This month's features

Talking with Children About Violence- Tips for Parents and Teachers- In the wake of more incidents of school and campus violence, here are some ideas for healthy conversation with children of all ages, complete with some Talk Time Activities and conversation starters.

TogetheReads- a new monthly feature to have fun, share reading, and enjoy activities for all ages around a monthly theme. Have fun as a family AND build better readers.

Ready for Kindergarten - Is your five-year-old ready? What are the signs she's ready for school, and how can families help children develop the skills they will need in schoo? This article has it all, along with our top ten indicators of a good preschool.

Everything That's Important You Learned in Kindergarten - Here's a look at what you can do before your child heads off to the first-ever day of school... and the steps you can take to ensure that he or she gets off to a good start once school is in session. This article includes a section for parents who may be having more trouble with the transition than their children.

See No Evil - Our series on home computers looks at viruses, web filtering, and keeping high speed connections secure.

Games Children Play - Today's video games are much more sophisticated than the ones you grew up with, and many of them are completely unsuitable for young children. This article offers some tips on how to identify "problem games" and manage your child's use of the video game machine. Read this one before starting your holiday shopping.

Stress Goes to School: How parents can help - Finding ways to reduce stress, whether created by situations at school or home, can be important for both your child's health and his or her academic performance. Read this article for some important insights on how parents can help their children manage stress effectively.

Helping Children Cope with Katrina - A look at some common emotional reactions, and how parents and teachers can support children stressed by Katrina.

Kindergarten: Full-day or Half-day? - Today's preschoolers may have lots of experiences by the time they're ready for kindergarten. Which kindergarten program makes the most sense for your child? Here are some strategies to help you decide and understand the differences.

Play - Key to Learning - Young children learn important social and physical skills through play, and offering choices and variety in play is an important way to encourage healthy development in your child. Read this article to learn why playing with your child can be important for both of you.

Developmental Screening - Routine screening is a standard feature of most schools and preschools. This screening sometimes causes needless worry, and parents should understand how they can learn from the process. This article offers helpful tips and guidelines on what to expect.

Girls Bullying Girls - Peer relationships among girls, especially in fifth through eighth grade, can sometimes term destructive. Psychologists call this "relational aggression" and it's a subtle but destructive form of bullying. This article will help parents learn to spot and prevent relational aggression.

What's the Best Public School for my Child? - Neighborhood school? Open school? Magnet School? Charter School ? K-5 or K-8? Today, even within the bounds of public school systems, parents confront an increasing array of options for enrolling their children, starting but hardly ending with kindergarten. This article defines the options and guides parents in making a choice that will work for their child.

Talking with Your School Age Child - How to build communication habits that keep you in touch while letting your child grow.

Homework Tips - Lots of ideas for parents on ways to make homework time bearable for all concerned. There are separate "tip sheets" for elementary school students and middle school students.

Backpack Basics - Building responsibility and good study habits starts early. Unloading the backpack is a great time to start.

School Bus Basics - Staying safe in and around the big yellow bus.

A New IDEA - Recent revisions in the federal legislation authorizing special education have revised the criteria for determining eligibility for some special education services. This month's featured article highlights those changes and the implications for students who have special learning needs.

Your Child and No Child Left Behind: Part 2 - Learn how you and your child's teacher can work together to ensure your child gets the most from school.

Your Child and No Child Left Behind - Learn how the No Child Left Behind law can affect your child and his or her school, and how you can head off some of the unintended consequences.

Bullies and Victims - When does normal childhood behavior become bullying? What can you do to ensure that your child doesn't become either a bully or a victim? This article offers sensible solutions that can help manage this widespread problem rather than making it more difficult.

Tutoring - A Guide for Parents - Does your child need help with schoolwork? If so, what's the best alternative to give him the sort of support he needs to gain confidence and work more independently? This article discusses the options and suggests practical strategies to help you make wise decisions.

Understanding Standardized Test Scores - Testing is all the rage, but what do the scores mean? Our introduction helps parents determine what's important, and how to respond.

Self-Care - Is your child ready to be left alone, either after school or at other times? This article offers suggestions on how to tell, along with steps you can take to ensure success when you first try self-care.

Fostering Resiliency - Helping your child learn how to cope with disappointments can make him a stronger person later on. Approaches and habits that encourage resiliency include attitudes and emotions, feelings of competence, social skills, or physical health. Parents, teachers, and other adults can foster children's resiliency in all of these areas. This article shows you how.

Encouraging Independence - Giving your child room to make "safe" mistakes can result in a more confident, capable young person. Find out how from this new article.

How to Stay in School - Habits that can lead to dropouts start early. Here are some things parents can do to ensure it doesn't happen to their child.

First in the Family - Our extensive article on college planning for parents who didn't attend college themselves will also be useful to any parent.

Listen to the Nursery Rhymes - New pages with audio and illustrations you can cut out and re-use.

Coping with Tantrums - Ways to manage your "terrible two" (or three or four) when it looks as though he is about to "lose it."

Understanding "No Child Left Behind" - A look at the new law that will affect every public school child, parent, and teacher. Learn what you can do to be prepared for the effects of the sweeping changes this law will create.

New in our Members' Section: (Click here for membership information.)

