Uncategorized
The Importance of Imaginative Play for Kids and Adults
Children growing up in a home in which adults encourage play opens minds to expression, imagination, and creativity. Pretend play is more common when parents talk to kids often, read or tell bedtime stories and even explain ideas about nature and social issues. Plato said, “You can discover more about a person in an hour…
Read MoreHow To Help Toddlers Build Concentration and Focus
Keeping toddlers, even the most active, is not as difficult as it may seem. Toddler means “wanderer” which refers to their great curiosity. Screens aren’t needed to respond to that natural tendency to discover other people as well as what things are and how they work! Just think of your toddler holding a stuffed animal,…
Read MoreNo Mask?
One day I was in a store and I noticed someone who looked odd. I couldn’t figure out why at first. The person was a stranger and nothing was particularly unusual about his face or what he was doing. Then, a light bulb went off in my mind. This man was NOT wearing a mask.…
Read MoreNew Parenting Issues as a Result of Long-Haul COVID
Have you been feeling lately like your kids need you more than ever? Are they asking when you and they will get vaccinated? Do they question when they’ll go to school all the time and not take quarantines at home anymore? Are they frustrated with online learning? Do they miss their friends – Dungeons and…
Read MoreWhat is the Verdict on Team Sports in Schools?
There is a controversy about the emphasis on team sports in schools. Some feel they are perfect just the way they were pre-COVID others feel they take up too much time away from academics or create exclusive social groups. Still others feel athletics are healthy exercise for all, but individual athletics are just as…
Read MoreWhy Kids Stare into Space
Staring off into space is the wonder of daydreaming. Daydreaming isn’t an idle activity but a creative pursuit. This is when kids master puzzling questions, evoke colorful pictures in their imaginations, and discover solutions to complex and even conflicting thoughts. Do you usually think you should tell your kid to do something with his…
Read MoreThe Value of Independent Play for Toddlers and Kids ages 4-6
During the Pandemic children are playing by themselves more often, especially if their parents are working. While they surely need our participation, they also benefit from learning to enjoy their own company. Toddlers Toddlers naturally play independently because they are thrilled to be so mobile. Once walking and climbing and even jumping are part of…
Read MoreCreating a Low Stress Environment for Kids
Children feel stress due to internal causes and external causes. Both need to be taken into account to ensure that their environment minimizes their state of mental or emotional strain or tension that results from adverse or very demanding situations and circumstances. Internal Causes Some children have an anxious temperament. Thus even modest changes and…
Read MoreChildren Observe Parents Carefully for Signposts About Our World
Children take the business of growing up seriously these days. Faced with the restrictions of COVID resulting in limited social contacts, they may often feel unheard and alone. They hear about vaccinations coming, but they’re hardly first on the list. Neither are their parents. And their grandparents keep waiting for more vaccines to arrive at…
Read More