Let’s get something straight: video games are not just for teenagers hiding in their rooms. PlayStation is one of the best ways to get the whole family together—without anyone needing to climb a mountain or schedule a three-hour craft pr…
Planning a family trip to Italy sounds just about perfect—until you realize how tough it is to find a destination that works for both the kids and your sanity . Real luxury is finding a hotel that handles the details, so you can spend le…
Creating photo books sounds great in theory, but finishing one can feel like wishful thinking. But we've found you can get it off your to-do list with Chatbooks, which lets you make a book in minutes — straight from your phone —so you ca…
We should never forget how magical it feels to step inside a real bookstore. As parents know, Barnes & Noble is more than a bookstore, it really is a family-friendly destination full of cozy spaces, family events and author readings, a l…
Halloween is coming, and while we love sharing Halloween craft ideas for our preschoolers and little ones, our teens and older kids want to get in on the fun too. So with my own Halloween-loving older kids in mind, I searched around for …
Several years ago, we wrote a lengthy post explaining what libraries do , and advocating for their funding. Wth this being National Library Week, at a time that there is an inarguable war on public libraries in the U.S. I thought I'd sha…
New Year's Eve at home with the kids isn't exactly like New Year's Eve home without them. New Year's Eve parties for parents are more about trying our very best to stay up till midnight (though 10 p.m. is more like it) and drinking fun c…
Dia de los Muertos may sound ominous to those unfamiliar, but this holiday recognized in Mexico, throughout Latin America, and increasingly around the US is traditionally a sweet time for families to come together to pray for and celebra…
Monday, we celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday and his innumerable contributions to this nation's history and advancement. Books for kids about MLK can be a great way to help little ones understand the importance of the day. Alt…
One of our readers' favorite posts over the past few years has been Kate's roundup of 5 beautiful gratitude journal printables for kids -- and frankly, for us adults too. Related : 8 gratitude activities to practice with your kids this T…
Who here is a fan of no-carve pumpkins for Halloween? As someone with a toddler who definitely shouldn't be anywhere near sharp objects, I've become a staunch convert. And as someone who doesn't always get to my Halloween pumpkin until t…
As the daughter of an immigrant and a long-time resident of Massachusetts, I watched in disgust as Florida's governor tried to humiliate and punish vulnerable migrants by flying them, unannounced, to the island of Martha's Vineyard. With…
November 11 is Veterans Day, and while every day is a good day to honor our brave veterans and give thanks to retired soldiers for their service, it's always good to have a national holiday to inspire us to action. So many of us here com…
I know I'm not the only parent struggling with how to talk with their kids about climate change . So I was thrilled to discover these hopeful kids' books about climate change, each of which educates without inducing panic or despair. A t…
With the final unofficial days of summer so close (wah!), we've got one more long weekend to milk the most out of the late sunsets with the family. So we're bringing back this post from a few years back, when our editor Liz offered up 10…
This week we're doing something I don't think our team has done in 15+ years -- we are taking a full staff summer break . (Whoo!) Some of us are traveling , some of us are hanging with the kids, some of us are counting the seconds to Ted…
So many parents are looking for fresh ideas for screen-free activities for kids now that we finally turned a corner. I know I'm not the only parent with kids whose screen time increased significantly over the quarantine . It was their pr…
The best kids' bike helmet in the world won't do any good if your kid doesn't want to put it on, which is why yes, it matters if they think they have a "cool" bike helmet. We're here to help! I've spent hours searching the inventory from…
My family recently celebrated the fourth anniversary of our daughter's adoption . It's always a special day for us, in which we try to honor her heritage; we pull out photo albums, eat at a Korean restaurant, and send updates to her adop…
So far, we've loved what's happening with The We Time Project that we introduced last month: In order to help you connect more with far away friends and family around shared experiences, we've been offering our readers 30 days worth of u…
Here's what I suggest for the weekend: Entice your teens out from their bedrooms for a hilarious family game night using your set of What Do You Meme? game cards. Only surprise them when they open the box, to find that you've booby trapp…
My kids and I were glued to the TV last Wednesday, watching history take place on Inauguration Day. We were sobered by the national guard presence, excited about the achievements of our new VP Kamala Harris , and just so totally and comp…
As we move on from the worst president of all time, some wonderful organizations are coming together to help us collectively process, plan, and heal. You can find the full schedule of official Biden-Harris inaugural events here, but ther…
I don't think our annual roundup of the best children's books of 2020 could come at a better time. As we're heading into a winter of quarantining in 2021, my goal is to turn off the TV more and open up more books. This is my sixth year c…