Latest news with #Legos
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
The Playroom Reset: How to Organize Your Playroom for Better Play (and Less Chaos!)
This article may contain affiliate links that Yahoo and/or the publisher may receive a commission from if you buy a product or service through those links. During a recent home tour, people couldn't believe how I kept my small one-bedroom apartment so neat and organized with three kids. The truth is, I cleaned up before the tour. But the real secret is that I've developed systems that make keeping playrooms tidy surprisingly quick and easy. But having a tidy playroom wasn't my goal when I set up those systems — I just wanted my toddler to play by himself for more than two minutes at a time. Back then, all his toys lived in giant bins — bottomless pits where everything was tossed without thought. Cleanup was easy: I'd just throw everything back in. The problem? My son's play mirrored cleanup, but in reverse: He'd mindlessly dump everything out, and playtime would end there. We were stuck in an endless loop of frustration and boredom. Everything changed when I discovered the power of toy rotation, play zones, and the principle that less is more. Giving toys intentional homes and putting fewer things out at once made our space feel calmer, and my son started playing longer and more creatively. It's still easy to clean, but now it's inviting and sparks deeper engagement. Here's how you can reset your playroom today: The first — and most important — step to creating a peaceful, engaging playroom is setting up a toy rotation system that reduces the number of toys out at any given time. Think of it like your work desk: a clear, organized space helps you focus, while a cluttered desk piled with paperwork creates stress and decision fatigue. For kids, play is their job — and a calm, organized play space helps them focus, explore, and create just like a well-organized desk helps you work. Here's how to do it: Sort toys into categories like imaginative play (play kitchen, dress-up clothes, doctor kit), small-world play (dollhouse, animal figurines), music toys, building toys (blocks, Legos), and themed toys. If your child has a particular passion, like dinosaurs, dolls, or cars — and the collection is large enough — giving that theme its own category may make sense. For example, my kids love cars, so we have a separate bin just for wooden cars, Matchbox cars, planes, and other vehicles. Pick a few toys from each category to keep out and place them in dedicated bins — one bin per category works best. These bins will become part of your Toy Hub (more about that coming up). Store out-of-rotation toys out of sight. Put the remaining toys away, keeping them separated by category. (You can even store sets separately with these zipper mesh bags). I've stored toys under my bed, in my kitchen, and at the top of my closet; really anywhere out of sight will work. Once you've set up your toy rotation, the next step is to create play zones — purposeful areas that support different types of play. Play zones help kids understand what to do and where to start when they enter a room. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by scattered toys, zones enable them to find what they need easily and without asking for help. If they want to build, they can go to the building zone, where blocks, LEGO, and Magna-Tiles are all in one place — no digging through bins or depending on a parent for guidance. A zone can be as simple as a wall, a nook, or a designated corner — just enough space to create a clear boundary for a particular type of play. When designing your zones, consider how they connect and flow together. Pairing zones that complement each other encourages richer, more connected play. For example, I placed our dress-up station near the movement area because my kids love to dress up as characters and chase each other around. Similarly, I set up small-world play near the block area since blocks often become houses, roads, or props for imaginary scenes. Just as important as pairing complementary zones is leaving intentional open floor space. Open space creates flexibility — giving kids room to spread out Magna-Tiles, build train tracks, or set up elaborate small-world scenes. It also invites movement, whether it's racing cars, practicing somersaults, or dancing to their favorite songs. By combining thoughtful zones with purposeful open space, your playroom becomes more than just organized — it becomes a place that invites creativity, independence, and deep, engaged play. Here are some easy, effective play zones to consider: Toy Hub: Organized bins for easy access to toys. Imaginative Play Wall: A dress-up station with hooks and a mirror. Building & Construction Zone: A table or floor mat for Legos and blocks. Cozy Reading Nook: A small shelf with forward-facing books and soft cushions. Creative Corner: A low table with art supplies, paper, and an easel. Movement & Active Play Area: play couch, swing, balance beam, or soft mats for tumbling. And don't forget zones tailored to your child's interests. A Lego zone, dinosaur zone, or makeup vanity station can