From taking their first steps to learning how to read, children gain self-confidence as they master new skills. This gives them the courage to continue to explore and expand their abilities.

Two-year-olds may use phrases such as "Me do it!" or "Do it myself!" to exert independence. They will often make a mess as they learn to feed themselves soup with a spoon, apply toothpaste to a toothbrush, or "clean" their room, but they will develop valuable skills as they practice new tasks and recognize their progress.

Reading aloud to your child strengthens the part of their brain associated with visual imagery, the ability to understand stories and word meaning.

“Mom, I found the tiniest snail ever in the yard!” After a morning of virtual school meetings (and, let’s be honest, needing a break myself!), I sent my children outside with no particular plan. I felt guilty that I wasn’t able to structure this time, especially with in-person school canceled. I had forgotten that boredom and unstructured play are great for children’s creativity, build independence, and offer stress relief.

To solve basic math operations — and more complicated ones down the road — kids need problem-solving skills and number sense. Number sense is the ability to understand what numbers mean, how they relate to one another and how they can be used in real-world situations. Because six-year-olds can count to higher numbers, they can also be challenged to work on higher number operations. School-aged children focus on addition and subtraction at first, and then eventually reach multiplication (in the form of skip counting) and division (in the form of equal shares).