The Arts in Kindergarten

Self-expression is natural to young children and should be supported and encouraged. It is important that both teachers and parents accept children's artistic expressions uncritically. The focus of the arts curriculum in the early years is enjoyment.

Music

Children sing, experiment with making sounds using a variety of rhythm instruments, listen to many different kinds of music, compose songs, and attend musical performances.

Movement

The Arts in Sixth Grade

The Arts in Fourth Grade

Little Ones & Music: A Perfect Score

Jorge Arce grew up in Puerto Rico to the sounds of the conga drums, guitar, and accordian. Today, Arce is a professional singer, dancer, composer, and percussionist. He works as a performing arts teacher in the Boston public schools. We asked him to tell us about the role music plays in preparing young children for school.

For decades when parents and educators discussed learning and education, the focus was on academics and how well a child performs in school and tests. The concept of focusing on social skills is still reasonably new, yet it is equally important, and some may argue more.

More: 30 Mindfulness Activities for Kids

Enjoying Music with the Whole Family

Even if you don't sit in with a little jazz combo on Friday nights, you can still be part of the music scene. How? By making music part of your family life. And family-style music can produce big rewards from very modest efforts.

Musical benefits
Musical activities not only enrich family life, they actually help children develop cognitive skills, such as language ability, mathematics, spatial reasoning and problem solving.

Hawaiian Luau

Age: Preschool through elementary
Time: An afternoon
Type of activity: Arts and Crafts

A luau is a "Ohana" (family) occasion where everyone comes together to celebrate. Any event is a goodreason to have a luau. The day is filled with love, smiles, music, dancing, and lots of fresh flowers and delicious foods.

Begin your luau by making leis for everyone to wear.

Social Skills and Homeschooling:
Myths and Facts

Isabel Shaw

The Debate

I've heard it a hundred times. If you're thinking about homeschooling, it probably troubles you. "What about socialization?" is the major homeschooling question people have about a homeschooling lifestyle.

If rainy weather is keeping you cooped up inside, don't fret. We've put together the ultimate list of rainy day activities for kids of all ages.

If you're like me, with two toddlers at home, a rainy day is enough to send you into a tailspin. No playground. No park. No bike rides. What fun things can we come up with to occupy the time while trapped indoors?

More: 10 Toddler Art Projects to do This Weekend

Places to Go

Creating memories with children means taking them to places where you can have fun and create memories together. In the diapers and naps stage, outings are necessarily short, but when children reach the preschool years, the possibilities become endless. Consider the following guidelines before you head out and you can eliminate many of the problems that can get in the way of the good times you want to have together:

Even though you’re a parent, it probably still feels like you were a teen just a few years ago in some ways. The emotions and themes of teen experience may not change much, but the one thing that certainly does change year over year is the slang that teens use. If you are a parent of teens or if you work with them, it’s helpful to have an idea of what their secret code words and phrases mean every now and then.

Starting high school is an exciting time in your child’s life. The transition from middle school to the big campus involves new teachers, new friends, and an abundance of new school activities, including clubs, electives, sports teams, and musical organizations.

More: Top 10 Skills for High School Students

Between years of pandemic disruptions and modern elementary education’s increased dependence on screen time, online learning videos are more popular than ever. Family Education took a closer look, searching for kid-friendly YouTube channels that offered engaging educational content for kids ranging from kindergarten to junior high.

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