Michellemartinez.Family

Asking “How was your day?” often doesn’t get much of a response, but asking a specific, targeted question may increase your chances of having a meaningful after school conversation. Remember if you want to get these in the form of a printable calendar, just comment a ? below!

👋🏻 Hi, I’m Michelle and I’ve done a lot of things in my life but what has always made me happiest is being a mom and stepmom who built strong family bonds. So now I’ve taken my 20+ years of being a parent (and 30+ being a teacher!) and brought it all together here to help you raise kids who know they are deeply loved.

If you’re here to find ways to make your family connection even stronger, welcome to my page! I share must read books, conversation starters and family traditions that all help your family grow closer together.

I’m so glad you’re here! 🥰

I love learning about our amazing brains! Definitely trying this the next time I am annoyed. 😑

Screen time is taking away the experiences former generations had that shaped their literacy development—specifically being read to by a parent.

The statistics are dismal:
➡️ 42% of 12 month olds in the UK spend 1-3 hours a day on a screen.
➡️ In the US, that same age group averages 53 minutes per day and it jumps to 150 minutes a day by age 3.

Reading aloud has often been suggested as the number one thing you can do to nurture a love of reading in your child. It builds vocabulary and background knowledge — two key factors in later reading success. You only need a few minutes per day to see the benefits.

If you are wondering which books to choose, I share book recommendations often, as well as many other creators. But the best source you’ll ever find is your local library. It is literally their job to recommend great books!

If you have other questions about building a read aloud routine with your child, I’ve created a free guide to help parents of young children with just that. All you have to do is comment GUIDE to get yours!

*Source: Education Week, 2025.

Winding down at the end of the day can be especially challenging for young children, so I’ve got three tips to help you get your child calmed down and ready for a good night’s sleep. It’s another way to connect with them at the end of the day.

If you want more support with other ways to connect as a family, I’ve designed a free 5 day Family Connection Challenge. All you have to do is comment the word “CHALLENGE” to get your copy!

A new month means a whole new calendar! I’m putting the finishing touches on the October calendar, so if you comment the word “CALENDAR” below, you’ll be one of the first to see it!

Reading aloud is something anyone can do. And honestly, it is one of the very best things a parent can do to encourage a love of literacy.

If you don’t feel confident or are unsure of what books to read, I’ve got you! Just comment “GUIDE” for my printable guide on starting a read aloud routine with young children and my top book picks for preschool age (elementary is coming soon!)

We’re almost two months into the school year here, and if your morning routine has gotten a little stale, I have a few tips that will hopefully change that.

Let me know which one you’re going to try! And don’t forget to grab your printable after school question calendar by commenting “CALENDAR” below.

Here are some fun ideas to do together after reading:

There’s nothing better than going for a family walk and observing the changes in seasons. Record your adventures in a seasonal notebook. You need a small notebook, pencils and crayons. Go on a walk, and then draw/write about what you see. This will build observation and journaling skills.

** Parent Tip: Compare what’s outside now to the book’s pages.

Here’s a fun science activity to do together—Color Change Experiment! On your walk, gather green leaves. At home, get out some rubbing alcohol and a coffee filter. Smash the leaves, soak in alcohol, and drip the liquid onto filter—then watch colors appear. This hands-on science activity shows hidden pigments!

**Parent Tip: Predict what colors you’ll see before testing.

You can play Animal Charades (hint: this activity actually goes really well with several of the fall books I’ll be sharing!) by acting out how animals prepare for fall (squirrels, birds, bears). You’ll be building social emotional (perspective-taking) and gross motor skills with this one!

**Parent Tip: Join in—it’s more fun when you both guess! 😍

And lastly, make a Season Soundscape with instruments or household items (pots, spoons). Create sounds for summer (waves, buzzing,etc.) vs. autumn (wind, crunching leaves,etc.). You’ll be honing auditory discrimination and creativity.

**Parent Tip: Record your soundscape and play it back as a “season song.”

I’d love to hear how these activities turn out for you and your child! Be sure to comment below or send me a DM!

After reading this book, you could make your own Apple Life Cycle Wheel with 2 paper plates, crayons, and a brad fastener. Draw 4 stages: seed, tree, blossom, fruit on one of the plates. Cut out a small window on the other. Secure them together with a brad and spin to retell. This activity supports science sequencing.
**Parent Tip: Connect to real apples you have at home, see outside or at the store.

Kids love science investigations and this one couldn’t be more simple! I call it Apple Seed Magnifier and all you need is an 🍎 and a magnifying glass (you can get inexpensive ones at Dollar Tree or in a pinch your phone camera zoomed in will work too!) All you have to do is cut the apple, examine seeds, and count them together. This builds observation and number skills.
**Parent Tip: Compare seeds from different fruits. See how they vary in size and number (more important early math skills!)

Grow an Apple Seed—Take a few of the 🍏 🍎 seeds, put them in a damp cotton ball, then put that in a clear bag and tape it to window. This activity teaches plant growth basics. (Be sure to tell your child the seeds need more factors to go from a seed to a tree to fruit, so they likely won’t be picking apples from their own tree next year the way the book makes it seem) **Parent Tip: Take photos each day to track progress.

Fact or Not? is a fun way to practice comprehension and critical thinking. You say statements (“Apples grow on vines!”) and your child guesses true or false. **Parent Tip: Make it playful with silly questions and answers.

Apple Rubbing Texture Art — All you need is paper, crayons, and apple slices for this one! Place the apple slice under paper, and rub it with a crayon to reveal texture. This works best with unwrapped crayons held horizontally. **Parent Tip: Try various types of apples placed at different angles (skin side up or down, etc.) and different thicknesses to see if it influences results. This combines sensory art + science!