Social Emotional Learning
ParentingChasing Childhood Is a Documentary Everyone Needs to See This Year
Let Grow is featured in the recent documentary, Chasing Childhood. This Q&A with one of the directors looks at how childhood has changed over time.
ParentingMy 4th Grader Is Failing English, and He’s Going to Have to Figure It Out
When this English teacher found out her son was failing English, she had to make a decision. Does she get involved or let him figure it out on his own?
Education & SchoolsShould We Still Be Teaching Civics?
Should we still be teaching civics? This high school English teacher argues that we need it now more than ever. Learn why.
Education & SchoolsTeachers Everywhere Have a Message for Parents: Stop Doing Your Kid’s Homework
This teacher and dad explains why it's such a bad idea for parents to do their kid's homework. Learn why he says it can have a negative impact long-term.
Education & SchoolsParentingIn Polarizing Times, Adults Can Help Kids Learn to Think for Themselves
Learn how to encourage independent thinking in young people by helping them find and share their voice in a responsible way.
Education & SchoolsParentingI’m Failing Forward As a Parent and Teacher, and I’m Okay with That
I was a straight-A student. I was the girl who always did my homework, always broke the curve, always went above and beyond. As my …
Education & SchoolsParenting21 Things Teachers Really Want You to Stop Doing for Your Kids
The day our children are born is quite possibly one of the happiest days of our lives. We vow to protect them and keep them …
Free PrintablesGet Our FREE Independent Classroom Kit to Encourage Resilient, Self-Sufficient Students
Creating a classroom full of independent doers and thinkers is one of the single best practices teachers can do to have a successful school year. …
Free PrintablesGet the Let Them Play Kit to Encourage Unstructured Play and Independence
Get our Let Them Play Kit to encourage kids to do more free and unstructured play. It's a great resource for play groups, neighborhoods, schools, and more.
Get IndependentWhat Is Unstructured Play, and How Does It Look?
The best parenting advice I ever received came from a mom whose son went to toddler music class with mine. She had tried to replace …
ParentingShould I Worry About All the Time My Kids Spend Doing Nothing?
It might seem like kids have a lot of wasted time and do nothing, but it's actually important for kids to have down time.
ParentingHow to Get Your Kids to Stop Whining—Yes, Really
I get up early to write before my two minions, ages three and four, open their eyes. I dash out of bed to turn on …
ParentingHow to Teach Kids to Solve Their Own Problems
I learned to solve my own problems by attending the School of Hard Knocks. At least that’s what my mom called it. Growing up, I …
Education & SchoolsParentingWhy Teachers Want Your Kids to Fail
As the seniors I teach wrap up their final year of high school, I have one hope for them above all others: I hope they …
ParentingWhy Daydreaming Can Be Incredibly Good for Kids
When our world here in Nashville shut down in response to COVID-19, my kids found a much-welcome distraction through daydreaming. At first our boys, ages …
Education & SchoolsWhy Hands-Off Learning Is a Huge Opportunity for Kids
My kids are used to roaming the nearby streets. They are used to finding friends and wildly running through the common spaces of our neighborhood. …
ParentingOnce I Started Letting My Kids Figure Out Their Own Schedules, I Finally Got Some Relief
During this time of social distancing, it is not difficult to find loads of articles offering advice on a schedule for kids or how to …
Education & SchoolsTurns Out, Soft Skills Are Actually Essential Skills—and We Need Them Now More Than Ever
We need to stop using the phrase soft skills and start calling them essential skills instead. Our kids need these skills to have a successful future.
News5 Things You Can Do When There’s Mass Hysteria and Panic
The coronavirus is leading to panic in the United States and around the world. Take a look at what you can do now to calm down and stay rational.
Education & SchoolsBehavior Charts Encourage Fear and Inequality in the Classroom, and It’s Time to Get Rid of Them
Behavior charts aren't doing our students any favors. It's time to get rid of them in classrooms and try a different approach.
Education & SchoolsOur Students Are Struggling with Social Media and Anxiety—and Adults Are the Ones to Blame
While teaching a lesson on stress the other day in class, I posed a question to my 7th graders: “Do you think you have more …
ParentingWe Should Encourage Special Needs Kids to Struggle, Fail, and Prevail
Our special needs kids are capable of achieving. We should create expectations that encourage them to embrace struggle and overcome challenges.
Education & SchoolsP.E. Class Needs Less Structure and More Free Play
P.E. class doesn't have to be regimented and structured. Learn how this P.E. teacher used free play to transform his classes.
Education & SchoolsSchool Recess Keeps Shrinking, and Our Kids Deserve Better
Learn about LiiNK, the school recess program that is reshaping the way some schools view recess and unstructured play for the better.
Education & SchoolsIt’s Not Enough to Teach Kids How to Be Independent If We Don’t Let Them Put it into Practice
Yes, we can teach our kids how to be independent. But then we have to actually step back and let them put it into practice.
Education & SchoolsMovement Breaks Should Not Be a Substitute for Recess
This mom has seen recess shrink at her son's school, and she believes movements breaks should never be a substitution for recess.
Education & SchoolsHow One Teacher Lowered Student Anxiety With The Let Grow Project
Last fall I was excited to start another promising school year with my 240 seventh grade health education students. However, I was confronted by an …
ParentingAn Anthropologist Discusses the Benefits of Unstructured Play
This fantastic TEDx Talk by evolutionary anthropologist Dorsa Amir is music to our ears at Let Grow. Amir studied a modern foraging society in the …
ParentingWhat Is Future-Proofing?
