words correctly before you help.

Then, when you bring the groceries home from the store, can your elementary schooler find the products that match the items on your list? Now how many can your child spell?

This practice not only builds literacy skills, it lets your child feel competent every time you ask for help making a list you can take to the store.

Wednesday, April 22, 2026

Use Popcorn to Practice Math Skills

Pop some popcorn for a fun and tasty way to improve your child’s math skills!

Try these “popcorn math” activities together:

• Estimate how many pieces of popped popcorn it takes to fill a small glass. Then, count them.
• Refill the glass with more popped kernels. Then, ask your child to find three things that are lighter and three things that are heavier than the filled glass. Use a kitchen or bathroom scale to check your results.
• Estimate how many kernels of popped popcorn it takes to fill your child’s favorite popcorn bowl. Count and enjoy!.
   

Thursday, April 23, 2026

Make Communication a Regular Habit

You’re not alone if you worry now and then, “Will we still be able to talk together when my child is a teen?” Worrying won’t help—but developing a habit now of regularly communicating with your child will.

The key is to establish a pattern of communication. For example:

• Listen whenever your child wants to talk. If you can’t do it then, say when you can.
• Reconnect in the afternoon, if possible. If you’re at work, phone in for a few minutes if you can.
• Ask specific questions like, “What was the most unusual thing that happened today?” To get a quiet child talking, start with questions that aren’t threatening—“What do you think of this picture in the catalog?”
• Take five or 10 minutes after lights out to talk. This is a great time for sharing feelings about the day and each other.
   

Friday, April 24, 2026

Spark Creative Writing with Pictures

Writing is hard when you can't think of anything to write about. Here’s a fun way to inspire imagination and engage your child with writing.

Have your elementary schooler look through catalogs, magazines and newspapers for interesting pictures. Let your child cut out four or five images.

Next, ask your student to put the pictures together to tell a story, and tell the story to you. (How will your child link the picture of the tiger to the one of the rocket ship?)

Finally, have your child write the story down.

For variety, try scrambling the pictures and asking your child to tell a different story.

Saturday, April 25, 2026

Use TV, Videos as Tools to Teach Problem-Solving

In real life, problems don’t get resolved in 30 minutes the way they often do on TV shows. But watching a show with your child can lead to a useful discussion about ways to solve problems in real life.

After watching a show featuring a sticky situation together, turn off the show and talk. Was what happened on screen the most effective way to solve the problem? What are some other things the characters could have done? Has your child ever faced a similar situation? What happened?

Experts recommend that families use TV and other screen media as tools, rather than simply as entertainment. Watch with your child, and interact together while you are watching. Help your children think more deeply about the things they see.

Sunday, April 26, 2026

Play a Game of Guess the Pattern

Recognizing patterns is an important math skill. Here’s a quick and easy game that can help your child learn to work with patterns. It’s a game you can play at home, or anywhere you happen to be.

To play:

1. Think of a number pattern. Tell your child the first three or four numbers of the pattern. For example, the numbers might be 1, 3 and 5.
2. Have your child guess the next number in the pattern (7). A correct guess on the first try earns 3 points. On the second try, a correct answer earns 2 points, and on the third try, 1 point.
3. Take turns giving each other patterns to figure out.

With young children, keep the patterns fairly simple. Older children can use addition, subtraction, multiplication or division. For example, the pattern 4, 5, 9, 14 is made by adding the previous two numbers. The next number would be 9 + 14, or 23.