Family Life
Managing Rainy Days With Young Children
Rainy days present a challenge for families with young children, especially in climates where rain occurs frequently. Cabin fever, restless children,...
5 min read
11 articles found
Play
The Sandbox as a Play Space
A sandbox is one of the best investments in a child's play environment. Sand's unique physical properties — it fills containers, holds shapes when wet...
2 min read
Play
Puppet Shows: How to Make a Theater at Home
There is something magical about puppet theater: the moment the puppet appears above the barrier, children suspend disbelief and engage with it as a s...
2 min read
Play
Pretend Play: First Imaginative Games
Pretend play is not a frivolous activity for children. When a toddler feeds a doll, when a preschooler becomes a dinosaur, when children create elabor...
5 min read
Play
Messy Play: Benefits and Boundaries
Messy play is exactly what it sounds like — and it is also one of the most developmentally rich activities available to toddlers and young children. T...
2 min read
Play
Independent Play: How Children Learn to Play Alone
The ability to play alone is one of the most valuable capacities a young child can develop — both for the child's development and for the practical su...
2 min read
Play
The Value of Boredom in Child Development
When your child says "I'm bored," your instinct might be to quickly offer an activity, put on a show, or get them engaged in something. However, bored...
4 min read
Family Life
How Imaginative Play Strengthens Family Connections
Imaginative play—pretending, make-believe, and creative scenarios—is how young children make sense of their world. When parents join this imaginative...
5 min read
Play
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
Development
Imaginary Friends in Early Childhood: What They Reveal About Development
The preschooler who sets a place at the table for an invisible dragon, narrates long conversations with a companion only they can see, or insists a se...
5 min read