From refusing to share toys to making hurtful comments, it’s important to teach children the importance of playing cooperatively and getting along with others. Teaching these skills early on in toddlerhood can help your child during a time when they are striving for independence and testing their limits. Toddlers can sometimes fight or become physical …
A close, nurturing, and responsive relationship is the single most important factor affecting our children’s well-being. One of the most powerful ways we can strengthen our relationship with our children is through Positive Attention Through Play. Positive Attention Through Play is an important way to connect with our children and help them learn about themselves and …
As a parent, you are your child’s first teacher—and wonderful learning can take place when you play together. You don’t need expensive toys or gadgets to entertain and engage your child. In fact, the best learning and play comes from items you can find around the home and your imagination! For this reason, Parenting Now’s …
Kids are naturally creative, and your unique child is going to express their creativity in their own special way. Some kids express themselves through singing; others like to smear paint all over a canvas; and some kids like to make patterns out of items found in nature. Point is, it’s ALL good and it’s ALL …
One-year olds are eager and curious learners. Brain development during this year lays the foundation for all of their future learning. Ones naturally love activities that activate their brain development: touching, looking, tasting, talking, listening, moving, and playing—these are some of the best activities for building strong brains. Watch your one-year old as they play. …
Sensory bins are growing in popularity—and for good reason! Parents are realizing sensory play is crucial toward enhancing child development. Sensory play is great for neurotypical children and children with sensory processing disorder and autism. Getting started with sensory bins may seem overwhelming, but it is actually easy to start sensory play with your child …
Toddlers are in a word “busy.” They have busy minds and busy bodies. Keeping them engaged and entertained all day—especially when preschools, libraries, and your other go-to places are closed—can be exhausting for parents and caregivers. By now, you probably feel like you’ve exhausted all the resources in your toolbox for keeping your little …
The Young And The Restless: Simple play ideas from the experts Read More »
Babies are born with a unique desire to play. It’s how they learn about the world, problem-solve, and work through their emotions, not to mention build muscles and resilience. To quote Fred Rogers: “Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children play is serious learning. Play is really …
When working with parents, I am often asked: “Is my toddler ‘ready’ for a preschool?” The next question that follows is: “Will it help or hurt my child in any way?” Every child is different, but research into early childhood shows that even a few hours a week in an intentionally prepared environment with age-based …
Preschool Readiness and The Importance of Play-Based Learning Read More »
Preschoolers and their parents lead busy lives. There are pretend cakes to bake; dolls and stuffies with “boo boos” that need mending; and grocery shopping to do for the play kitchen. As fun as these games are for kids, there are very real tasks that all parents need to get done during the day—and it’s …