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Pretend Play: Why It Matters and How to Support It at Home
The child who offers a teaspoon to a stuffed rabbit, or solemnly announces that all the cushions have turned into hot lava, is engaged in one of the h...
4 min read
19 articles found
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Screen-Free Alternatives to Digital Play
Screens aren't inherently bad, but they're not the only—or best—entertainment option for young children. Screen-free play develops creativity, problem...
3 min read
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Recycled Materials as Play Resources
Your recycling bin contains a treasure trove of play materials. Paper tubes, boxes, containers, and fabric scraps create engaging toys and activities....
4 min read
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Puppet Theater as a Play Activity
A puppet — even a sock on a hand — has an effect on young children that is disproportionate to its complexity. The puppet seems to have its own voice,...
2 min read
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Playdough and Clay: Developmental Benefits
Playdough and clay are deceptively simple materials with profound developmental benefits. Their moldability, resistance, and sensory properties make t...
6 min read
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Painting Activities for Toddlers
Painting is one of the classic toddler activities — and with good reason. It is open-ended, sensory, creative, and endlessly adaptable to different ag...
2 min read
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Painting With Young Children: Techniques and Benefits
Painting is one of the most engaging art activities for young children. The sensory experience of brush and paint, the visible results, and the freedo...
6 min read
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Music and Rhythm Activities for Young Children
Music is universal. Across all cultures and throughout history, parents have sung to babies and used rhythm and music as part of childhood. Beyond the...
6 min read
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How to Make Simple Homemade Toys
Some of the best toys are ones you make from materials you already have. Homemade toys are inexpensive, environmentally friendly, and infinitely custo...
4 min read
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DIY Toys Made From Everyday Materials
Commercial toy marketing creates the impression that children need specially designed, developmentally targeted products to play effectively. In pract...
2 min read
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Creative Play Without the Mess
Messy play has real developmental value, and avoiding it entirely is not ideal. But there are genuinely days when a full paint session or a tub of pla...
3 min read
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Creative Play Without Expensive Toys
The toy industry is skilled at making parents feel that the right materials will give their child a developmental advantage. The research evidence doe...
2 min read
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Art Activities for Babies and Toddlers
Art for babies and toddlers looks different from older children's art. Rather than creating recognizable products, young children are discovering how...
6 min read
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Playing in Apartments and Urban Spaces
Raising young children in apartments or urban spaces presents different challenges and opportunities than suburban family homes. While square footage...
4 min read
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Painting Activities for Toddlers: Creative Art Without the Stress
Toddler painting terrifies some parents and delights others. The vision of a two-year-old enthusiastically painting not just the paper but the table,...
4 min read
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DIY Toys from Everyday Materials: Play Without Buying New Things
Some of the most satisfying and sustained play in early childhood involves household objects rather than commercially produced toys. The cardboard box...
4 min read
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Creative Play in Children: Why It Matters and How to Support It
A child pressing crayon to paper in wide, sweeping arcs; a toddler making up a story about a teddy bear's adventures; a preschooler building a "castle...
4 min read
Family Life
Art and Creativity at Home: Low-Mess Options
Art and creative play are essential for young children's development, yet the mess factor often prevents families from offering these activities. Stra...
5 min read
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Creative Play in Toddlers: Art, Mess, and Why Process Matters More Than Product
Toddler art can be baffling to adults, particularly when a child finishes a painting in forty-five seconds, declares it done, and then wants to watch...
5 min read