create excitement and encourage independent play. By organizing your space into purposeful play zones, you create a setup that invites kids to make their own choices, play independently, and, most importantly, lose themselves in deep, focused play where time seems to disappear. Less is more when it comes to creating a calm, inviting playroom. Reducing visual clutter can help kids focus, inspire more intentional play, and make the space feel peaceful and under control — for both kids and parents. Here's how to simplify your space while still keeping toys accessible: Store toys in neat, concealed bins. Don't worry, kids will remember what's inside. Thoughtfully reducing what's on display helps children focus and choose what they want to play with without feeling overwhelmed. And you'll love how neat it all looks. Don't feel obligated to keep every piece from a toy set. If your blocks can double as a dinosaur landscape, you can skip the bulky plastic rock that came with the dino set. Curating your toy collection this way makes storage easier and encourages creative play. Stash eyesores out of sight. That bright orange race track your child loves, but you despise? Keep it in a closet and pull it out when they ask. Removing loud or clunky toys from view can instantly make a space feel calmer — and your child's favorite toys will still get plenty of love. Display toys you enjoy looking at. Beautiful blocks, wooden toys, or play silks can double as decor, adding warmth and personality to the room. And if you're like me, why not decorate with toys themselves? (I turned our notch blocks into a face — can you see it?) A playroom free of visual clutter is easier to keep tidy and creates a calm, inviting environment where kids — and parents — can breathe easier and play more fully. More Than Just Tidy: Creating a Space That Supports Both Kids and Parents Alike A well-organized playroom doesn't just look nice; it also creates a calmer environment, reduces overwhelm, and helps kids play longer with fewer tantrums and less frustration. But more importantly, it shapes how children engage with the world — how they explore, create, and connect. When play feels inviting and accessible, kids are free to follow their curiosity, build resilience, and develop independence. For parents, it's a powerful shift, too — one that invites more peace into the home and offers a sense of support, like a quiet helping hand in the background. In a time when so many of us are raising children without the village we desperately need, a well-designed play space can help step in — giving kids the freedom to thrive and parents the gift of a little more breathing room. These 15 Kids' Storage Beds Have Hidden Depths We Tested 5 Ways to Get Slime Out of a Carpet and the Winner Left No Trace The Best Zipper Sheets to Solve the Worst Bed-Making Task
Chicago Tribune
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Shepard High School senior earns $40K Amazon engineering scholarship
Playing computer games wasn't enough for Carlos Castillo. He wanted to be the one creating them — so that's just what he did, and that was when he was in middle school. Around that time, his mother was struck with cancer, making him even more determined to excel at computer design, so he could make her proud of him. His determination to succeed in the years since, along with emotional support from his sister Samantha Castillo and staff at Shepard High School in Palos Heights, helped him win the Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship, which comes with up to $40,000, as well as a paid internship at Amazon. He was one of 22 Illinois students to win out of the total 400 winners. 'Around middle school, I really wasn't good at a lot of things,' said Carlos, now a senior at Shepard. 'So I took an interest in trying to make things and the computer was a perfect recipient for all that.' But Carlos said he was surprised when he got the message that he had won the scholarship. Of course he had done the groundwork to be competitive in the competition. He took a semester of web site design and coding, as well as both AP computer and science classes. He's also been a member of the school's Gaming Club and Business Professionals of America. He participated in a 50-person Flowlab competition, where he developed a video game in two weeks and won honorable mention. 'My mother was very proud of that one,' recalled Carlos. When his mother got sick and subsequently died, he made that extra effort. 'I found myself hammering away trying to do something big,' said Carlos. 'I really wanted to have my name out there before she passed away.' He said the computer field required a strong foundation in math and he 'hit that one out of the park.' He mainly works with a computer language called C++, an 'object-oriented programming language.' He received national recognition for his C++ programming skills in a Business Professionals of America competition. But he also loves reading and writing. He plans to attend Illinois State University in the fall and major in engineering. Carlos has also found time to work part-time stocking shelves and bagging groceries at an area grocery store. And he's gotten more than book learning from his high school. 