In the author's talks on education across the country, parents and teachers often ask about products and programs that purport to teach young children to read and to do math. In his 40-plus-year academic career in the field of early childhood education, the author has reviewed a large number of published curricular materials and activities for young children. Most authors of these programs lack academic credentials and offer little or no research to support their claims about math and reading teaching and learning. In this article, the author points out two major fallacies inherent in these commercial products and explain the risks that go with them. Then he suggests parenting and teaching practices that can build a strong, broad foundation for later academic learning.