Girls' self-confidence often takes a big hit at puberty but these skills can help keep her confidence strong during the teen years.

“A pre-teen girl is at a unique moment in her life. The spark that is her potential grows more intense, yet she'll have to fight against gender norms that threaten to diminish it," observes writer Rebecca Ruiz. "There are countless ways she'll feel pressured to hide or change her authentic self.” Rachel Simmons, an expert on girls' development and author of the parenting book, Enough As She Is, agrees: "Girls are at their fiercest and most authentic prior to puberty." While research has confirmed that girls' self-confidence often drops after puberty, Simmons asserts that there are many ways parents can help girls keep their confidence strong during the teen years. To that end, she recommends "seven skills to consider teaching your daughter by the time she turns 13" that will help your Mighty Girl feel prepared for the challenges ahead. Continue reading → Continue reading

A Mighty Girl's top children's books celebrating spring and the joys of gardening!

With warmer weather comes the first hint of the glorious green world to come! Soon, there will be a spring world to explore, flowers and vegetables to plant, and lots more. And what better way to build anticipation for all the joys of spring and the world in bloom than with a few fun spring and gardening-themed stories! Continue reading → Continue reading

At 8 years old, Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins joined the "Capitol Crawl" with other disability rights activists demanding passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

On March 12, 1990, over 1,000 disability rights activists marched from the White House to the U.S. Capitol to demand the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which had been stalled in Congress. To illustrate the barriers that many people with disabilities faced every day, over 60 activists cast aside their wheelchairs and crutches and began crawling up the 83 stone steps that lead to the Capitol building — among them was Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins, an 8-year-old girl with cerebral palsy who declared "I’ll take all night if I have to" as she pulled herself up the steps. In honor of the anniversary of the historic "Capitol Crawl" — which helped drive the successful passage of the ADA, the world's first comprehensive civil rights law protecting the rights people with disabilities — we're sharing the story of this determined young activist whose actions helped transform the lives of people with disabilities across the nation. Continue reading → Continue reading

Eight downloadable posters celebrating women of STEM perfect for displaying in kids' rooms and classrooms!

The saying, "If she can't see it, she can't be it," speaks to the importance of introducing girls to female role models, especially in areas where women's accomplishments were often overlooked or minimized such as in science, mathematics, and technology. A new poster collection aims to bring more of these women's stories to light — and inspire today's Mighty Girls with the knowledge that she can be whatever she aspires to be! Continue reading → Continue reading

A Mighty Girl's top picks of books and films starring heroic Irish girls and women.

When people talk about St. Patrick's Day with kids, they tend to focus on leprechauns, four-leaf clovers, and wearing green — but there's much more to the Emerald Isle. In fact, clever and courageous Mighty Girls often take center stage in Ireland's culture and history! So rather than focus on pots of gold this St. Patrick's Day, try sharing a few books with kids showcasing the intelligence, courage, and strength of its girls and women. The books and films featured in this blog post will give your children a girl-empowering introduction to the vibrant, deep culture that Ireland has to offer — and the place of Mighty women and girls within it.
Continue reading → Continue reading

In celebration of International Women's Day, we're featuring a collection of 50 books about global girls and women from Afghanistan, Chile, the Philippines, China, and many other countries around the world!

When we highlight children's books about real-life Mighty Girls and women, they often focus on individuals from Western countries such as the US, Canada, UK, and Australia. While kids' books about remarkable women from elsewhere around the world are often harder to find, there are fortunately growing numbers of titles celebrating the accomplishments of girls and women worldwide. Continue reading → Continue reading

Our favorite books for children and teens starring adventurous, sword-wielding Mighty Girls!

When it’s time for the brave young adventurer to pick up a sword and save the day, who says that adventurer has to be a boy? Sword-wielding Mighty Girls make for thrilling, dramatic fiction! If you have a child or teen who loves action, adventure, derring-do -- and a well-honed blade -- then there’s sure to be a perfect title for them in our new blog post showcasing our favorite books starring girls and women who are at home with a blade in hand. Continue reading → Continue reading

The best new books for children and teens about incredible girls and women for Women's History Month 2023.

Every year, we at A Mighty Girl are thrilled to see the number of new books that are released introducing children and teens to inspiring women of history! As the bookshelves of women's history titles continue to grow, our kids — both girls and boys — have even more opportunities to learn about the women who have changed our world, giving them a more diverse and nuanced perspective on our past. Better yet, these books provide terrific role models for the next generation of bold, determined, and pioneering women! Continue reading → Continue reading

Meet 16 Trailblazing Female Scientists Who Dared to Discover!

For centuries, women have made important contributions to the sciences, but in many cases, it took far too long for their discoveries to be recognized — if they were acknowledged at all. And too often, books and academic courses that explore the history of science neglect the remarkable, groundbreaking women who changed the world. In fact, it's a rare person, child or adult, who can name more than two or three female scientists from history — and, even in those instances, the same few names are usually mentioned time and again. Continue reading → Continue reading

A Mighty Girl's top picks of girl-empowering graphic novels for teens.

We've already shown how graphic novels for young readers can explore real life issues and take readers on amazing flights of fancy — but, of course, graphic novels are not just for young readers! Graphic novels aimed at teens can tackle even more challenging material, exploring more complex worlds and characters that are more understandable for an older audience. Continue reading → Continue reading