No doubt you played peek-a-boo with your child when they were a baby. Peek-a-boo, a time-honored game played by generations of parents and babies, has real developmental benefits to it. Playing peek-a-boo helps with separation anxiety and object permanence. Hide-and-seek takes peek-a-boo to the next level and beyond. ALL Learning Requires Some Risk I’ve said it before and I’ll continue to say it. To grow and learn, everyone—young and old—must be willing to risk something. Hide-and-seek offers … [Read more...]
Taking-Off! It’s Time for Holiday Travel
Holiday times are here! They are busy times. Memory-making times. Full-of-family-and-FUN times! Travel. AND stress! Do have travel coming up? If so, with some PLANNING, and even travelling with your kiddos, you’ll think “It’s The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” PLAN & Be PREPARED You’ve been a parent for a while now, you know to expect the unexpected so PLAN for it and be PREPARED! Better Safe Than Sorry... ● Safety comes 1st especially during the holidays when there are more people … [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...]
PopUP PLAY Date for Preschoolers
“Will you be here tomorrow?” Words from the mamas that had brought their kiddos out to my PopUP PLAY Date at the Kingsgate Library. Well, I wouldn’t be doing another one the very next day, but it DID make me feel good to know they’d have wanted that! A couple of the Moms went to the info desk to share how much they loved the event (sadly the librarians did not show any enthusiasm: “It’s not a library program.” Hmm, maybe it SHOULD be!!) Mr Teacher Karen is pathologically objective—trying to … [Read more...]
3 Key Points for Parents on PLAY
I believe in the power of PLAY, based my teaching on PLAY, knowing PLAY is the natural and organic way a young child learns. One benefit of welcoming parents to stay for class at preschool was it allowed them to witness the natural state of the learning child. That natural state includes: curiosity hands-on inspection manipulation & experimentation extrapolation & inference movement noise all of the above results in the child AND their surrounding getting and being MESSY! Why … [Read more...]