Sensory experience is an important part of child development, but often kids are so busy getting their hands messy, that we forget about them using their feet for sensory play activities. Using their feet for sensory or messy play has many benefits, especially when it comes to exploring the sense of touch.
Adventure play or imaginative play is all about giving preschoolers a wide range of resources and materials to have fun, experiment and build their own creations. Adventure play also comes with many benefits. Find out more about the benefits of adventure play, finding a location, materials to use and your role as a parent in adventure play.
Messy play is so much fun and comes with numerous benefits for preschoolers. From playing with water in the bath to creating something with playdough, experimenting with paint and lots of other exciting activities. Messy play provides preschoolers with a great opportunity to learn through unstructured play. There are so many ways preschoolers can benefit and have fun with mess!
Heuristic play is about playing with real-life, everyday objects and providing kids with an opportunity for open-ended discovery. When children are involved in heuristic play, they are using familiar objects in different ways. It is the process of exploring the different ways to use the objects that is important in the play.
Over the years as our living space has decreased and our use of smart phones, tablets and television has increased, children are now often missing out on connections to nature. In our hectic world, children need experiences that were such a big part of their parents childhood. Check out these natural resource activities to try with your little ones.
Are play dates really necessary when kids are young? We take a look at some of the benefits and developmental effects play dates can have on older babies, toddlers and pre-school kids when they catch up with their friends.
Learning to share is all part of growing up, although it doesn't always come naturally with young children. Follow these tips on helping your toddler and pre-schooler learn to share and to develop friendships along the way.
Try stepping back when your kids complain about feeling bored. This will empower them to think for themselves and learn to be resilient. It will also encourage them to find their own way out of the boredom, and the problem-solving process helps them feel good about themselves.
Do you try to avoid doing messy play activities with your kids? Youre not alone! Not all parents relish the idea of messy play. Even the thought of organising messy play activities can be quite stressful for some parents. Find out how to survive messy play sessions at your place - and stay sane in the process!
Theres evidence that children's imaginary friends are more widespread than ever. Find out why its normal, how make believe can affect a childs development, adjusting to your childs new friend, when should you be worried and how long will their imaginary friend be around for.
Young children love to paint and draw, build and sculpt and when they present us with their artworks its easy to tell them that theyve done a great job - whatever the results! However with a few open-ended questions you can find out a little more about what theyve produced and what inspired them. Youll also help develop their creative and critical thinking skills in the process.