This wonderful activity kit for kids welcomes refugees to their new home.
As the daughter of an immigrant and a long-time resident of Massachusetts, I watched in disgust as Florida’s governor tried to humiliate and punish vulnerable migrants by flying them, unannounced, to the island of Martha’s Vineyard. Without any support...
15 magnificent children’s and YA books for Hispanic Heritage Month
September means new backpacks and football kickoff and pumpkin spice latte month (*insert eyeroll), but mid-month, September becomes Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 – October 15). So we put together some of our very favorite children’s and YA books...
The Immersive Nutcracker is the ultimate experience gift for families this holiday.
This is a sponsored message from The Immersive Nutcracker For generations, The Nutcracker has been an essential part of so many families’ holiday traditions. The classic story never fails to make a little magic for our children, no matter how many times...
Setting up a study space at home: How to make it one your kid will actually use
So many parents have learned over the past few years that setting up a study space at home is more important than ever. Maybe you homeschool, maybe your kids just need a dedicated space for homeworkr, or maybe they’ve got virtual tutoring or other...
Ted Lasso’s new Little People Collector set: Believe!
We’ve been gushing about Ted Lasso for a while on Cool Mom Picks, and now I get to gush about the new Ted Lasso Little People Collector set from Fisher-Price, featuring six of the most iconic characters from the AFC Richmond locker room. Here’s where I...
15 of the coolest backpacks for preschool and kindergarten | Back to School Guide 2022
When we put together our picks for the coolest backpacks for preschool and kindergarten each year, we think about how exciting it is for little ones to pick what may likely be their very first school gear ever. They seriously geek out overall school supplies of...
20 cool backpacks for teens this year | Back to School Guide
When we look for cool backpacks for teens, it’s not enough for them to just be, you know, cool. As kids head to middle school or high school— especially after a whole year at home more or less (sigh) — they need bigger, sturdier backpacks, better shoulder...
23 ways to celebrate the Fourth of July for kids (even if you don’t feel like waving a flag).
While 4th of July is a time to celebrate freedom and the best of America, lately I know so many of us are having a hard time feeling celebratory. It’s hard to feel like waving a flag when many of our rights are under attack right now, including those of us who are...
The best summer camp care package ideas for tweens and teens: A helpful list from a mom who’s been sending them for 9 years
We are still celebrating the return to summer camp around here. And I am celebrating the joy of putting together summer camp care packages for my tweens and teens! The chance to run around with friends, swim, be silly, stay up too late, fill up their MadLibs with...
What is Juneteenth? 6 great children’s books (and other resources) that explain this important holiday.
If you want to learn more about Juneteenth as we approach its anniversary, or just want to be sure its history and relevance has a place on your bookshelves, we have found some terrific children’s books about Juneteenth to help. After all, I know a lot of us...
Another free download we wish we didn’t need: A Kids Book About School Shootings
The fact that a book called A Kids Book About School Shootings even exists should tell you exactly how big a problem this has become in the years since the horrific Columbine school shooting over 20 years ago. As we shared in today’s post How to talk to your...Hi! We’re Kristen + Liz!
We started Cool Mom Picks in 2006 to help make life cooler, more meaningful, and more fun for parents of all kinds.
Trivia: It was called Cool Mom Sh*t for the first two days. (Yeah, we rethought that.)
We had no idea our site would grow to become a major lifestyle network, that we'd end up sharing our finds with the TODAY Show and Martha Stewart, that we'd be able to make a real difference for so many small businesses and women-run companies, or that we'd end up with an incredible community of the coolest readers on the planet. (If we do say so ourselves).
We still love what we do every single day. And we're so glad you're here.
Easter Ideas!
The Ultimate Kids’ Gift Guide: Our favorites of the year sorted by age
Tech Tips for Parents
Our Award-Winning Podcast
Support for Ukraine