'One of the best things Shepard has provided me is just mainly resources of support,' he said. 'The counselors and teachers were great at helping me through the loss.' Samantha Castillo, Carlos' sister, a physical education teacher at Shepard, said she remembered her brother being creative since he was a child. 'Growing up, he was very creative in a natural sense, he loved to create things whether building with Legos or drawing,' she said. 'But once he was able to learn and hone in on computer development and game development skills, that is when my mother and I knew we had found a knack for him.' Castillo said she was proud of his resilience and dedication. 'We have been through a lot as a small family,' she said. 'It was always just me, him and my mom, so her loss was pretty profound in our lives. To us, it really is a demonstration of his character and ability to overcome these things.' She also said she knew their mom would be 'incredibly proud of him.' 'I know I am definitely very proud of him,' she said. That sense of pride is shared by Jane Turner, his counselor. 'I think he is a very kind, patient young man and he sets very high expectations of himself,' Turner said. 'I'm very excited for his future and very proud of him for overcoming very difficult circumstances during his high school years and still shining through some difficult times 'He's a real class act.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
This is the future kids want
This story originally appeared in , Vox's newsletter about kids, for everyone. . Earlier this year, I went to Career Day at my older kid's school. The experience was sometimes humbling — at an elementary school career fair, no one can compete with the firefighters — but it was also incredibly joyful. Hearing from kids about what they want to be when they grow up can be a balm for anxious times. Adults may be fearful for the future, kids are still dreaming and planning, figuring out the place they're going to inhabit in a world that's constantly changing. Yes, kids today will come of age in a time of climate change, war, and democratic backsliding — but they're also going to create new art, invent new technologies, and pioneer new policies that will make the world better and richer in ways we can't even imagine yet. With all this in mind, I asked a few kids — including some of the Scholastic Kid Reporters who have helped me out in the past — to tell me what they want to be when they grow up, and what changes they hope to see in the world. A selection of their responses, which have been condensed and edited, are below. If the kids in your life would like to weigh in too, you can reach me at I want to be a gymnastics teacher. I want to get married and have kids, maybe five. I want to go to France. I want to do ballet in France. I want to do anything I want. I want more kittens on the planet. I want everyone to have their own house with their own family. I want self-driving lawnmowers. I don't want people to eat chickens, who should be treated like a princess. —Mairead, age 8 During Covid, our math and science teacher would show us these videos about space. Those videos really inspired me. The idea that there might be life other than planet Earth was just really cool to me. Our universe is so big, there's so many places to explore, so many new things to learn. [As a Scholastic Kid Reporter, I wrote a story] about the total solar eclipse. I remember interviewing Mr. James Tralie. That was really cool, because he worked at NASA, but he was also an animator, and I also love art and drawing. From that experience, I learned being part of NASA and learning about space is not only about being a scientist or being an engineer, it's also about doing art, doing music, and just doing what you truly love related to space. When I was younger, I loved playing with Legos. I love building new things. I've learned a lot about being an aerospace technician or an engineer: building rockets, fixing issues related to space technology. I also love exploring. So being an astronomer is one of my dreams. I just don't think it makes sense that there's only one planet in our entire universe where there's life. I hope to find life on other planets in the future. —Aiden, age 13 I want to be a teacher because I see in my class a lot of different faces and colors of everyone, and I think it's going to be important to help other people grow like I grow in my school. In my class, I have people who are shy, people who need extra help, and people who are really smart, so I feel like getting education for everybody to reach the same [level] is going to be hard. —Kimaaya, age 8 I would like to taxidermy a lamprey eel. —Eleanor, age 6 Interviewing ukulelist James Hill as a Scholastic Kid Reporter and talking to him about music showed me that there are many different ways to play an instrument. On his ukulele, he doesn't just play a couple of chords — he makes creative musical sounds, even drumbeats. Talking with him inspired me to become a performer on the ukulele and guitar. Not to brag, but I feel like I'm very