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...
Six Toddler Friendly Science Experiments

Six Toddler Friendly Science Experiments

Six Toddler-Friendly Science Experiments Cultivating your toddler’s interest in science may seem a bit overwhelming. They don’t have a lengthy attention span. Their limited interactions mean that there’s not much foundational knowledge from which to build, but that...

Tips for Teaching Good Manners to Children

Tips for Teaching Good Manners to Children

Manners are constantly evolving. It’s not as common anymore to hear parents scolding their children for speaking in the presence of adults. Things like not resting your elbows on the table started for a reason, but have outlived their usefulness. That being said,...

How to Raise Children with Adventurous Spirits

How to Raise Children with Adventurous Spirits

As parents, our knee-jerk reflex makes us immediately intervene with anything we see as risky or dangerous. The second they start crawling towards the stairs, we run and pick them up. We make sure that hot mug is immediately out of reach. And these reactions are well...

Ideas for Keeping You Child Learning During Summer

Ideas for Keeping You Child Learning During Summer

Learning is critical for cognitive development, and children thrive on routine. During the summer months, it’s important to keep up the routine of daily learning. You’ve still got your daily routine and expectations to fulfill, so keeping your kids occupied can be a...

Helping Your Child Develop High Self-Esteem

Helping Your Child Develop High Self-Esteem

At Kids Village, one of our core values is helping to build children’s self-esteem. We want them to be able to face the world knowing that with hard work and diligence, they can do anything. The self-esteem we want our children to learn is a deep self-esteem. It helps...

Life Skills Every Kid Should Know Before They Are 12

Life Skills Every Kid Should Know Before They Are 12

There are all sorts of skills, social, emotional, and practical, that a child needs to know before they reach their teen years. Many are foundational for what millennials have termed “adulting” but, even before then, they enable your child to become independent and...

How to Have Great Parent-Teacher Communication

How to Have Great Parent-Teacher Communication

Developing and maintaining a good relationship with your child’s teacher is important not only for your student’s welfare but for your sanity as well! It helps you stay involved with your child's progress, and keeps you excited about their school and the lessons...

How to Know if Your Child is Ready for Preschool

How to Know if Your Child is Ready for Preschool

Experts agree that preschool, usually defined as the one to two years before kindergarten, increases what your child gets out of every grade afterward. A 2009 study found that preschool increases the likelihood of high school graduation and college acceptance. So we...

6 Important Values to Teach Your Child

6 Important Values to Teach Your Child

There’s a lot riding on us as parents. We feed, clothe, and give them everything else they need, all with the intent to develop them into well-adjusted adults… and for that, it takes more than making sure they eat their veggies. Every parent’s hope is that their...

Why Reading to Your Child is Important

Why Reading to Your Child is Important

By encouraging your child’s reading, you’re building a foundation of benefits to last a lifetime. Language skills and scholastic success are the obvious outcomes, but reading can also help develop empathy, release stress, and improve concentration. For a developing...

Tips for Being a More Lighthearted Parent

Tips for Being a More Lighthearted Parent

In the face of adult struggles, it’s easy to feel weighed down by everything. You might feel like you’re losing your spark. Being a grown-up is tough. Bills to pay, mouths to feed, and sometimes it seems like everyone forgets to say “thank you.” No one wants to spread...

How to Improve Your Child’s Attention Span

How to Improve Your Child’s Attention Span

In an age of flashy cell phones and short video clips, attention spans are shrinking. It’s pretty standard: 47 percent of people find themselves focusing on something other than what they’re doing throughout the day. We’ve become a culture of multitaskers, but there’s...