Blog

Notes on long-term goals for kids. One parent, real anecdotes, no AI fluff.

• Pre-reading activities for toddlers (no flashcards)

  Posted 1 July 2026 · 7 min read

  The screen-free pre-reading activities we actually do with our toddler, organised by the five roots of reading. No flashcards, no printables, just talk, books, songs, play, and noticing print.

• How to teach a toddler to read (the honest answer)

  Posted 29 June 2026 · 8 min read

  The honest answer to teaching a toddler to read: you build the foundation, not flashcards. What the research really says, the best age to start, and what to skip.

• Your kid probably won't be fluent in Spanish. Teach it anyway.

  Posted 20 June 2026 · 6 min read

  A non-Spanish-speaking dad on why the fluency obsession stops parents cold, and why a little Spanish is worth far more than the perfect outcome you're chasing.

• Spanish for kids: a parent's guide, age by age

  Posted 20 June 2026 · 9 min read

  An honest, no-program guide to Spanish for kids at home, even if you don't speak it. Where to start, what to do at each age, what to skip, and what actually works.

• Will learning Spanish confuse my toddler?

  Posted 18 June 2026 · 8 min read

  Worried two languages will confuse your toddler or delay her speech? An honest look at what the research says, from a dad raising his daughter in three languages: English, Marathi, and Kannada.

• Spanish songs for toddlers: a screen-free start

  Posted 17 June 2026 · 7 min read

  The first five Spanish songs to play for your toddler, in order, why each one works, and how to use them screen-free even if you don't speak a word of Spanish.

• Spanish activities for toddlers that actually work

  Posted 15 June 2026 · 8 min read

  The Spanish activities that actually work with toddlers, no screens and no printables. Songs, daily-routine phrases, books, and games you can start this week, even if you don't speak Spanish yourself.

• How to teach your toddler Spanish (even if you don't speak it)

  Posted 14 June 2026 · 9 min read

  An honest, no-pressure guide to teaching your toddler Spanish at home, even if you don't speak a word of it. The best age to start, what actually works, what to skip, and why you don't need to buy a program.

• I can't swim. I'm teaching my daughter anyway.

  Posted 13 June 2026 · 6 min read

  I never learned to swim. A non-swimmer father on why he's teaching his daughter anyway, the beach in Goa that started it, the honest safety arrangement that keeps it responsible, and what a parent who can't swim can still give a child.

• Swimming for kids: a calm parent's guide, age by age (1 to 12)

  Posted 12 June 2026 · 11 min read

  The whole swimming journey on one page, age by age, from a dad who cannot swim. When to start, what's realistic at each age, water competency over strokes, and the honest answer on when lessons are actually worth it.

• When your child is scared of water: a calm, no-force way through

  Posted 12 June 2026 · 9 min read

  "Scared of water" is almost never one fear. It is several wearing the same name. The exact trigger to look for, a graded-exposure ladder your child controls, and why a toddler can scream in the bath and laugh in a pool. From a dad in it too.

• Swim gear for toddlers: what to actually buy, and what to skip

  Posted 11 June 2026 · 8 min read

  The gear lists are long because the site makes money on every link. The honest version: everything we own is a swimsuit, swim diapers, and a flamingo float she sat on for four minutes. The short list worth buying, the one safety item that matters, and the float aisle to be sceptical of. No affiliate links.

• Swimming activities for toddlers: the water games that actually work

  Posted 10 June 2026 · 9 min read

  The same thirty pool games show up everywhere, and none of them help when your toddler cries before getting in. Activities sorted by what each one builds, the protected bath pour, why our new bathtub failed, and the simple pool game that finally got the laugh, from a dad who cannot swim.

• How to teach a toddler to swim (a calm, no-pressure start)

  Posted 9 June 2026 · 9 min read

  Teaching a toddler to swim is not about strokes. It is about water comfort, breath, and trust. A skill ladder you can start in the bathtub, why puddle jumpers can backfire, and a first month, from a dad who cannot swim himself.

• Chess won't make your kid smarter. Teach it anyway.

  Posted 8 June 2026 · 5 min read

  An honest take from a parent: the research barely supports the "chess makes kids smarter" claim. Here is the real reason to teach it, and why a thing doesn't need to raise a test score to be worth your child's time.

• Chess for kids: a parent's guide (ages 3 to 12)

  Posted 8 June 2026 · 11 min read

  The whole chess journey on one page, age by age, from pre-chess at 3 to real tactics at 9. When to start, what to teach at each stage, what to skip, and the one rule that matters more than any of it.

• Chess tactics for kids: forks, pins, and the puzzle habit

  Posted 3 June 2026 · 9 min read

  Most tactics guides are a glossary a child can't use. This is the order to teach forks, pins, and skewers, the one daily habit (checks, captures, threats) that makes them click, and how to practise by age.

• Best chess sets, apps, and books for kids (an honest guide)

  Posted 1 June 2026 · 8 min read

  An honest, age-by-age guide to chess sets, apps, and books for kids. What to buy at 4 to 5, 6 to 7, and 8+, what to skip, and why you need less than the lists imply. No affiliate links, just opinions.

• Fun chess activities for kids (and what each one teaches)

  Posted 31 May 2026 · 8 min read

  A curated menu of chess activities for kids who already know the basics. Each one with how to play, what skill it builds, and the right age. Board-vision warm-ups, pawn games, puzzles, and handicap games that keep a full game fun.

• How to teach chess to a 4-year-old (without ruining it)

  Posted 28 May 2026 · 11 min read

  Most 4-year-olds aren't ready for chess. And that's the most useful thing nobody tells you. The pre-chess work that actually matters: 5 foundations, a 4-week plan, and a readiness checklist that tells you when the rules will stick.

• Why I started astronomy with my 19-month-old before reading or math

  Posted 27 May 2026 · 5 min read

  People ask me what I am teaching my daughter. The honest answer is: the moon. Not letters, not numbers. Here is why curiosity matters more than curriculum at 19 months.

• Astronomy for kids at home: a parent's real guide (ages 1 to 12)

  Posted 26 May 2026 · 7 min read

  Most guides start with "buy a telescope." I started with a finger pointed at the moon. A real guide from ages 1 to 12, covering what works at each stage.

• Solar system for toddlers: what my 18-month-old actually understands

  Posted 25 May 2026 · 6 min read

  My daughter calls every planet "ball". That is comprehension at 18 months. Here is what a toddler actually learns about the solar system, and what they do not.

• Best astronomy apps and books for toddlers (that we actually use)

  Posted 24 May 2026 · 7 min read

  I have not used a single astronomy app with my daughter. She is 18 months old and we have a strict no-screentime policy. Here is what we use instead, and what I plan to start after she turns two.

• Sky projector for toddlers: the one I'd actually buy

  Posted 20 May 2026 · 10 min read

  Most sky projectors for kids are gimmicky and a few are unsafe. After six months with my 12-month-old daughter, here's the one to buy and the one to avoid.

• Toddler astronomy: 4 simple activities you can do tonight

  Posted 18 May 2026 · 9 min read

  The honest list of 4 toddler astronomy activities we actually do, including the exact words I say and what I deliberately do NOT do. No telescope, no app, no books required.

• Astronomy for toddlers: yes, even at 18 months

  Posted 15 May 2026 · 8 min read

  My daughter Aanya started looking at the moon at 9 months. Here's what astronomy with a toddler actually looks like: starting outdoors, adding a sky projector, and what works at this age.

More articles coming. If there's a topic you want covered, write to hello@summiva.com.