skilled with ukulele. I feel like if someone gave me a sheet of music, I could learn it and play it for them maybe the next day perfectly. My biggest goal is to experiment more with the notes and strings, learn some more tricks on it, and maybe someday make my own album. —Owen, age 12 I want to do research in politics or economics that could bring about real changes in our world. Growing up during the Covid pandemic, we were all stuck online. I was seeing a lot of stuff about the Black Lives Matter movement, lots of Instagram stuff about LGBT rights, there was the Trump administration, and it really got me curious about politics and social justice. I'm from Hong Kong as well, and in 2019 there were the protests that occurred about democracy. I'm really obsessed with the idea of preserving democracy, so I think that just pushed me further into reading more about politics. I think you could use the quantitative bit of economics and tie it into the qualitative bit of politics, and use data, like observing patterns and everything, and apply that to something that could cause change in the world. I think I would be studying politics and economics so that I could keep both doors open, depending on what I want to pursue in the future. Because I'm still 17. I'm not set yet, but I think both of these paths offer me the education, the knowledge to potentially bring impact. —Macy, age 17 Watching the Olympics, hearing about doing archery, and seeing pictures [inspired me to want to be an Olympic archer]. Last year, I started saving up for an archery bow, and now I have one. We go to archery club every Sunday. [I also want to be] a bat scientist. A few days ago, we went on a bat watch in the middle of the night. Have you heard of something called a bat detector? It's a little device, and it can intercept different kinds of bat calls with this little dial, and you turn it [to] different levels, and you can listen for bats. We were at this wood cabin, and there was a big light for the bugs, and the bats would quickly go for them. So we didn't really see them clearly, but we heard them very loud. [I want to] study about bats: what they eat, what size they are, and where they like to go and everything. —Flower, age 8 Your mom says you want to be an owl scientist. What makes you want to study owls? They're so pretty. What's your favorite owl? Snow owl. What do owls eat? Mice, rabbits, bugs, bats. … If I have a pet owl, and Flower has a pet bat… [trails off] —Tabby, age 4, Flower's sister A 4-year-old girl came to the US legally in 2023 to get treatment for a severe medical condition called short bowel syndrome. Now her family's legal status has been terminated, and she could die without access to care. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will stop recommending routine Covid vaccines for healthy children, part of a series of policy changes that could mean kids can't access the shots, even if their families want them. Kids with autism can be at heightened risk of drowning, and traditional swim classes aren't always accessible to them. Now some nonprofits are stepping in to help. My older kid and I have been reading Hooky, a graphic novel about twin witches who miss the school bus one day and become embroiled in a variety of hijinks. Fair warning: Hooky was originally serialized and there is a lot going on. I have repeatedly had to admit to my kid that I am confused. This week I was on one of my favorite parenting podcasts, The Longest Shortest Time, talking about my experience getting a salpingectomy, a form of permanent birth control that can reduce your risk of ovarian cancer. You can listen here! Two weeks ago, I wrote about 'dry texting' and how teens use their phones to avoid in-person conflict with one another. Young people had a lot to tell me about this phenomenon, more than I could include in the original story. So I wanted to share what Gracelynn, age 12 and a Scholastic Kid Reporter, told me in an email: Gracelynn said online arguments can be more complex than in-person confrontation because 'when you are chatting online, they could copy and paste the text or media image and use it against you.' With in-person arguments, it's also easier for adults to overhear and intervene. Gracelynn also noted that even though her school uses GoGuardian software to keep kids off certain websites during the day, 'they still manage to pull off crazy things.' Thank you again to Gracelynn and everyone who talked to me for that story, and as always, you can reach me with comments or questions at
Vox
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Vox
This is the future kids want
