Seasonal articles
Balancing rising holiday costs & school attendance
With holiday costs soaring and the huge price gap between school and term time breaks, thousands of parents are now advocating for children to be allowed to take holiday during term time – without the fear of facing fines. Matt Revill, primary head, explores the issue.
24 fun toys for summer outdoor learning
It's well established that outdoor play is important for young learners and provides opportunities to develop physical, social, fine and gross motor skills. Our editor, Kate Morgan, has put together her top picks of outdoor toys. So get the kids outside, having fun and learning this summer. Let the games begin!
Money saving tips for Christmas
As we all know, Christmas can be incredibly expensive. As much as you might look forward to it, you might also dread it a little too – and that’s a shame. We asked wellbeing author, award-winning blogger and children’s therapist Becky Goddard-Hill to help with advice on how to save money whilst making special Christmas memories.
Best Christmas learning websites for children
Harness the pre-Christmas excitement with some festive online learning, from coding games starring Santa's elves to themed science experiments, seasonal stories and gingerbread counting interactives. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas (learning fun)...
Forest school fun for kids
Learn to read clouds and enjoy some splashy water games in the great outdoors with an extract from Forest School Wild Play by Jane Worroll and Peter Houghton.
9 wildlife projects for kids
Help your child learn about and look after native species with these great outdoor activities.
12 ways to make walking fun for kids
Take the whinging out of walking with these great ideas for helping your child enjoy getting out and about.
How do you know if a toy is safe to buy online?
Every year, more and more of us buy toys online rather than in person. When you can't examine packaging or speak to retail staff, it's vital to know how to spot dangerous toys, so follow the Child Accident Prevention Trust's advice to help you make a safe choice for your child.
Family fireworks safety
Even if you have never lit a firework in your life, you might be thinking about putting on your own back-garden display for your family. The Child Accident Prevention Trust offer advice to help you make an informed decision and avoid buying seriously dangerous fireworks, as well as suggesting plenty of ideas for firework-free fun.
The best summer challenges for kids
Help your child keep those brain cells active throughout the holidays with these brilliant activities, from reading to computer coding.
Best literacy resources
Whether your child is just learning to read and print letters or looking for ways to put their creative writing skills to the test, we've rounded up some fantastic resources to help them practise phonics, grammar, story-writing and comic-creating at home. Plus there are loads of different ways to connect with authors and listen to stories.
11 DIY Forest School activities
Help your child embrace the great outdoors and create your own DIY "Forest School" at home with these back-to-nature learning ideas.
Summer science fun
Make the most of summer with two hands-on experiments from scientist Michelle Dickinson, perfect for long lazy days of uninterrupted sunshine. Make your own ten-minute ice cream to understand state-of-matter changes the delicious way, or harness the power of the sun’s heat to cook biscuits in your own solar-powered oven. Sun-shining science at its best!
Best books for children for Christmas 2017
Invest in a stack of books to pile up under the tree to guarantee a peaceful, adventure-filled festive break for the whole family. Whatever your child's interests or reading ability, our pick of the best new reads on offer this Christmas includes best-sellers, traditional tales for our times, wonderful world-building quests and laugh-out-loud funny reads. Enjoy!
Museums reviewed by parents: River & Rowing Museum
Mess about on the river at the family-friendly River & Rowing Museum and explore the many faces and functions of the River Thames. Our family testers loved their day communing with Mole, Ratty, Toad and some friendly local ducks.
39 stages all parents go through in the summer holidays
Love them or loathe them, the school holidays are here – so how are you going to get through them?
13 reasons to join the Summer Reading Challenge
Want to keep your child reading over the summer? We take a look at how the popular library Summer Reading Challenge can help.
How to have your best summer ever with the kids
Does the thought of six weeks with your children fill you with dread or delight? Try these low-budget, big-fun tips for making the most of the school hols.
101 fantastic activities for the summer 2024 school holidays
Paint a giant impressionist masterpiece, go dragon racing with Toothless or discover the medicinal properties of buttered spiders (yes, really!) – we've got a whole host of summer adventures for you to enjoy with 101 amazing activities from across the UK!
Hay fever in school-age children
Sports day and outdoor play can be miserable for children with a pollen allergy. We asked Amena Warner from Allergy UK for her advice on tackling hay fever in kids.
Best Easter books for children
British children receive an average of five Easter eggs each year, with 29% of kids getting more than 10! We say it's time to replace some of the sugar with a few delectable reads. Our pick of the best Easter- and chocolate-themed books will ensure your child gets their fill of cocoa beans, bunnies and springtime fun through the printed word. Tuck in!
18 must-have costume-making supplies for World Book Day and beyond
Never again will you be caught out by a last-minute outfit request from your primary school child with these craft basics. Stock up today!
