Trying to be more eco-friendly is sometimes seen as a big challenge for busy families. It’s hard enough getting everything done in our packed calendars, let alone trying to take action to help the environment. But the truth is, raising awareness in kids of why sustainable living and being kind to our Earth is so important is crucial to ensuring there’s a healthy place for everyone to live, not only now, but in the future.

Did you know that the proportion of UK families with children headed by single parents has remained at around 25 per cent for over a decade?

With all that’s going on in the world, it’s understandable that stress levels for families are pretty high these days. Add to that the growing disconnect from nature, with more and more of our time spent on devices, and it’s not surprising that a lot of people aren’t spending enough time outdoors to really get their hands dirty.

As we all know, life can throw curveballs when you least expect it, and part of successfully navigating through unsettling situations is an ability to stay calm. Knowing how to positively deal with stress and manage emotions is a key life skill that can help your child feel grounded, present and capable. Helping kids understand how to calm down is one of the greatest gifts we can give them as parents. If your child is feeling anxious or overwhelmed, it can be very useful to have strategies at hand to help them find their calm.

If you’re looking for games for your kids that are as educational as they are fun, look no further than Wild Kratts games. Focusing on science, Wild Kratts games let kids observe and explore whilst boosting their animal and natural history knowledge. We’ve put together a handy list of Wild Kratts games to play that your kids will love!

Self-confidence is one of the most powerful emotional skills parents can help kids to develop, and creating a foundation of confidence can lead to a more fulfilling life.

As any parent of siblings can understand, it can be playful and peaceful one minute, and a chaotic battlefield the next. Siblings can go from being best friends to enemies in a heartbeat, and it can be challenging for parents to know how to address the stressful situation and help each sibling to develop conflict resolution skills.

Playing is definitely one of the best things about childhood, and it offers so much joy and fun to little ones. Far more than just a great way to bring more laughter and smiles, playtime is actually crucial in enriching children’s brains, bodies, and whole selves. As parents, it’s encouraging to learn how play can help our kids develop. We spoke to Playworker Stacey Marko to learn how playtime improves children’s health.

As childhood memories go, oftentimes some of the most cherished moments are the ones in which we played freely. Getting to be imaginative, uninhibited and energetic are fantastic elements of being a kid. But as parents, we may not fully appreciate all of the actual benefits that playtime can offer our children. Far more than just providing fun, playing can actually support kids mentally, emotionally and physically. We spoke with Anita Grant from Play England, to learn five benefits of playtime for kids.

Every child loves playing, and in addition to being fun and active, it can help to build lifelong skills. From pretend play, social play, independent play, to sports play — kids need a variety of playtime to fully develop as functioning people. We spoke to Ronnie McQueen, a Playworker at The Yard, to learn 5 ways that playing helps children’s development.

Playing is such an intrinsic part of childhood that it’s impossible to imagine one without the other. To be a child is to be playful, and when kids play, they thrive. Parents know that when our kids get free play, they become happy and vibrant.

Tolerance and respect are extremely important values for kids to demonstrate in their daily lives. While raising inclusive kids does start at home, this important work can be carried on throughout the school day. Teaching children to be respectful of others is an ongoing process, and school offers so many opportunities to practice inclusiveness. But what are the best methods to get through to kids in the classroom?

As parents, it’s our responsibility to consciously incorporate strategies to help our kids learn to be inclusive of those who are different to us, whether it’s evident in skin tone, religion, physical ability or otherwise. Books can be a wonderful tool to facilitate conversations about differences with your kids when you’re not sure where to start.

Most parents have experienced issues at bedtime with their kids at some point. Kids’ bedtime can be challenging if your kids are having sleep problems, and those issues can cause stress in the family. The good news is that there are techniques you can use to help your child at bedtime, and help your child get a restful night’s sleep.

Trying to approach the topic of race and racism with your kids can potentially feel awkward, and as parents, we may worry we’ll say the wrong thing. It’s possible too, that we may want to protect our kids from feeling angry or guilty. But it’s essential to work through that discomfort and speak honestly with our kids about racial inequity.

Unfortunately, we cannot escape bullies in this world. Mean-spirited people will always exist, and although we can’t magically make this issue disappear, we can give our kids tools on how to handle these uncomfortable experiences. When kids get picked on, it can often feel like there’s nothing they can do about it. While it’s true that we can’t control someone else’s behaviour, there are things that can help.

Being brave doesn’t always feel the way we might think it should. Bravery can sometimes sit like a ball of nerves in your stomach, and it can seem like the hardest thing ever. But being brave is about stepping out of your comfort zones and facing your fears, even when you’re really scared. We’ve rounded up 3 episodes and 1 game that will help your kiddos understand what it means to be brave. We hope to inspire your kids to find their own courage by taking risks and putting themselves out there.

While honesty is an admirable trait, it’s human to be imperfect, which includes not always living up to the most desirable standards. The truth is, everyone bends the truth. Nearly all children will omit details, exaggerate, or tell untruths at some point, and it can be difficult for parents to know what to do when this happens.

Although dealing with staying at home has had its own major stresses, one of the benefits has been just that: being at home more, which means we’ve been given an opportunity to experiment more in the kitchen. We’ve gained back the time we’d have otherwise spent commuting to work and school, and we’ve rediscovered the joy of simple things again.

Learning how to make and keep lasting friendships is one of the most critical skills that people continue to use and refine throughout their entire lives. Understanding how to form successful relationships that are mutually supportive will help kids to create bonds that bring much happiness and joy. We’ve put together a list of three videos and one game that will foster these social skills in your kids so that they can enjoy strong and healthy friendships.