With back-to-school just around the corner, kids are not the only ones who commonly experience the feeling, “Summer is almost over, and it seems like it just started!” Parents, teachers, and caregivers often feel it too. If your goal is to take your classroom from good to great this More…
Winning the Battle with Boredom Put any child in a room with just a few random objects and nothing else for entertainment and they will automatically begin using those items to play. Commonly, they will lose themselves in a make-believe world inspired by just those few random objects. Children More…
Solving the mystery behind developing a love for reading in kids is something almost every person faces. The public library could be one of the most underutilized resources in America – a resource just waiting to be discovered! Some adults might be surprised to find the modern library is More…
Every child can benefit from sensory play activities. It stimulates the brain and builds neural pathways that improve sensory processing systems. Many sensory activities are also used to encourage social play and pretend play. Engaging 2-3 of your child’s senses during any one activity is usually considered a job More…
Wikipedia: “Placemaking is a multi-faceted approach to the planning, design, and management of public spaces. Placemaking capitalizes on a local community’s assets, inspiration, and potential, with the intention of creating public spaces that promote people’s health, happiness, and well-being.” When city planners started using placemaking to create social and fun communities, it wasn’t surprising More…
Everyone loves to shop during the holidays. Black Friday after Thanksgiving is now followed by Cyber Monday as a response to America’s growing inclination to shop online. Whether we are shopping online, live streaming our favorite television shows, or just “Googling” information, Americans of all ages spend a lot More…
‘Tis the season to ponder New Year’s Resolutions for 2021. 2020 might be remembered as the year of the face mask, but could it also be remembered as the year we gained 20/20 vision? Hindsight, as they say, is 20/20. It seems apropos 2020 would be known as the More…
The world places a lot of emphasis on helping our children develop self-confidence. Nothing seems to be as effective as active playtime when it comes to building our sense of self. As youngsters play, they give their growing muscles a workout. They become more coordinated and their balance improves, More…
Toddlers love to learn. That being said, youngsters will choose playtime over learning any day of the week. Knowing this to be true, tech companies have incorporated the principles that make playing games fun into their learning programs. It’s called gamification. Pew Research Center describes gamification in the following More…
Autumn is upon us. Yet, “Christmas stuff” will likely start showing up in retail stores any day. It’s the big holiday’s way of squeezing out the smaller holidays by showing up earlier and earlier each year. With folks longing for 2020’s COVID nightmare to fade away, it’s tempting to More…