16 of the best new books for children for Christmas 2016
Guarantee that plenty of reading will be done over the Christmas break by investing in a pile of books for your child to find under the tree. Whatever their interests or reading ability, our pick of the best new reads on offer this Christmas includes best-sellers, classic stories reimagined for the twenty-first century, non-fiction treasures to pore over and laugh-out-loud funny reads. Enjoy!
Best Halloween books for children
Witches and werewolves and vampires, oh my! Help your child get into the Halloween spirit with our round-up of the best ghost stories, haunted-house thrillers and supernatural tales for children. Not recommended for after-dark reading...
Primary school parents' resolutions for the New Year
The start of a new year is the perfect time to reflect on what we could do differently in the 12 months ahead. Here are our resolutions for the year ahead...
16 truths about being a primary school parent at Christmas
'Tis the season to be jolly – but if you've got a child at primary school, the Christmas period can be a month-long feat of endurance. Good luck...
Surviving the festive season: parents' tips for SEN kids
Christmas crowds, lights, smells and lack of routine can make the holidays a challenging time for autistic children. Help keep the whole family happy during the festivities with practical tips from parents from the disability charity Scope’s online community.
The best charity clubs for kids
A charity membership is a great gift idea for your primary school child that will keep entertaining them – and helping others – all year round. From "adopting" a polar bear with the WWF to finding out how children around the world live with Plan International, we've rounded up our pick of the best.
16 of the best new books for children for Christmas 2015
Looking for the perfect books for your child to find under the tree? Whatever their interests or reading ability, there's a fantastic selection on offer this Christmas, from the latest Rick Riordan blockbuster to new classics, non-fiction treasures to pore over and laugh-out-loud funny reads. The holidays will be story-filled!
14 of the best new books for children for Christmas 2014
You'll be spoilt for choice choosing new books for 4-11 year olds this Christmas. As well as the blockbusters in every bookshop window (welcome back Wimpy Kid, Percy Jackson and Ruby Redfort!), we've fallen for this bumper crop of great reads, from picture books to read out loud to scare stories to shiver under the covers with. Whatever your child's reading ability, these stories are unmissable. Happy reading!
No-sew mathematical costumes for Maths Week
A Maths Week costume?!? Don’t get your numbers in a twist! Non-crafty mum Phoebe Doyle’s on hand with some no-sew, no-stress ideas.
5 learning activities for summer weather
Summer is finally here! Make that wonderful, warm globe of loveliness in the sky into a fantastic learning aid with our hands-on activities, perfect for whiling away the hours on a hot afternoon.
Best teachers' gifts
A teacher can change a child's life – and attitude to learning – forever. We've found some of the most original (and delicious) ways to say thank you to the person who has enriched your child's school year, whatever your budget. Chocolate and biscuits, personalised bags, mugs and accessories, charity donations and more – all great tokens of your appreciation for the work of an inspirational teacher.
6 learning activities for spring weather
Welcome the new season with these spring children's activity ideas from Juno Hollyhock from Learning through Landscapes. Wellies on, gloves off, coats fastened – time to run out into the spring sunshine!
Brilliant costumes to buy for World Book Day
No time to put a World Book Day costume together? Buy one of these fantastic, budget-fitting outfits that your child will want to wear again after World Book Day for fancy dress parties, Halloween or just playing at home.
Growing to achieve at school
Gardening is part of the National Curriculum framework, so it's vital children understand plants. They'll cover the science in the classroom, but we suggest some fun ways to see the theory in action and get them growing (no garden or green fingers required!).
14 of the best new books for children for Christmas 2013
Start a new tradition of reading in front of the tree on the evening of 25 December with these brilliant new books for 4-11 year olds. From thrillers to Dr Who adventures, picture books to hide-under-the-covers scare stories, they'll transport your child around the globe and back and forwards in time so effectively that all the new screens and interactive games will be forgotten. Happy reading!
Best construction toys for kids
Want to develop your child’s problem-solving skills, understanding of physics and fine motor control (essential for handwriting)? Time to get out the building blocks! We pick eight of the best construction toy sets for budding engineers, architects and designers.
100 of the best educational toys: EYFS
Learning toys that are packed with play value, too, our 100 best educational toy picks will help your child identify numbers and letters, learn their high frequency words, understand rhyming and even get to grips with primary-school programming and physics. Get great gift ideas with our recommendations for nursery and Reception children!
100 of the best educational toys: KS2
Your child will be having so much fun playing these games they won't even realise they're practising their times tables, improving their vocabulary, boosting mental maths skills and revising geography facts. Hands-on fun is guaranteed with every learning activity, from writing in hieroglyphics to dissecting a body and observing the night sky.