When engineers build something expensive and important, they try to "future-proof" it. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, future-proofing means "to design software, a computer, etc. …
ParentingHow Can I Help My Anxious Child?
So many parents ask, "How can I help my anxious child?" It's not surprising, considering the statistics: According to one study, nearly a third of …
Chasing Childhood Is a Documentary Everyone Needs to See This Year
Let Grow is featured in the recent documentary, Chasing Childhood. This Q&A with one of the directors looks at how childhood has changed over time.
My 4th Grader Is Failing English, and He’s Going to Have to Figure It Out
When this English teacher found out her son was failing English, she had to make a decision. Does she get involved or let him figure it out on his own?
Should We Still Be Teaching Civics?
Should we still be teaching civics? This high school English teacher argues that we need it now more than ever. Learn why.
Teachers Everywhere Have a Message for Parents: Stop Doing Your Kid’s Homework
This teacher and dad explains why it's such a bad idea for parents to do their kid's homework. Learn why he says it can have a negative impact long-term.
In Polarizing Times, Adults Can Help Kids Learn to Think for Themselves
Learn how to encourage independent thinking in young people by helping them find and share their voice in a responsible way.
I’m Failing Forward As a Parent and Teacher, and I’m Okay with That
I was a straight-A student. I was the girl who always did my homework, always broke the curve, always went above and beyond. As my …
21 Things Teachers Really Want You to Stop Doing for Your Kids
The day our children are born is quite possibly one of the happiest days of our lives. We vow to protect them and keep them …
Get Our FREE Independent Classroom Kit to Encourage Resilient, Self-Sufficient Students
Creating a classroom full of independent doers and thinkers is one of the single best practices teachers can do to have a successful school year. …
Get the Let Them Play Kit to Encourage Unstructured Play and Independence
Get our Let Them Play Kit to encourage kids to do more free and unstructured play. It's a great resource for play groups, neighborhoods, schools, and more.
What Is Unstructured Play, and How Does It Look?
The best parenting advice I ever received came from a mom whose son went to toddler music class with mine. She had tried to replace …
Should I Worry About All the Time My Kids Spend Doing Nothing?
It might seem like kids have a lot of wasted time and do nothing, but it's actually important for kids to have down time.
How to Get Your Kids to Stop Whining—Yes, Really
I get up early to write before my two minions, ages three and four, open their eyes. I dash out of bed to turn on …
How to Teach Kids to Solve Their Own Problems
I learned to solve my own problems by attending the School of Hard Knocks. At least that’s what my mom called it. Growing up, I …
Why Teachers Want Your Kids to Fail
As the seniors I teach wrap up their final year of high school, I have one hope for them above all others: I hope they …
Why Daydreaming Can Be Incredibly Good for Kids
When our world here in Nashville shut down in response to COVID-19, my kids found a much-welcome distraction through daydreaming. At first our boys, ages …
Why Hands-Off Learning Is a Huge Opportunity for Kids
My kids are used to roaming the nearby streets. They are used to finding friends and wildly running through the common spaces of our neighborhood. …
Once I Started Letting My Kids Figure Out Their Own Schedules, I Finally Got Some Relief
During this time of social distancing, it is not difficult to find loads of articles offering advice on a schedule for kids or how to …
Turns Out, Soft Skills Are Actually Essential Skills—and We Need Them Now More Than Ever
We need to stop using the phrase soft skills and start calling them essential skills instead. Our kids need these skills to have a successful future.
5 Things You Can Do When There’s Mass Hysteria and Panic
The coronavirus is leading to panic in the United States and around the world. Take a look at what you can do now to calm down and stay rational.
Behavior Charts Encourage Fear and Inequality in the Classroom, and It’s Time to Get Rid of Them
Behavior charts aren't doing our students any favors. It's time to get rid of them in classrooms and try a different approach.
Our Students Are Struggling with Social Media and Anxiety—and Adults Are the Ones to Blame
While teaching a lesson on stress the other day in class, I posed a question to my 7th graders: “Do you think you have more …
We Should Encourage Special Needs Kids to Struggle, Fail, and Prevail
Our special needs kids are capable of achieving. We should create expectations that encourage them to embrace struggle and overcome challenges.
P.E. Class Needs Less Structure and More Free Play
P.E. class doesn't have to be regimented and structured. Learn how this P.E. teacher used free play to transform his classes.
School Recess Keeps Shrinking, and Our Kids Deserve Better
Learn about LiiNK, the school recess program that is reshaping the way some schools view recess and unstructured play for the better.
It’s Not Enough to Teach Kids How to Be Independent If We Don’t Let Them Put it into Practice
Yes, we can teach our kids how to be independent. But then we have to actually step back and let them put it into practice.
Movement Breaks Should Not Be a Substitute for Recess
This mom has seen recess shrink at her son's school, and she believes movements breaks should never be a substitution for recess.
How One Teacher Lowered Student Anxiety With The Let Grow Project
Last fall I was excited to start another promising school year with my 240 seventh grade health education students. However, I was confronted by an …
An Anthropologist Discusses the Benefits of Unstructured Play
This fantastic TEDx Talk by evolutionary anthropologist Dorsa Amir is music to our ears at Let Grow. Amir studied a modern foraging society in the …
What Is Future-Proofing?
When engineers build something expensive and important, they try to "future-proof" it. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, future-proofing means "to design software, a computer, etc. …
How Can I Help My Anxious Child?
So many parents ask, "How can I help my anxious child?" It's not surprising, considering the statistics: According to one study, nearly a third of …