is a senior correspondent for Vox, where she covers American family life, work, and education. Previously, she was an editor and writer at the New York Times. She is also the author of four novels, including the forthcoming Bog Queen, which you can preorder here This story originally appeared in Kids Today, Vox's newsletter about kids, for everyone. Sign up here for future editions. Earlier this year, I went to Career Day at my older kid's school. The experience was sometimes humbling — at an elementary school career fair, no one can compete with the firefighters — but it was also incredibly joyful. Hearing from kids about what they want to be when they grow up can be a balm for anxious times. Adults may be fearful for the future, kids are still dreaming and planning, figuring out the place they're going to inhabit in a world that's constantly changing. Yes, kids today will come of age in a time of climate change, war, and democratic backsliding — but they're also going to create new art, invent new technologies, and pioneer new policies that will make the world better and richer in ways we can't even imagine yet. With all this in mind, I asked a few kids — including some of the Scholastic Kid Reporters who have helped me out in the past — to tell me what they want to be when they grow up, and what changes they hope to see in the world. A selection of their responses, which have been condensed and edited, are below. If the kids in your life would like to weigh in too, you can reach me at I want to be a gymnastics teacher. I want to get married and have kids, maybe five. I want to go to France. I want to do ballet in France. I want to do anything I want. I want more kittens on the planet. I want everyone to have their own house with their own family. I want self-driving lawnmowers. I don't want people to eat chickens, who should be treated like a princess. —Mairead, age 8 During Covid, our math and science teacher would show us these videos about space. Those videos really inspired me. The idea that there might be life other than planet Earth was just really cool to me. Our universe is so big, there's so many places to explore, so many new things to learn. [As a Scholastic Kid Reporter, I wrote a story] about the total solar eclipse. I remember interviewing Mr. James Tralie. That was really cool, because he worked at NASA, but he was also an animator, and I also love art and drawing. From that experience, I learned being part of NASA and learning about space is not only about being a scientist or being an engineer, it's also about doing art, doing music, and just doing what you truly love related to space. When I was younger, I loved playing with Legos. I love building new things. I've learned a lot about being an aerospace technician or an engineer: building rockets, fixing issues related to space technology. I also love exploring. So being an astronomer is one of my dreams. I just don't think it makes sense that there's only one planet in our entire universe where there's life. I hope to find life on other planets in the future. —Aiden, age 13 I want to be a teacher because I see in my class a lot of different faces and colors of everyone, and I think it's going to be important to help other people grow like I grow in my school. In my class, I have people who are shy, people who need extra help, and people who are really smart, so I feel like getting education for everybody to reach the same [level] is going to be hard. —Kimaaya, age 8 I would like to taxidermy a lamprey eel. —Eleanor, age 6 Interviewing ukulelist James Hill as a Scholastic Kid Reporter and talking to him about music showed me that there are many different ways to play an instrument. On his ukulele, he doesn't just play a couple of chords — he makes creative musical sounds, even drumbeats. Talking with him inspired me to become a performer on the ukulele and guitar. Not to brag, but I feel like I'm very skilled with ukulele. I feel like if someone gave me a sheet of music, I could learn it and play it for them maybe the next day perfectly. My biggest goal is to experiment more with the notes and strings, learn some more tricks on it, and maybe someday make my own album. —Owen, age 12 I want to do research in politics or economics that could bring about real changes in our world. Growing up during the Covid pandemic, we were all stuck online. I was seeing a lot of stuff about the Black Lives Matter movement, lots of Instagram stuff about LGBT rights, there was the Trump administration, and it really got me curious about politics and social justice. I'm from Hong Kong as well, and in 2019 there were the protests that occurred about democracy. I'm really obsessed with the idea of preserving democracy, so I think that just pushed me further into reading more about politics. I think you could use the quantitative bit of economics and tie it into the qualitative bit of politics, and use data, like observing patterns and everything, and apply that to something that could cause change in the world. I think I would be studying politics and economics so that I could keep both doors open, depending on what I want to pursue in the future. Because I'm still 17. I'm not set yet, but I think both of these paths offer me the education, the knowledge to potentially bring impact. —Macy, age 17 Watching the Olympics, hearing about doing archery, and seeing pictures [inspired me to want to be an Olympic archer]. Last year, I started saving up for an archery bow, and now I have one. We go to archery club every Sunday. [I also want to be] a bat scientist. A few days ago, we went on a bat watch in the middle of the night. Have you heard of something called a bat detector? It's