What can children learn through pretend play? As parents it is important for us to acknowledge that for a child “Play” is not just leisure but is how they learn. In a busy world with what seems to be tireless amounts of chores, it is easy to fall into a cycle of giving your child… Continue Reading
Cooperation Begins with Trust
Category Archives: Play and Learning
3 quick projects for Father’s Day!
Father’s Day is coming up soon… here are three easy projects to whip up in 30 minutes, 15 minutes and 5 minutes or less! Spoiler alert…to my favorite subscriber (aka hubby – stop reading now!) The 30 min Photo Mobile: All you will need is some card stock or construction paper, a few pictures, glue,… Continue Reading
10 Creative Play Ideas for Practicing Positive Parenting
Creative play is a very important part of children’s development. Play has a very central role your child’s learning and development. Every kind of play, be it free play, creative play, art based or music based play can nurture your child’s imagination. Such activities also allow your child to actively work on developing good motor… Continue Reading
The Benefits of Messy Play And How To Make it Slightly Less Messy
Messy play gives children an opportunity to tap into their creativity, explore all sorts of possibilities, enhance and experience their senses, practice cooperation and of course…get messy. Glitter, play dough, paint, slime, goop, glue, mud, muck, water and more… Children just love it and well, some parents really just don’t like it all that much. It’s… Continue Reading
One Box, Three Games, Loads of Fun & Learning
Ever notice how children of all ages seem to just love playing with a cardboard box? Play is serious business for toddlers and preschoolers, it gives them a chance to understand, explore and learn! All three of my kiddos just absolutely love when we play with a cardboard box, they play together and usually come up with… Continue Reading
Books & Play: Enhancing Reading Comprehension In a Fun Way.
Welcome to the March Authentic Parenting Blog Carnival: Discovering through Books This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Authentic Parenting Blog Carnival hosted by The Positive Parenting Connection and Authentic Parenting. This month our participants have investigated what role books have played in their lives. Please read to the end to find a… Continue Reading
Roughhousing & Preschoolers: Why it’s Great and How To Keep it Safe.
I walked into the pre-school yard the other day and saw a pile of boys rolling in the muddy grass. I recognized some shoes that belonged to my four year old and the bright red t-shirt of my five year old. This ball of boys just kept on rolling and tumbling and then all the… Continue Reading
Painted Snow Sculptures in 5 Easy Steps
Ever try paiting snow sculptures? This weekend we created some snow masterpieces with buckets, baking sheets, and water color. Along with having lots of fun we explored textures, temperatures, colors and shapes. Here are the 5 steps: 1. We collected snow in buckets and plastic containers. 2. Next we used water colors and a little… Continue Reading
Feathery Fun Turkey in 10 Steps
This week I was totally inspired by the Nurturestore’s “Let’s play dough book” and came up with these funny feathery turkeys made out of a chocolate tinted salt dough. 1. Whip up a batch of traditional salt dough (2cups flour,1 cup salt, 1cup water) Set half of dough aside for another project. 2. Add in… Continue Reading
Creating (Im)perfectly Together
Welcome to the August Carnival of Natural Parenting: Creating With Kids This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama. This month our participants have shared how they make messes and masterpieces with children. Please read to the end to find a list… Continue Reading