NAEYC

Message in a Backpack

A young girl with a backpack walks through a door with her parent. Both are seen from behind.

You are here

Home / Resources / Topics / TYC / Message in a Backpack

Message in a Backpack™ is a column that appears in Teaching Young Children. Print these documents out and send them home with children as a resource for their families!

Most Recent

Message in a Backpack.™ Encouraging Your Child to Lead

NAEYC promotes high-quality early learning for all children, birth through age 8, by connecting practice, policy, and research. We advance a diverse early childhood profession and support all who care for, educate, and work on behalf of young children.
Members Only
parents on the computer with their child
Article
Teaching Young Children
January 2, 2024

Message in a Backpack™. Planning a Trip? Encourage Your Child to Help

No matter where you’re going—whether running errands around town or to a big gathering far away—you can encourage your child to practice their literacy skills as you plan together.

Authored by

Authored by: 
Deborah Farmer Kris
Members Only
children reading together
Article
Teaching Young Children
July 1, 2022

Message in a Backpack™ Using Sentence Stems at Home: Tips for Families

When reading together, families can support early language and comprehension skills by offering short sentence stems, or sentence starters, to help children share what they are thinking and learning.

Authored by

Authored by: 
Michele Coulombe, Erin Zuccaro
Members Only
two teachers looking at a childs art project
Article
Teaching Young Children
July 1, 2021

Message in a Backpack™ Guiding Your Child’s Behavior

Challenging behaviors often happen when children feel they don’t have another way to express their feelings or another way to get what they need. Here's how to stay calm, patient, and consistent as you help your child understand your expectations.

Authored by

Authored by: 
Keri Giordano
Members Only
View all content associated with this topic