a little device, and it can intercept different kinds of bat calls with this little dial, and you turn it [to] different levels, and you can listen for bats. We were at this wood cabin, and there was a big light for the bugs, and the bats would quickly go for them. So we didn't really see them clearly, but we heard them very loud. [I want to] study about bats: what they eat, what size they are, and where they like to go and everything. —Flower, age 8 Your mom says you want to be an owl scientist. What makes you want to study owls? They're so pretty. What's your favorite owl? What do owls eat? Mice, rabbits, bugs, bats. … If I have a pet owl, and Flower has a pet bat… [trails off] —Tabby, age 4, Flower's sister What I'm reading A 4-year-old girl came to the US legally in 2023 to get treatment for a severe medical condition called short bowel syndrome. Now her family's legal status has been terminated, and she could die without access to care. Kids with autism can be at heightened risk of drowning, and traditional swim classes aren't always accessible to them. Now some nonprofits are stepping in to help. My older kid and I have been reading Hooky, a graphic novel about twin witches who miss the school bus one day and become embroiled in a variety of hijinks. Fair warning: Hooky was originally serialized and there is a lot going on. I have repeatedly had to admit to my kid that I am confused. This week I was on one of my favorite parenting podcasts, The Longest Shortest Time, talking about my experience getting a salpingectomy, a form of permanent birth control that can reduce your risk of ovarian cancer. You can listen here! From my inbox Two weeks ago, I wrote about 'dry texting' and how teens use their phones to avoid in-person conflict with one another. Young people had a lot to tell me about this phenomenon, more than I could include in the original story. So I wanted to share what Gracelynn, age 12 and a Scholastic Kid Reporter, told me in an email: Gracelynn said online arguments can be more complex than in-person confrontation because 'when you are chatting online, they could copy and paste the text or media image and use it against you.' With in-person arguments, it's also easier for adults to overhear and intervene. Gracelynn also noted that even though her school uses GoGuardian software to keep kids off certain websites during the day, 'they still manage to pull off crazy things.' Thank you again to Gracelynn and everyone who talked to me for that story, and as always, you can reach me with comments or questions at
Hamilton Spectator
3 days ago
- General
- Hamilton Spectator
Astronaut one day, artist the next: How to help children explore the world of careers
NEW YORK (AP) — When Angelina Rivera was a third grader, she wanted to be a scientist and was excited by bugs, rocks and everything in the natural world. But a family trip to visit relatives in Honduras changed her perspective. Police stopped her family's car and aggressively questioned her father about a crime someone else committed the night before. The experience left Rivera, then 8, shaken but also realizing that people may be treated differently based on their appearance and location. Over time, that pivotal experience evolved into an interest in politics. After studying international relations in college, Rivera, now 22, works as an assistant at the Consulate General of Japan in Detroit. 'The more I tried to explore different interests(,) ... I found that it was hard for me to ignore that urge, that calling, to go into diplomacy,' she said. Sometimes career paths follow a straight line, with early life ambitions setting us on a clear path to training or a degree and a specific profession. Just as often, circumstance, luck, exposure and a willingness to adapt to change influence what we do for a living. Developmental psychologists and career counselors recommend exposing children to a wide variety of career paths at a young age. 'It's not so that they'll pick a career, but that they will realize that there's lots of opportunities and not limit themselves out of careers,' said Jennifer Curry, a Louisiana State University professor who researches career and college readiness. Sometimes children assume they can't work certain jobs because of their gender, race or background, Curry said. 'That's what we're trying to avoid, because kids do start limiting very young, like age 5,' she said. Here's what experts have to say about how to talk with kids about careers. Start young Toddlers begin making sense of occupations while visiting a pediatrician's office or waving to garbage truck crews. Encourage their curiosity by pointing out the people working at a post office or bakery, or appearing in books or on television. You can ask young children , 'What jobs do you see? What kids of things do they do?' advised Curry, who consults on career content for the PBS show 'Skillsville,' which is geared toward children ages 4-8. Once kids identify different jobs in the community, they can try those roles while playing at home. If children enjoy pretending to be a doctor, explain that nurses, X-ray technicians and receptionists also work in hospitals. If they love building with Legos, talk about how architects, construction workers, brick masons and welders all played a part in building a certain bridge, Curry said. 