School is Easy Tutoring

Tutoring Agency

Welcome to our Ad-Free Education Blog for Tutors, Teachers and Parents

Weekly posts on educational topics, how-to-teach tips, parenting advice, kids health and more. Subscribe to the newsletter (on the left or below on mobile) for education blog updates by School is Easy Tutoring.

Gear Up for Success: Fun Back-to-School Activities to Kickstart the Year

Ready for the new school year thanks to School is Easy Tutoring

Calling all superhero students and their awesome sidekick parents! The first day of school is coming, and it’s time to power up those learning superpowers. At School is Easy, we know that even the bravest little heroes can feel butterflies in their tummies about a new school year. That’s why we’ve created four super-fun printable activities to help you and your child get ready for the big day. Let’s turn those nervous giggles into excited cheers!
[Read more…]

Back-to-School 2024: Your Complete Preparation Guide

Prepared children ready for the 2024 School Year

Imagine a world where the first day of school feels like stepping onto a launchpad, ready for an exciting academic adventure. We believe that with the right preparation, every student can blast off into a stellar school year. Our 2024 Back-to-School Guide is your mission control, packed with helpful strategies, money-saving tips, and insider advice to transform the end-of-summer rush from chaos to a smooth liftoff. Ready to ignite your child’s potential? Let’s start the countdown!

[Read more…]

Helping Students Choose Careers Through Role-Playing

A parent and child dressed as doctors, using a toy stethoscope to role-play a medical exam, highlighting career exploration through pretend play.

Helping students choose careers involves exposing them to different options and experiences so they understand what various professions entail. However, simple instruction can quickly become boring to kids, especially for the younger ones.

So why not do something that children love: playing pretend!

Role-playing offers a fun and functional way to explore career paths, allowing students to imagine themselves in different jobs so they can make informed decisions about their futures.

Guidance like this can shape their educational choices and prepare them for fulfilling careers.

When Students Receive No Career Guidance

Unfortunately, some students receive no career guidance at all, which can leave them feeling unprepared for the workforce.

Many students enter university without a clear idea of their career goals. As a result, some change their majors midway, wasting valuable time and money on education that may not align with their future career aspirations.

Parents and guardians must remember that their kids should be prepared for their future.

The Benefits of Role-Playing in Career Exploration

Role-playing isn’t just ‘playing pretend’—it’s a powerful tool for helping students discover careers that match their skills and passions.

It gives kids practical insights into various professions, helping them identify what excites them most. By exploring their interests through fun, interactive experiences, students can better understand their strengths and preferences, setting them on a path toward careers they’ll enjoy.

Role-Playing Careers at Home

Parents can also create role-playing opportunities at home:

For Science Enthusiasts:

DIY Science Lab

  • Set up a “science lab” at home with simple materials like baking soda, vinegar, food coloring, and test tubes.
  • Conduct experiments such as making a volcano or creating slime to explore chemical reactions.
  • Discuss how scientists conduct research and solve problems.

Nature Exploration

  • Go on a backyard or park scavenger hunt to collect leaves, rocks, or insects.
  • Use a magnifying glass or microscope to observe details, introducing concepts like biology or geology.

For Animal Lovers:

Pet Vet Role-Play

  • Create a “vet clinic” with stuffed animals as patients.
  • Use toy stethoscopes and bandages to check their health and treat injuries.

Wildlife Observation

  • Set up a bird feeder and observe the different species that visit.
  • Keep a journal to record their behaviors and characteristics, fostering skills used in zoology or ecology.

For Budding Entrepreneurs

Mini Restaurant

  • Have your child plan a “pop-up restaurant” at home, complete with menus and meal preparation (with your help).
  • Let them practice taking orders and serving food to family members, teaching customer service and budgeting.

Homemade Crafts Business

  • Help your child create crafts like bracelets, cards, or painted rocks.
  • Set up a pretend “shop” to sell items to family members or friends, teaching pricing and profit management.

For Future Builders

Cardboard Architecture

  • Use cardboard boxes, tape, and markers to build “houses” or other structures.
  • Talk about engineering principles like stability and balance.

LEGO City Design

  • Design a city layout with LEGO bricks, including buildings, roads, and parks.
  • Discuss urban planning concepts and how architects design real cities.

For Aspiring Artists

Art Studio Day

  • Set up an art station with paints, crayons, and clay.
  • Explore careers like graphic design or animation by creating characters and stories.

Photography Fun

  • Teach basic photography skills with a smartphone or camera.
  • Practice editing photos together, introducing concepts like lighting and composition.

Role-Playing Outside the Home: A Fun and Educational Tool for Career Exploration

Two children role-playing as entrepreneurs, working together at a mock lemonade stand with playful props, showcasing teamwork and business skills.

Role-playing is an effective way to help students explore different professions in a hands-on environment. Activities like these simulate real-world experiences, sparking curiosity and interest in various fields:

  • In the Classroom:
    Teachers can set up stations where students role-play different jobs. For example, a grocery or clothing store station can teach customer service, while another might focus on teamwork and problem-solving. Activities could include mock interviews or dealing with challenging customers.
  • At Museums:
    Facilities like the Houston Children’s Museum offer areas where kids can practice different careers, such as banking, healthcare, or engineering, in a playful yet educational setting.

By role-playing, kids will hopefully gain a good idea of what interests them. This is a great way of helping students choose careers that they will enjoy in the future.

Help your child explore their future in a fun, engaging way. Visit School Is Easy to find expert tutors who support learning and career exploration, giving students the confidence they need to succeed. Contact us today!

