What makes a toy "Educational"?

Sensory Toys & Other Toys that Make Noise

Educational Software

Educational Games

Making the library a familiar place in your child's life will help them develop curiosity and the desire to discover, a love for learning, and better reading skills. The key to visiting the library with children is to make the experience interesting and fun. Allow kids to explore and attempt to find the answers to things they've always wondered about. Let them pick out books that interest them, books that you can read together or that they can read on their own. Also take advantage of the library's many other resources, including audio books, movies, computer programs, etc.

The library has resources and programs for children of every age (including grown-up kids... so definitely look around! You'll be setting a good example for your children.), whether it's a reading group for your 1 year old or an incentive program for your 12 year old. And don't worry if your children have any special needs; the library will have services to offer, helping to make the experience just as beneficial and stimulating for your little ones.

• It will help them develop curiosity and desire to discover. By providing kids with a variety of materials and creative programs that allow them to use their imagination, they will develop excitement about the ability to discover the world around them.
• It will help them develop love for learning. In addition to developing their desire to learn, it will help them love that learning process! Family activities, storytelling, children's reading incentive programs, and many other perks that the library offers will help kids discover the joy that comes with education.
• It will help them develop better reading skills. These skills begin even in infancy when children are learning oral language. By exposing them to printed materials, reading together with them, and allowing them to spend time reading, you will help them develop the language skills and vocabulary that will push them forward in their education. You may also help spark a love for reading within them that will continue throughout their lives.
• It will help them develop research skills. If kids begin spending time in the library when they are young (or even if you start later but attend regularly), it will begin to feel like a second home to them, a place were they are completely comfortable to make their way through materials to find exactly what they are looking for.
• It will help them recognize the value of education. When your children realize that going to the library is very important to you (since you take them regularly) and that you make it a point to read with them and to get your own books to read when you're at the library, they will begin to develop an appreciation for the importance of education.
• It will help them recognize your investment in their education. You, as their parent or other caretaker, are responsible for their first education and learning later on. By offering yourself to them in visits to the library and time spent reading together, you provide for them an environment in which they can flourish as competent learners that know that you are invested in them.

• Help your kids get a library card. As soon as they are old enough, help your children get a card of their own (all you'll need is identification demonstrating that you live in the area), and teach them to keep track of the card and the books they check out.
• Ask the librarian to help show your child around the kid's section and where their favorite subjects would be located as well as how to search on the computer for things (you can help them). Teach your kids to feel comfortable asking the library staff to help them.
• Take your children to the library at least once a week, and allow them to check out as many books as the library will allow and they wish (you can get them their own library tote bag to carry with them). Spend enough time at the library for them to look around and find things that they are interested in.
• Sign up your kids for extra programs the library offers, such as the summer reading program, a preschool reading club, etc. Take your kids to author visits, craft activities and other hands-on experiences.
• Discuss children's books with them. Talk to your kids about the books that they checked out and other books that they have read. Relate their stories to your family's experiences. Watch movie versions of any of the children's books they've read (Read a review first. It might not be as child-friendly as the book was.), and compare them.
• Make sure that the books they've borrowed are readily available so that they can read them whenever they have a chance and so that you can read with them. Consider getting a crate that is only for library books so that they can keep track of them, and provide them with quiet time during the day (perhaps just turn off the TV) in which they have opportunities to read.
• Make the reading experience fun by using various voices and a lot of enthusiasm. Also remember that comic books and other non-traditional resources are still wonderful things that will help them learn to read better.
• In addition to being a part of library programs, consider setting family goals that have prizes that will help motivate and reward the kids for their library/reading time.

• Preschoolers. Most libraries have programs for preschoolers and even infants. Things like songs, rhymes, fingerplays, parent-child story times, and other fun group events help stimulate a child's mind and begin to help them develop their language and social skills. Once kids are between 3 and 5 years old, there are more group activities for them to be involved in like reading aloud, arts and crafts, puppet shows, storytelling, etc.
• Elementary Students. In elementary school and Jr. High, the library will provide not only a place of fun for children but also a location to help them complete school assignments. There are programs that help children learn to better research and how to use the reference books and library catalog. There are also fun programs for these older kids, like reading incentives. Checking with your local library will help you find out what's available for your kids.
• Teenagers. Teens primarily tend to use the library for recreational reading and school projects. They may choose books for young adults or from the adult section. Or they may choose to check out the CD's and audio books available. In addition, many libraries try to get teens to help with the younger kids' programs - the storytelling, crafts, etc. They may also volunteer at the library regularly or get a part-time job checking in and out the books and re-shelving them.

