There a great number of services, products and resources available to help us parent effectively. Some things are useful, and some are…well, a good source of clutter. A lot of them are aimed at parents of babies and young children. Babies, toddlers, and young children are most definitely an important crowd (and great philosophers in their own right). While we’re delighted that really small thinkers are being looked after, mind, body and spirit, we do notice a bit of a drop off in what’s available to caregivers as our charges get a little older.
Maybe it’s because older kids are at school and in activities, or maybe it’s because they’re a more independent and less in need of our immediate attention. However, just because a kid is old enough to tie his/her own shoes, make him/herself a snack or entertain him/herself, it doesn’t mean the hands-on, in-your-face part of parenting is over. Parents of older children still need and deserve resources to help them raise happy, healthy thinkers.
So here’s what we’ve done: not only have we created books, apps, interactive ebooks and animated shorts to promote critical thinking in children ages 5 and up, we’ve also set up a marketplace for parents and teachers. It’s chock-full of lessons plans, activities, paper crafts and other resources, and it’s free. If you’re an educator looking to spice up your lessons in the new year, or you’re a parent with some spare family time over the holidays, visit our Teach page, and stock up on all kinds of materials that will help you support your big kid in their ongoing quest to question.