Summer Break: 10 Exciting Activities for Teens to Learn and Thrive

Exciting Activities for Teens

Summer’s here, and we know you’re looking for ways to keep your teens engaged, learning, and having fun. While relaxation is important, maintaining some level of mental engagement can prevent the “summer slide” and provide opportunities for personal growth. Here’s a list of 10 exciting activities that combine fun with learning, perfect for middle and high school students. Let’s dive in!
[Read more…]

Lessons from Steve Jobs We Can Teach Kids

Lessons from Steve Jobs We Can Teach Kids

There is one thing we can say with certainty about the legendary Apple CEO and his legacy: Steve Jobs was a trailblazer. As the co-founder of Apple, he was a creative visionary who revolutionized technology, design, and how we interact with the world.

Many people have studied Jobs’ incredible story since his unfortunate passing in 2011. From his personal life to his business acumen, scholars have been busy dissecting his practices to find his magic formula for success.

In this article, we’ll explore lessons from his life and share fun, practical ways to make his insights accessible to kids.

1. Find Your Passion: Why Loving What You Do Matters for Success

In his 2005 commencement speech to Stanford graduates, Jobs asserted the importance of finding and pursuing what you love. One of the most impactful lessons he shared can inspire how we guide children today: the power of following curiosity and passion.

When Jobs was a young adult, he decided to leave Reed College just six months into his freshman year. Although some will dismiss this decision, he did this for two very important reasons: he couldn’t afford the tuition, and he was uninterested in the classes he was forced to take. Overall, Jobs just didn’t know what he wanted to do at that point and didn’t want to waste his time and money.

But here is the interesting thing – Jobs didn’t leave the campus, get a job at a fast food restaurant, and give up – his desire to find his passion still drove him to explore new subjects. In fact, he audited classes that he found interesting and normally wouldn’t have an opportunity to take in his regular course structure. Reflecting on this, he shared, “The minute I dropped out, I could stop taking the required classes that didn’t interest me and begin dropping in on the ones that looked far more interesting.”

This choice led him to study subjects like calligraphy—something that might seem unrelated to a career in technology. However, his fascination with typefaces and design ultimately played a pivotal role in shaping Apple’s signature aesthetics.

For parents, this story offers a meaningful takeaway: encourage children to pursue their passions and embrace learning for its own sake. Skills and knowledge gained along the way may connect in ways that lead to extraordinary achievements.

2. How Interconnected Talents and Skills Shape Extraordinary Achievements

Did the calligraphy pay off? According to Jobs, it absolutely did.

Years later, Jobs played a pivotal role in designing how print would appear on Apple’s computer monitors. It was during this time that he drew upon the knowledge he had gained in those calligraphy classes, applying it to create the beautiful typefaces and typography we now associate with Apple’s iconic design.

This highlights a very valuable lesson: even seemingly unrelated or unconventional skills can play a vital role in shaping future success.

Talents are often interconnected, with skills that may not appear related are actually blending and enhancing each other in ways that aren’t always obvious. For example, Steve Jobs’ passion for calligraphy—a skill focused on the art of beautiful writing and precise design—played a key role in shaping how text and typography appear on Apple computers. This talent, rooted in creativity and attention to detail, unexpectedly became a cornerstone of modern computer design, influencing everything from fonts to user interfaces.

This merging of skills wasn’t limited to calligraphy. Jobs also drew inspiration from other disciplines, such as the Bauhaus design movement, which emphasized the harmony of simplicity, functionality, and beauty. By combining his artistic eye with his technical knowledge and vision for innovation, he was able to create products that were not just functional but aesthetically groundbreaking.

The lesson? Encourage children to explore different talents—whether in art, music, technology, or problem-solving—because these abilities can overlap in surprising ways, unlocking opportunities for innovation and creativity in the future.

3. Why Putting Love Into Everything You Do Can Lead to Big Rewards

Steve Jobs poured his passion and curiosity into everything he touched, even if it didn’t seem immediately practical.

His fascination with calligraphy, sparked by a random college course, didn’t align with traditional career paths but ended up shaping the future of typography and design in technology. Jobs later explained that his love for the artistry of letters directly influenced the beautiful fonts and interfaces that became hallmarks of Apple products.

The lesson? Encourage your children to approach every activity with care, interest, and passion, no matter how small or unrelated it may seem. Jobs’ life shows us that the skills we develop in one area can often resurface in unexpected and impactful ways.

For instance, if your child enjoys drawing or storytelling, remind them how these skills can contribute to creativity and problem-solving in future careers like design, advertising, or even tech development. Steve Jobs demonstrated that nothing learned with passion is ever wasted—it all connects in ways we might not see at first. By embracing curiosity and putting their heart into every pursuit, children can set the foundation for future success, just like Jobs did.

4. Turning Failure Into Success: Lessons on Resilience and Growth

One of the most important lessons Steve Jobs taught us is that failure isn’t the end—it’s a stepping stone to success. After being ousted from Apple, the very company he co-founded, Jobs didn’t let this setback define him. Instead, he used it as an opportunity to grow and innovate, founding companies like NeXT and Pixar, both of which would go on to achieve monumental success. When Jobs eventually returned to Apple, he led the company into a golden age of innovation, proving that setbacks can lead to even greater triumphs.

For parents, this is a powerful lesson to instill in children: failure is not something to fear but a natural part of the learning process. Encourage your kids to view mistakes as opportunities to grow and develop resilience. Whether they’re learning to ride a bike, tackling a tricky math problem, or pursuing a hobby, teach them to persevere and find solutions instead of giving up.

Help children see that every challenge offers valuable lessons and that persistence, adaptability, and a willingness to try again are key ingredients for success. By normalizing failure as part of life, we can inspire them to embrace challenges with confidence and creativity, just like Steve Jobs did.

Ready to help your child unlock their full potential? Explore how School is Easy can provide personalized tutoring and support to inspire their passion and creativity. Contact us today and take the first step toward their brighter future!