Somewhere around nine o’clock, you are going to regret this. The tent will be crooked. Someone will need to come inside to use the bathroom twice. A kid who has been begging for this all week will announce that the ground is too hard, the bugs are too loud, and can they please just sleep […]
There is a moment, right before the first big firework goes off, when an entire crowd goes quiet and tips their heads back at the same time. Kids and adults, all of them, staring up at the dark and waiting for something to happen. Then it does, and everybody makes the same sound. For something […]
It’s raining. School is out or winding down for the day. Your middle grader has exhausted their usual options and has arrived in the kitchen to deliver the news: they are bored. Completely, desperately, nothing-to-do bored. The instinct, especially on a rainy afternoon with nowhere to be, is to fix it. Suggest something. Hand them […]
There comes a point in every middle grader’s life when the egg hunt stops being exciting and starts being something they participate in for the benefit of the adults watching. You can see it happen in real time. They find an egg, drop it into their basket, and look up with an expression that says, […]
Every year around this time, millions of people fill out brackets predicting which college basketball team will take the championship. Most of those brackets are busted by the end of the first weekend. And yet, people love it. There is something genuinely fun about setting up a tournament, picking your favorites, and watching the whole […]
Snow days feel magical until about 10:17 a.m., when someone announces there is absolutely nothing to do, and the vibe shifts fast. If you’re staring down a day of snow or dangerously cold temperatures, here are a few ideas that work especially well for middle-grade kids. They burn energy, spark curiosity, and don’t require a […]
The holidays are here, and we hope this season brings a little rest, fun, and time together. To help keep kids entertained over the break, we’ve created a NB Holiday Activity Book you can download below. It’s full of fun activities to keep your child busy during this festive season. We’ll be back in the […]
As we head into Thanksgiving week, we hope your home gets a few quiet moments tucked between the cooking, travel, and family chaos. If you need something to keep your middle-grade readers busy (or just want a little Night Buddies fun), we put together a Thanksgiving Activity Book you can download and print. Inside, you’ll […]
As the year winds down and the holidays start to take shape, families naturally slip into familiar rhythms. There are school breaks on the horizon, cooler evenings, and a general sense of gathering in. It’s a good moment to look at the traditions—small, everyday ones and the bigger, once-a-year ones—that help kids feel grounded. For […]
Halloween is one of those rare nights when imagination rules the neighborhood. Costumes come alive, flashlights flicker down sidewalks, and laughter echoes from block to block. For parents of middle graders, though, this magical night can come with a mix of excitement and nerves. Kids want independence, but we still want to keep them safe. […]
School’s out. The sun’s blazing. The snacks are disappearing faster than you can buy them. Welcome to summer. If you’re a parent, you already know that while your kids are celebrating the freedom, you’re juggling a dozen questions: How do I keep them busy without blowing the budget? How do I sneak in a little […]
School’s out, the days are long, and eventually the novelty wears off. If you’ve heard “I’m bored” more times than you can count, it might be time for a new kind of adventure—one powered by imagination, not screens. Here are seven fun, screen-free ways to help your kids turn an ordinary summer day into something […]