"Life is short, so smile while you still have teeth.” ~Unknown~ Crawling, saying their first word, getting their 1st tooth—these are a few of your kiddo’s typical milestones. Another milestone that equally tugs at my heart are those toothy and toothless smiles. At the time, kids may not appreciate them, but I think every parent (and grandparent) cherishes those goofy smiles. The World Always Needs a Smile... Of course we love … [Read more...]
Dreamy Days and Random Naps–A Review
I received a PDF version to review of Mawson the Bear’s new book, Dreamy Days and Random Naps. Do you think picture books are only for children’s literature? Mawson has gifted parents with some! Curious about this author? Mawson is a big-hearted, soul-searching Writer-Bear of little books with lots of heart. His books are stuffed with moments of happiness for frazzled grown-ups. Mawson and his friends write about and highlight the simple joys of Life. In addition to Dreamy Days and Random Naps … [Read more...]
Puzzles If You Don’t Think They’re Important Think Again
Puzzles give a child the opportunity to experience and manipulate the world around him/her. This contributes positively towards their brain development. WHY? Because putting puzzles together has a child actively engaged, manipulating his/her world. And the very important next step of that: Seeing what results from their actions. Additionally, when children PLAY they typically develop skills and gain knowledge across more than one domain. As you'll … [Read more...]
The ‘Perfect Toy’: PLAY Comes in Unexpected Ways
You’ve heard about it before—parents going through considerable time, effort and expense to select just that perfect toy. Usually it's the latest and greatest, but , more often than not, their little one seems much more interested in playing with the packaging it came in. How about you? Did your kiddo have more interest and fun ripping wrapping paper off and away than playing with the gift inside? Children don’t need a lot of bells and whistles to PLAY. In fact, I’d go so far as to say all … [Read more...]
Failure in PLAY for Success in LIFE!
Failure--everyone experiences it. It can be in the form of not getting that sought-after job or promotion; or not making the varsity team; or failing to follow through with your New Year's resolutions. Failure is a part of LIFE. The big question though is: How do you react to failure; yours and/or your child’s? It’s no secret I’m a zealot when it comes to PLAY. The POWER of PLAY impacts all facets of a child’s life—now and in the future! Parents need to set up as many PLAY opportunities for … [Read more...]