free Archives | Cool Mom Picks

If you can read this, thank a teacher with one of these free, customizable, Teacher Appreciation Week ecards

by Christina Refford | Cards + Stationery, Kids

As I was browsing ecards for teacher appreciation week, I was thinking that when I wrote about 8 creative ways to thank our teachers during a very different Teacher Appreciation Week last year, I had no idea that a full 12 months later, many of our teachers and kids...

A free lesson plan about Amanda Gorman’s inauguration poem will make for some great dinner table conversation tonight.

by Kate Etue | Thinking : Parent

My kids and I were glued to the TV last Wednesday, watching history take place on Inauguration Day. We were sobered by the national guard presence, excited about the achievements of our new VP Kamala Harris, and just so totally and completely relieved to see President...

Free childcare on Election Day to help parents get to the polls. Here’s how to register.

by Caroline Siegrist | Doing Good, Kids

Are you a parent or caregiver who plans to vote in person on Election Day? We have good news! Care.com and the Armed Services YMCA are teaming up to bring free childcare for parents who need to get to the polls on November 3rd. So brilliant. And considering all that...

8 homemade Father’s Day cards from the kids. Keep tissues nearby. | Father’s Day Gifts 2020

by Christina Refford | DIY, Father's Day Gifts

Homemade Father’s Day cards are so perfect, whether they’re from kids old enough to manage their own craft supplies, or you know, “from the baby.” In fact we all feel like a homemade card should be part of any Father’s Day gift...

6 tuition-free classes that help your teens learn online this summer — without you standing over their shoulders.

by Cool Mom Staff | Kids

Over the last few months, we’ve shared some informative posts to help the newbies among us succeed more with homeschooling — or more accurately, helping us to guide our kids through the at-home learning they’re getting from their schools. So much has...

How to explain social distancing to young kids: This free downloadable Princess in Black comic book helps

by Caroline Siegrist | Books for Kids

My three-year-old son still thinks the Novel Coronavirus is something he can defeat with a solid dropkick. (Oh, how I wish that were true, buddy!) But as cute as he is, his confusion about COVID-19 and quarantine best practices has created some real problems. And I...

This free printable Women’s History Month coloring page should cover your at-home history lesson and art class in one

by Kate Etue | DIY

When I saw this amazing free printable Women’s History Month coloring page from Here Wee Read, I geeked out and immediately messaged Liz. It’s such an amazing resource for those of us hoping to teach our kids more about important and diverse women who have...

All the best free classes and memberships online right now: Get fit, learn a language, read a book, have family movie night…

by Liz Gumbinner | Entertainment + Media, Health, Fitness + Wellbeing, Tips + Tricks

We’ve all been seeing our social feeds fill up with amazing “OMG THIS IS FREE RIGHT NOW!” posts from friends, and it’s hard to keep track of it all! Between the online story time for kids, the Club Quarantine virtual dance parties, the museum...

7 of the best free printable 2020 calendars to suit any taste. And yes, we said free!

by Kate Etue | DIY, Storage + Organization

2020 is already underway., and normally we’d have shared our annual list of our favorite printable calendars with you for the year. But with some of our kids back in school late this year, combined with and some of the recent stories on the news, we may be a...

Free printables for kindergarten: Sight word help, 12 ways | Back to School Guide

by Liz Gumbinner | Back to School Shopping, DIY

Finding all of these free sight word printables for kindergarten instantly brings me back to those sweet early days of school, sniff. Now that I have a middle schoolers and a brand new high schooler (OMG) I remember how scary it could be to send your kid off to...

Hi! We’re Kristen + Liz!

Kristen Chase + Liz Gumbinner of Cool Mom Picks

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.