10/12/2026
💙📚 PARENTS ARE THEIR CHILDREN’S FIRST TEACHERS! 📚💙
Before children enter a classroom, they are learning from YOU! Every conversation, story, question, and everyday experience helps build their vocabulary, confidence, and understanding. We celebrate parents and caregivers who take the lead in their child’s education! 👏🏽🌟
🌱 Give your child an advantage in their future by growing a strong mind TODAY! Building math and reading skills at home can be FREE, easy, and part of what you already do.
🔢 THREE EASY WAYS TO BUILD MATH SKILLS:
🛒 1. Shop and compare! “These apples cost $3 and those cost $5. What’s the difference?” Count items, compare prices, and let older children estimate the total.
🥣 2. Cook together! Count scoops, measure ingredients, and explore fractions. “We need two half-cups. How much is that altogether?”
🧦 3. Use what you have! Sort laundry, pair socks, or divide snacks equally. “We have 12 crackers and three people. How many does each person get?”
📖 THREE EASY WAYS TO BUILD ELA SKILLS:
Reading, writing, speaking, and listening!
📚 1. Read and discuss! Enjoy a book together and ask, “What do you think will happen next?” “Why did the character do that?” Have your child retell the story.
🗣️ 2. Describe and explain! At the store, talk about what you see, what you’re purchasing, and why. “This pear is ripe. Ripe means ready to eat!” Ask your child to describe, compare, and explain, too.
✏️ 3. Write for real life! Make a shopping list, write a thank-you note, or label a drawing. Younger children can draw and tell you their words while you write them down.
💬 TALK, TALK, TALK, TALK WITH YOUR CHILD!
Then pause, listen, and give them time to respond. ❤️
Talk about colors, shapes, signs, prices, jobs, and choices. Ask, “What do you notice?” “How do you know?” “Tell me more!” Build on their answers with new words. These conversations matter in whatever language your family speaks! 🌎
🏪 A trip to the store can become a lesson in reading, math, vocabulary, and problem-solving. Everyday experiences help prepare strong students, future graduates, and adults ready to succeed! 🎓✨
🏫 Mesa Public Schools’ Portrait of a Graduate calls for students who are ethical, inclusive, and resilient, with skills as collaborators, communicators, community contributors, creative thinkers and innovators, and critical thinkers and problem solvers. Practicing these habits at home helps bring that vision to life! 💙 (mpsaz.org)
🔗 Explore the Portrait:
https://www.mpsaz.org/page/portrait
💻 FREE LEARNING RESOURCES:
🌟 Khan Academy: Free math, reading, and language arts lessons and practice.
https://www.khanacademy.org
🧸 Khan Academy Kids: A free app for ages 2–8 with early reading, writing, and math activities.
https://www.khanacademy.org/kids (blog.khanacademy.org, support.khanacademy.org)
🎮 PBS KIDS: Learning games to explore together.
https://pbskids.org/games
🏡 PBS KIDS for Parents: Ideas for learning through everyday family routines.
https://www.pbs.org/parents (pbskids.org, parents.prod.pbskids.org)
👏🏽 To every parent reading a bedtime story, asking a thoughtful question, practicing math, or encouraging a child to keep trying: YOUR EFFORTS MATTER!
Small moments today can open big doors tomorrow. Let’s grow strong minds together! 🌱🧠🎓
Explore parent resources to help you raise kind, curious and resilient children. Find parenting tips, hands-on activities, games, and apps featuring your child's favorite PBS KIDS characters.
