Here’s the one brilliant tip that got my reluctant teen reading more. And, the books that helped.
My kids devoured books when they were little. Now that they’re teens, the stars of YouTube and Discord seem to be a bigger draw than the classic characters of literature I wish they would spend their time with. (Of course, calling them “classic characters...
8 cool fidget toys that aren’t spinners, to help kids of all ages get the wiggles out.
Move over, fidget spinners! Thanks to all the new fidget toys that our kids are loving, you spinners have just been relegated to the junk drawer. (Say hi to those dead batteries for me.) In fact,I think these are even more fun than their predecessors. By now most of...
Mighty Kind: A fun, compassionate, anti-racism, pro-kindness magazine for today’s kids
While a great number of people seem to be flipping out about kids learning “critical race theory” in elementary school [ed note: it’s taught in law schools, not elementary schools], we’re grateful that our readers have always been interested...
This list of the best YA books of all time is absolutely awesome
Not to brag, but here at CMP, we’re kind of kids’ books experts. We round up the best of the best lists every year, keep taps on the new releases, and share all kinds of YA book recommendations for parents. Which is why I was so happy when I saw that Time...
For every parent who’s yelled about stepping on a LEGO, this new Adidas collection is for you.
What parent among us has not joked, complained, or (possibly) cried about stepping on a LEGO brick at some point since having kids? Exactly. That’s why I’m not sure which I love more — the Adidas x LEGO sneaker collection, featuring sneakers that...
Barbie honors real-life healthcare heroes and wow, more stories like this please.
If the Barbie #ThankYouHeroes initiative isn’t the epitome of our times, in the best possible way, I don’t know what is. Barbie has added all kinds of famous role models to their collection in recent years, and now they’re honoring some global women...
The coolest lunch box accessories, water bottles, and other goodies to make school lunch more fun | Back to School Shopping Guide
Each year, in our annual back to school shopping guide, we always love tracking down those cool lunch box accessories, water bottles, bentos, and other fun goodies that help make opening that same old lunch box every day a little more special. Only last year… we...
12 must-have electronics and small appliances for dorm rooms | Back to School Shopping Guide
It’s kind of amazing that we’re searching for the best small appliances for dorm rooms these days — with our own teens in mind! It’s like we blinked and our team went from back to school shopping for preschool backpacks to sending some of our...
Try these must-read books for kids who like video games. Because all genres are good genres!
I’ve been searching the shelves of my local bookstore to find great books for kids who like video games. And I’m sharing them here, because I know I am not the only parent whose once-avid reader would much rather pick up an Xbox controller than a book...
10 of our most popular summer articles to help get you through the season
This week we’re doing something I don’t think our team has done in 15+ years — we are taking a full staff summer break. (Whoo!) Some of us are traveling, some of us are hanging with the kids, some of us are counting the seconds to Ted Lasso season...
Making a Baby is the diverse, inclusive, very frank children’s picture book about sex and reproduction that we’ve been looking for
When my kids were in early elementary school, every parent I knew seemed to be looking for the perfect children’s book about sex and reproduction. I cannot overemphasize how much I wish I’d had the beautifully inclusive and thoughtful Making a Baby by...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.
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