'If we were to give kids lots of exposure and access, and ask them, 'What do you think of yourself in that career? It seems to me you enjoy this kind of thing,' that can really open the door for kids to see themselves and those possibilities.' Curry said. There are many occupations that children don't learn about in early reader books, which frequently portray police officers, firefighters or doctors. After finding no children's books about public relations, Curtis Sparrer wrote one, placing a 10-year-old at the center of the action. Sparrer, who co-founded a public relations agency, Bospar, wanted to help young readers avoid the confusion he felt growing up, when movies made him think being an actor meant flying around on spaceships. Before he found his niche in PR, he worked in television production but didn't enjoy the late-night shifts. 'Once you figure out what you really liked and why you liked it, you can really zero in on your passion,' Sparrer said. Aside from topic interests, there are personality traits to consider. Children know from an early age whether they like to be around a lot of people or by themselves, whether they prefer using their hands or enjoy reading, according to Jobs for the Future CEO Maria Flynn. 'Very early you can start helping kids get a sense of what are they drawn to, and make that connection, how those skills and attributes show up in jobs,' said Flynn, whose nonprofit organization focus on education and workforce initiatives that advance economic opportunities. When her daughter played video games with friends, Flynn noticed strong communication skills and pointed out that providing clear direction to teammates and solving problems together were skills she could apply in future jobs. Exploring careers through school Some U.S. high schools offer elective courses in fields like marketing, computer science and health care. They also are again investing in vocational classes such as wood shop, welding and mechanics, which fell out of fashion as school systems came under criticism for not preparing enough students for college. Meanwhile, some middle schools are offering career exploration courses. 'Really help them see — at an earlier age, even in middle school — what is the apprenticeship option? How does that work?' Flynn said. 'How does the pay work on things like that? What are different trade school options?' Some young people have questioned the value of four-year degrees because of spiraling costs, student debt loads and difficulty finding jobs. Many want to be able to earn and learn at the same time, Flynn said. Enrollment in two-year and four-year college programs remains below where it stood before the COVID pandemic, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. By contrast, enrollment in two-year vocational programs that emphasize learning skilled trades has grown, surpassing pre-pandemic levels, the non-profit organization said. 'The public has really started to get the message about the benefits' and is seeing career and technical education as a viable option, said Catherine Imperatore, research and content director at the Association for Career and Technical Education, a nonprofit organization that advocates for career-readiness initiatives. Programs offering certificates in fields such as information technology and health care are providing another path to a stable job and decent salary, she said. Preparing for a world of AI In addition to exposing children to career routes through early conversations and school courses, experts recommend teaching children about artificial intelligence and how it is reshaping the world and work. Employers are looking for people who can leverage AI to make their workplaces more efficient , but many employees don't know how to comfortably use the technology, said Hadi Partovi, founder and CEO of , a nonprofit that works to expand K-12 access to computer science education. Partovi encourages parents and teachers to help children learn about artificial intelligence at a young age. For example, they can speak with first and second graders about the benefits and drawbacks of self-driving cars, he said. Children also would benefit by learning to write computer programs, ideally when they've learned to read , although even preschoolers can learn some skills, Partovi said. If parents are unfamiliar with AI, they can learn about it alongside their children while also encouraging enduring skills such as resiliency, curiosity, collaboration and teamwork, Flynn, of Jobs for the Future, said. 'We are living in an ever-changing world, and I think it's important for kids at a young age to start getting used to the fact that things are moving and changing quickly,' Partovi said. 'Teaching kids how to harness AI is going to be the most important thing after reading and writing.' __ Share your stories and questions about workplace wellness at cbussewitz@ . Follow AP's Be Well coverage, focusing on wellness, fitness, diet and mental health at .