Recent articles related to terrorism and the war:

Understanding Death and Grief - How do you help a child understand the death of a friend, a family member, even a pet? This article offers practical suggestions that parents and caregivers can use to help children understand death in an age-appropriate manner. You'll also find links to selected books and web resources that offer additional tools and information.

Tips for Teens - Dealing with War - Teens have scores of questions and just as many opinions about the war with Iraq. Written just for teens, this page offers suggestions to help keep reactions and preoccupation with the war in check, and to encourage teens to explore their questions and the opinions of others.

When a Parent is Called - When a reservist is called to active duty it places additional strains on families, relationships, finances, and more. Here are some ideas that can help children and families manage the long separations and look forward to the parent's return.

Tragic Events - Unsettled Times: Helping Children Cope - This month's feature article will help parents respond to children's questions, concerns and fears in the wake of the recent shuttle tragedy and the nation's current atmosphere of heighened anxiety. Developed in cooperation with the National Association of School Psychologists, this page outlines specific strategies parents can use to make their children more comfortable. It also highlights symptoms which can indicate that a child is worried, concerned, or in need of more specifc help.

Childhood Stress: How Parents Can Help - How do you tell when a child's everyday concerns go beyond what's normal. This helpful article gives parents great tools to help children deal with stress in their lives.

Also of Interest:

Social Development and Young Children - Making friends and establishing relationships are central to any child's development. For most toddlers and preschoolers, this road has a few bumps. Learn what you can do to smooth out the road and encourage the process.

Seven Strategies for Watching the News - Young peoples' viewing habits frequently impede their ability to get a balanced perspective on news events. This short article offers simple tips that can help students make sense of "wall to wall" reporting.

Guidelines for Allowances - When should a child first receive an allowance? What "strings" should be attached? How much is enough? This article will help parents and their children establish reasonable expectations for allowances and their purpose.

DVD Listings - New releases of the best films from the best literature - along with some perennial favories.

Family Games - Here's a listing of classic and newer games that an entire family can play. Best of all, these games keep young minds active. Find one for your family, or suggest a favorite for our collection.

Reading Suggestions for Parents - Here's the first edition of our listings of recommended titles to help parents help their children.

When to Start Kindergarten? Is my child lagging behind or ahead of the curve? Should we start early? Should we wait a year? Here's an article that will help you decide what's right for your child.

Teaching Self-Control - If life with your child seems an endless argument, perhaps there's a better way. Here's an article that suggests ways to help your child manage his or her feelings and take responsibility for the results. The results could be a more peaceful summer for the entire family. Presented in cooperation with the National Association of School Psychologists.

Children and Music Lessons - Young children can be particularly adept at learning music. What instrument is right for your child? How much should she practice? Which teacher is best? Check out our suggestions from a teacher who works with young students.

Preparing for Parent Teacher Conferences - Parents sometimes fear these as much as students, and there's no reason to. This month's feature outlines things schools and parents can do to smooth the process, and suggests some strategies to ensure that you'll get the most out of your conference.

Safe Surfing - Get the most out of your child's computer use, without getting the nasty stuff.

Teaching Tolerance and Accepting Diversity - Events of the past year have made it all the more important that children learn to be accepting of those who are not just like them. This article offers suggestions and strategies to help your child succeed in a world filled with many cultures and customs.

This month's member section also features the following articles. They are available only in the members' section.

An Advocacy Guide for Parents - How to maintain effective contact with federal, state, and local officials.

After High School - What does your child want to be? Planning for post-secondary education should begin early. Use this section to learn what the opportunities are and how to make the most of them.

Children and Sports - Is playing on a team the right thing for your child? What sport should he or she choose. What's the best way to find a good program? Learn how to help your child find the right sports program, and why you should be involved.

Cognitive Development: More than what They Know - An elementary school counselor explains why stuffing facts into your young child is not the best way to build sound learning skills.

Know Your Child's Learning Style - Understanding how your child learns best can be a real help when he or she has trouble understanding an assignment. This article will show you how to assess your child's learning style and use that information effectively.

Learning Partners - Everyday steps parents of preschool and elementary students can take to help their children appreciate subjects from art to reading to science. This section includes printable sheets with specific activities for each subject area.

Moving to Middle School - A middle school counselor suggests ways parents can help their students manage the practical and emotional challenges of the move to the bigger, new school.

Read On! - Developing a love of reading doesn't happen only at school Here's a short article that offers tips you can use every day to help your child develop positive attitudes toward reading as a lifetime habit.

Ready to Read - Learn simple daily habits that can help ensure your infant, toddler, or preschooler will be ready to read when the time comes.

Retention and Promotion - Can repeating a grade help your child? It might, and it might not. Learn the pros and cons of repeating a grade.

Special Education - A Parent's Guide - Extensive, specific resources to help parents cope with the full range of physical and intellectual disabilities and work with schools to meet the needs of their disabled student.

Stay in School! - High school dropouts shortchange their own futures. Use this section to learn some of the factors that contribute to high dropout rates, and what you can do to motivate your child to stay in school.

Study Skills for High School - High school can be a challenge. Here are some ways to improve your student's skills at reading, writing, math, and more.

What's That Sound? - Part I - Helping your toddler practice basic word sounds can make him a better reader later on. This article shows you how.

What's That Sound? - Part II - Here are more activities and games you can use with your toddler or preschooler to help her learn basic word sounds.