Feed their brains, literally - Healthy diets count. Studies have shown that a healthy diet is key to your children's brain growth.
Let them play - Babies and toddlers need lots of physical activity and play—not just for their bodies, but for their brains too!
Talk, talk, talk - Using real words in response to your child's babble and gestures helps the language centers in her brain grow. The more words she hears, the more words she'll know later.
Less screen is more - Experts recommend no screen time at all for children 2 and under. For 3-year-olds, it's best to limit screen time to less than 2 hours a week total and ideally less.
Encourage new things - Encouraging young children to try new things will help them take on new challenges and stick with them in future.
Use warm, friendly talk - Babies and toddlers need lots of warmth and loving encouragement to develop persistence, courage, and flexibility.
Create confidence - Young kids learn through experience. Give your child lots of different experiences (using all their senses) to help her develop the confidence to try new things.
Reading - Read daily with your child! Bonding over books now will help him love reading later on.
Math - It's not too early to talk about numbers under 10 - just make sure to use real objects, not just words.
Pattern play - Young children who are taught to play and recognize patterns early, learn complex math better later on.
Sing it! - Singing with young kids isn't just fun and sweet - it helps develop crucial language skills.
Feed their brains, literally - Healthy diets count. Studies have shown that a healthy diet is key to your children's brain growth.
Let them play - Kids needs lots of physical activity and play - not just for their bodies, but for their brains too! At this age kids need 60 minutes of moderate to intense exercise a day.
Sleep sweet sleep - Sleep matters! Children ages 4 to 11 need 10 to 11 hours of sleep and without it, their brains don't function properly.
Sensible screen time - Movies, TV, computers and smart phones can be both educational as well as entertaining. Experts recommend to limit screen time outside of school work to less than 2 hours a day - even then make sure whatever they are consuming is age appropriate, entertaining and ideally, challenging.
Encourage persistence - Encourage your child to stick with it! Studies have shown that kids who can take on a hard task and not give up are much more likely to succeed in school and in life.
Praise where it counts - Praise effort over talent! It's important that kids understand that hard work is what leads to success, not their God-given talent.
Build their brainpower - Did you know that your kid's brain actually grows every time he learns something new? Help your kid believe it and he'll be more likely to succeed.
Reading - Solid reading skills by grade 3 are key! To build those reading skills, make sure your child spends time with books everyday and explores his interests through reading.
Math - Math is everywhere! Build your child's math skills with everyday math moments like comparing prices or keeping score.
Planning for the future - Talk early and often about the future with your child. Studies show that kids who think they are going to college in elementary school are more likely to actually attend when they get older.
Feed their brains, literally - Healthy diets count! Studies have shown that a healthy diet is key to brain growth even as your child gets older.
Get their heart pumping - To wake your child's mind, wake up her heart first. When kids get their heart rate up before they sit down to learn, they are more likely to retain the material. Kids this age need 60 minutes of vigorous exercise a day.
Sleep, sleep, sleep - Sleep deprivation can affect cognitive skills and academic achievement. Children this age need at least 9.5 hours of sleep per night and depending on the kid, maybe more.
The quirky teen brain - Although physically he looks grown up, a teen's brain isn't fully developed yet—particularly in the area of judgement. Understanding how his brain works will help you navigate the rollercoaster that is the teen-age years.
Screen control - By this age most kids have to use screens everyday for school and it's harder to control. But experts recommend that parents should limit recreational screen time to less than two hours a day. More than this is linked to worse grades and behavioral problems.
Encourage persistence - Encourage your child to stick with it! Studies have shown that kids who can take on a hard task and not give up are much more likely to succeed in school and life.
Praise where it counts - Praise effort over talent! It's important that kids understand that hard work is what leads to success, not their God-given talent.
Build their brainpower - Did you know that your kid's brain actually grows every time he learns something new? Help your kid believe it and he'll be more likely to succeed.
Reading - Even after your child learns to read, he should to continue reading -- every day. Encourage your child to read books for pleasure as well as explore interests through reading.
Math - Math tracks matter. Make sure your child gets college-ready math classes from middle school on. If you're child isn't on this track, consider remediation or summer school to help him catch up. It will help him later on when it's time to think about college.
Planning for the future - Talk about the future with your child. Studies show that kids who think they are going to college are more likely to actually attend when they get older. Serious talk about future opportunities can have a huge effect on their motivation to do well now.
