Play it Forward This month we need to spread the play. It’s cold out. People are looking for signs of spring. I think families can brighten a little corner of our world with kindness and have great fun doing it. Many people are helping neighbors near and far. Knitters have made blanket squares for victims […]
Tag Archives: Play
Let’s Play: Great Day for Snow Play!
Go Out in the Snow a Bit Each Day! It’s a great day to get out into the snow! Just add kids and go! But before you head out, prepare so as to optimize the fun! Set up a healthy snack for the kids to energize and hydrate, then have them take a bathroom break […]
Let’s Play: Stories from Family Holidays to Inspire Creative Free Play
What a great time of year to tell stories! Share family stories. What was this time of year like when you were little? What holidays did you celebrate? What special activities did you do? Boost family memories by telling stories about a special day spe…
Let’s Play: Simple Play at the Table
Where did all the play go? Am I the only parent that is mourning its loss? The new math makes sense to me. I read Old Dogs, New Math: Homework Help for Puzzled Parents last winter after a friend with middle school aged children mentioned the math concepts coming my way. I like to be […]
Let’s Play: Alternate Identities
Alternate Identities: Masks I know a 7 year old that loves to dress up. She rarely wears her star covered, super hero cape to school these days (peer pressure). She does continue to pop out of her room on a Saturday afternoon dressed in a cobalt blue, …
Q&A: 5 Ways to Enjoy Shorter Days with Less Light
QUESTION AND ANSWERS Now that the days are getting shorter, do you have any ideas or suggestion on how to get the kids to enjoy outdoors even with less light? Community recommendations from our readers include: Head Lamps Glow Sticks Explore the Nigh…
Let’s Play: Collages
Crazy Collage Our days have changed. School routines. September is in full swing. Fall is definitely here. I put a bit of effort into keeping our days calm. Chaos be gone. Life brings enough automatically. Last year at this time I was chatting with ano…
Let’s Play: Monsters and Creative Free Play
Monsters Here are the results of my very informal pole of 5 kids on the subject of monsters: Monsters bite. They are white. No hair. Teeth. They live in caves. Monsters bite everything. Nice monsters don’t bite. They are small, tiny. Why? Because…
Let’s Play: Puppets and Creative Free Play
Puppets Puppets can be very open ended and offer children of all ages the opportunity to re-create favorite stories and often inspire new tales. They come in all shapes, sizes, materials and complexities. You can purchase them new, or just use odd so…
Let’s Play: Books and Creative Free Play
Debut Column: This is the first of a new monthly post encouraging all to add more and more creative play into our families’ lives and into the local community. Each month I will present ideas to jump start your creative thinking with variations b…