Managing Screen Time

Between zoom school, connecting with friends through gaming, and the hour(s) of TV we allowed just to maintain our sanity, lots of us parents are wondering if we will ever be able to roll back the virtually limitless screen time our kids got this year. First of all, a vast majority of the parents in […]

Using Screens for Learning

Virtually all students spent a good amount of the 2020–2021 school year on screens. Some were on screens for some of the day, others for most of the day, and some even for their entire school day. Now that summer has come, kids are on a break from the daily grind of the pandemic school […]

Not All Screen Time is Created Equal

The questions most parents have around screen time and their child is “how much is too much?” The quantity of screen time your children are getting is certainly something to track. However, the most important question should be about the content of their screen time, not necessarily just how much they’re getting. We all know […]

The New Screen Time Debate

Screen time for kids has been a controversial topic since screens first entered households decades ago. Much of the research around how screen time affects kids and to what extent is contradictory. One study found that increased screen time adversely affected kids’ well-being. Another study found little to no correlation between the two. So which […]

Disguising Academics as Summer Fun

The last thing parents want after the school year ends is to try to wrangle kids back into learning mode. Still, we all know how important it is to prevent that “summer slide,” especially this year. Ideally, of course, students would spend their summer reading 20 to 30 minutes a day. They would spend at […]

Our Guide to the Best Phonics and Reading Resources

Parents know how important it is to supplement their kids’ reading at home. But aside from picking up a good old-fashioned paperback, what other tools are out there? How do you distinguish great resources from mediocre? We’ve got your back. Here’s a guide to our favorite phonics and reading resources. Digital Resources Freckle ends up on […]

Preventing the “Summer Slide”

The summer slide is real. On average, students lose 2-3 months of learning progress they made over the school year when they don’t spend time practicing over the summer. But working this practice into the summer routine is easier than many parents think!  In the video below, we provide some simple but powerful tips for […]

Helping Your Senior Transition From High School

For some students, the transition from high school to what’s next couldn’t be smoother. But for others, this time can feel impossible to navigate. The most important thing parents can do is find a balance between being supportive and giving their students the space they need to develop their independence. No matter where they’re headed […]

Managing Summer Homework

The summer homework scramble is a tradition many parents know well. The limitless amount of time we think lies ahead seems to suddenly disappear. At some point, it hits us that school starts soon and that summer homework is still at the bottom of the backpack. But it doesn’t have to be this way! Here […]

Strategies for Building High Schoolers’ Independence

By the time students hit high school, they begin making the transition from academic hand-holding to independence. Up until about 9th grade, most students receive tremendous amounts of support with all aspects of their learning. Teachers help them with everything from how to have a group discussion, to remembering a deadline for an assignment. Once […]

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