Parent & Child: Great Advice For Parents Of The Preschool Set
Written: Oct 06 '03
Product Rating:
Pros: Inexpensive, some good information for parents just learning about preschool routines.
Cons: Content primarily covers children in preschool, many ads.
The Bottom Line: This is a great magazine for parents with their first child in preschool. Other parents might like a magazine that covers a broader range of topics.
modernmarvel's Full Review: Parent & Child Magazine
I saw Parent & Child on a web site for a great price and, being the magazine junkie that I am, had to check it out.
The subtitle of Parent & Child is: The learning link between home and school. I think the subtitle more accurately describes the content than the title. Parent & Child is directed toward the parents of children in preschool. In fact, I would narrow that down a bit more to say it is for parents with their first child in preschool. The content is fine, but the advice is not earthshattering. If you have ever read an article about how to separate from your child at preschool drop off or what constitutes a healthy snack, you won't find a lot of new information here. In fact, I believe that there are only about 15 topics that most parenting magazines cover and the content in many parenting magazines serve up the same 15 topics in a different guise over and over. That is certainly true about Parent & Child. So, if you have been reading about early childhood development, have children over age 5 or any education in the area, you won't find a lot of new information here. However, if you are new to the preschool circuit and want to know what to expect, then I would recommend Parent & Child to you.
MAGAZINE CONTENT
I would say 80% of this magazine's content focuses on what a child's experience is in preschool and how a parent can help. There is some information on babies but this is not the focus of the magazine. The magazine does not cover any other areas including information for moms, relationships, travel, decorating, fashion or a lot of other areas that some parenting magazines dabble in. I like the variety in other parenting magazines and miss it in this one. While my children are a big part of my life, they are not the only thing in my life and it is nice to catch up on some other topics besides the nuances of my child's development.
The articles are all well-written and are usually done by someone in the appropriate field. For example, a child psychologist answers questions about a child misbehaving in preschool. A dietician will write an article about food. I think most of the articles offer good advice in an easy-to-understand format. I just find that a lot of the advice offered is old hat and common sense and since the magazine's focus is so narrow, it doesn't offer much else. Of course, there are some helpful nuggets of information here and there, but I have my second child in preschool and have heard most of this stuff before.
TYPICAL CONTENT
Below is some detail on the content from the September 2003 issue:
The feature articles include (1) Setting The Stage For Learning: how to create an environment that sparks your child's curiosity and development; (2) As Time Goes By: how kids conceive time; (3) Getting From Here to There: Strategies for strengthening your child's visual-spatial skills; and (4) Sure-Fire Tips for Smoother School Days.
The feature articles are all well-written and several pages long. There are some photos that are mainly artistic and don't really support the text.
There are only a few other departments of the magazine.
Health: an article about lice (you know it when you see / itch it). The article doesn't provide a lot of practical information.
From Our Experts: This section includes a couple of articles on how to work on behavior problems in preschool. There is also a short article on helping babies feel secure.
Ages & Stages: A series of articles focusing on developmental milestones in young children. There is one article covering kids 2 and under, one for 3&4s and one for 5&6s.
Learning Together: Some quickie recipes, how to build self-esteem, how to make puppets.
There is also the typical magazine content including letter from the editor, letters from readers and several pages where they recommend books, toys, software and videos for you to buy.
PRICE AND SUBSCRIPTIONS
Subscriptions are 6 issues per year. The price for a year subscription is generally around $10, but I paid about $5 at Magazine Values.com.
OTHER INFORMATION
The web site is www.parentandchild.com. The web site has a lot of the articles published in the magazine.
The magazine is on somewhat glossy paper with full color photos and plenty of advertisements.
PARENT & CHILD COMPARED TO OTHER MAGAZINES
There are many other parenting magazines on the market that offer a broader format. Child offers more up to date advice on parenting, advice on a wider range of ages and lots of other interest articles including ones on fashion, relationships, family time and even recipes. If you are crafty and are looking for things to do with your children, consider Family Fun. Nick Jr. has a great pull-out section just for children. Links to my full review of these other magazines are below.
FINAL RECOMMENDATION
If you are the parent of a new preschooler and are looking to learn the ropes, this is the magazine for you. However, if you are a veteran of parenting magazines, you might find the advice in this magazine old hat. If you don't have a child in preschool, there will not be much in this magazine to interest you.
MY OTHER REVIEWS OF PARENTING AND FAMILY MAGAZINES
Parent & Child Magazine Subscription - 8 Issues. This title is an excellent resource to help parent's play an active role in their child's developmen...More at Abbey Discount Magazine Subscriptions
The #1 resource to help parent's play an active role in their child's development. In each issue you will find articles on how children learn and gain...More at Magazines.com
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