Articles & Insights

Explore articles, news, and insights shared by our early childhood experts. You’ll find advice for making your child’s early childhood education a positive and joyful one, fun and engaging activity ideas, seasonal insights, and more!

Private vs. Charter Preschool in Utah: What Orem Parents Should Know

Choosing where your child spends their first years of school is one of the most important decisions you will make as a parent. In Utah County, families typically weigh two options: a publicly funded charter preschool or a private preschool that operates independently....

What to Expect on Your Child’s First Day of Preschool

The morning of your child's first preschool day arrives faster than you expect. You have packed the bag, picked out the outfit, and rehearsed your cheerful goodbye — and yet, standing at the door, you may feel every bit as nervous as your little one. That mix of...

When to Start Preschool: A Guide for Utah County Parents

When to Start Preschool: A Guide for Utah County Parents Few parenting decisions feel as weighty as choosing when and where to send your child to preschool for the first time. Parents in Utah County ask the same questions every spring and summer as enrollment season...

What Is Five-Senses Learning — and Why It Works Better Than Worksheets

About the AuthorMikelle Despain Author at Kids Village Mikelle Despain has contributed expert articles on early childhood education to Kids Village for over a decade. With a background in child care and child development, as well as firsthand experience as a mother of...

Questions to Ask on a Preschool Tour

Choosing a preschool is a big decision. When you tour a school, you are not just looking at a classroom or checking a box on your to-do list; you are trying to picture your child there every day — learning, making friends, building confidence, and feeling safe and...

Talking to Young Kids About Veterans Day: A Parent’s Guide with Fun and Meaningful Activities

At Kids Village, a private preschool and K-3 school in Orem, we deeply value patriotism and take pride in teaching our students to appreciate the sacrifices and contributions made by servicemen and women. Veterans Day provides a wonderful opportunity to introduce...
Tips for Summer With Children

Tips for Summer With Children

As teachers, we miss your students during summer–but we often hear that parents miss us as well. That’s because the change in routine can be challenging for parents and children alike. In this article, we share our favorite tips for surviving summer with littles. Have...

Age-Appropriate Garden Chores for Young Children

Age-Appropriate Garden Chores for Young Children

Spring is (nearly) upon us, which means planting season is just around the corner! Involving your child in growing a vegetable garden provides many emotional, educational, and physical benefits to the child, regardless of age! Young babies can benefit from sensory...

Presidents Day for Kids

Presidents Day for Kids

As far as holidays go, Presidents Day isn't one that springs to mind as a "kids holiday," especially right after a candy-filled Valentine's Day. However, it's an important holiday in our history, and with a little creativity, it can be fun for your children! What is...

Strengthening Pre-Writing Skills at Home

Strengthening Pre-Writing Skills at Home

Many of our parents ask what they can do at home to help their children excel at school, and our answer is almost always to READ! Reading is so, so important for students. Reading with your child not only helps to develop their language skills, but it also helps...

4 Things You Might Have Missed During Your Kids Village Tour

4 Things You Might Have Missed During Your Kids Village Tour

At Kids Village, we invite prospective families to come to our school for a tour at any time (you don't even have to give us notice if you come during school hours). We think it's important for parents and children to see classrooms and workshops in action as part of...

12 Ideas for Keeping Children Occupied on Thanksgiving

12 Ideas for Keeping Children Occupied on Thanksgiving

We don't know about you, but Thanksgiving can be...well...a little chaotic at our houses, especially with so many little ones in the mix. while it can be tempting to turn on a movie marathon and settle the kids onto beanbag chairs with a little Chex mix (no judgment...

Helping Your Child Transition Into Preschool

Helping Your Child Transition Into Preschool

Transitioning into preschool can be scary for the parent, but it can be especially cumbersome for young children. They haven’t been exposed to many new things before, and you, as their parent, have been such a consistent presence in their life that it may be difficult...

How to Teach Kids to Share

How to Teach Kids to Share

Any time there is more than one child in the room, there’s likely to be some tension over some knick-knack or other. Kids under the age of 5 are just starting to develop their sense of self. They’re starting to explore and experiment with what that means for them and...

4 Ways to Enhance Your Child’s Ability to Focus

4 Ways to Enhance Your Child’s Ability to Focus

Being able to focus helps increase productivity, reduce stress, and helps you produce a better quality of work. When you are able to pay attention to just the task at hand, you’re able to dedicate your whole self to whatever it is you’re doing. Cultivating mindfulness...

How to Raise Self-Motivated Children

How to Raise Self-Motivated Children

Raising kids who have the wherewithal to work past challenges and persevere can be a fine line to walk. You don’t want to be overbearing and force your kids to succeed; that’s a miserable and exhausting experience for both of you. It’s a balancing act: giving your...

5 Life Skills to Start Teaching Now

5 Life Skills to Start Teaching Now

Parents have a lot of responsibility. We have to address our children’s immediate needs: feeding them (which sometimes feels nonstop), clothing them, and educating them. Outside of conventional education like learning the ABCs, multiplication tables, and the formula...