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Imagination helps children learn about the world around them, expand their ideas, and problem-solve. The better their imagination is, the more readily they can understand complex community and social concepts. Although educators and researchers haven’t always understood the role of creativity in learning, experts are continually uncovering how this childhood behavior helps us grow.

When you help your child with math homework, you may frequently remind them to show their work. In fact, if you remember your childhood, you may have lost a few points on your own math homework for failing to show your work. Although math teachers have a good reason for the policy of demonstrating processes, mastering mental math is also essential to solving problems with greater ease and accuracy, thereby improving math grades. 

When most kids think about summer, they imagine popsicles, trips to the beach, and playing with friends. They’ve worked hard the entire school year and deserve time off as a reward for their hard work. Teachers will also enjoy their time out of the classroom. But as the summer closes, they’ll imagine the next school year’s start and the effects of the summer slide on student readiness.

You pick up your child from school and ask them how their day went. If you’re lucky, they may grunt a one-word answer like “fine.” But, sometimes, they don’t answer you at all. 

Even more mysterious, the teacher tells you that your student is the life of the party, or that she always raises her hand to answer questions, or that he spends the whole class talking to his friends. Or on the other hand, you may find out that your child is struggling in math, doodles during independent reading, or hasn’t turned in any homework.

Does the mention of a test bring complaints of a stomachache or start the tears flowing? We tend to think of test anxiety only affecting college-bound high-school students with SATs ahead of them, but test anxiety can affect learners of all ages.