If you have kids with special needs, the library will have many resources that will still allow you to introduce them to the world of books. Talk to the librarian about the kinds of services available to help your little ones learn and grow!

Scores lower than 55 and higher than 145 have to be carefully scrutinized, because the sample size in those ranges is extremely small.

Different tests predict outcomes, like job performance and academic achievement, with different levels of accuracy. So, a person who scores a 120 on one test may not perform as well at their particular job as a person who only scored 107 on a different test, but a test which more accurately predicts job performance in that particular field. So, while it may feel great to score over 110 on a particular test (and, indeed, this is an impressive feat), you may find that that score doesn't translate to success in certain jobs or in certain subjects academically.

Probably the most authoritative voice on this topic for most is that of the American Psychological Association. This group assigned a task force to determine the true merits of IQ tests and intelligence research in general. The APA task force discovered that IQ tests do indeed (at least somewhat) accurately predict future academic success and levels of achievement. They did find that this was true especially for individuals, but not really for population samples. The task force also agreed that the tests do accurately predict job performance within reason. And, perhaps most importantly, they found that there is an extremely strong correlation between intelligence and genetics.

In general, though, it is good to know that research has shown that IQ, broadly speaking, correlates with things such as job performance, social pathology (crime, poverty, unemployment, etc.), and socioeconomic advancement.

There has been evidence over the years that East Asians score slightly higher in general than Europeans, and Europeans score slightly higher than Africans and Hispanics. Many experts believe, though, that biases in testing and inaccurate measuring devices have caused this difference, which is slight. As far as religion, most studies which have been done indicate a negative correlation between IQ and religious belief. As far as health goes, it appears that persons with higher IQs tend to be healthier than others. There are many theories as to why this may be true, but most agree that the results are conclusive. People with these high IQs also have a lower risk for post traumatic stress disorder, depression and schizophrenia, while they actually are at slightly higher risk for obsessive compulsive disorder. As far as economic status, there is a prevailing theory which states that a country's wealth can be relatively determined by knowing the country's average IQ. This theory has been neither proven nor unproven, and it has come under much scrutiny.

The most popular test today is the WISC (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children) test, developed primarily by David Wechsler. This test includes 15 subtests and 10 core subtests. The four areas scored are processing speed, verbal comprehension, working memory, and perceptual reasoning.

There is also an interesting phenomenon called the Flynn effect to be considered. This is the simple fact that IQ tests have steadily been rising, ever so slightly, over the years. This effect, named for its founder, is so odd that it is truly inexplicable.

Brain makeup, however, is a more interesting study. Most studies agree that the frontal lobes are crucial for learning. More specifically, the lateral prefrontal cortex appears to be especially important to intelligence.

If you accurately want to learn what your IQ is (to see if you can compete with Marilyn), you will have to take one of the complicated tests, like the WISC or another in depth test. There are, however, a number of tests available on the Internet which provide a rough idea of what your IQ would be. Keep in mind that these do not have adequate sample sizes, have too few questions, and do not use verbal sections, making them far less accurate and usable than the standard tests. They are great for conversation, though. Do a Google for "IQ tests" to find some to try out.

Interested in becoming the guide for this category? Send an email to jennifer at beginnersguide.com to request more information.

Babies develop both physically and mentally. To aid them in their physical development and help them strengthen their upper body and neck, do things like gently swinging the infant to and fro in a blanket hammock or assist them in doing "sit-ups."

Hand-eye coordination is very important to child development and simple games like bringing familiar objects into baby's view and then removing them from sight helps on many levels. In addition to enhancing their hand-eye coordination as they reach for an object, this game will also encourage visual tracking, grasping and problem solving.

Once your wee one hits three months, you can begin to place things that make make noise when moved, like a pie plate, near their legs. When your infant realizes that the movement of their legs is what is causing all the clamor, they will gladly kick it more.

Simply talking to you newborn will help develop language and other cognitive skills. Carry on a one-sided conversation with your child that details the events going on around them. Talking to your child will also help improve their memory.

You have probably stuck your toungue out at your child or imitated a funny face they have made. You may have even smiled at your baby once or twice. All of these things aid in your child's social and emotional development. As simple as these pasttimes may seem to you, they are crucial for your infant. Even playing a quick game of "peekaboo" will encourage their social development and teaches them that just because something goes away, does not mean it will not come back.