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Unstructured Play: Why It Is Essential
In 2018, the American Academy of Pediatrics published a clinical report titled "The Power of Play" (Yogman et al.) asking pediatricians to formally pr...
8 min read
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The importance of play and how to make the most of playtime.
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Different Types of Play and What They Develop
"What kind of play is this?" turns out to be a more useful question than parents realize. The 18-month-old who watches another toddler without joining...
9 min read
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Tummy Time as a Play Activity for Newborns
Tummy time is the most evidence-backed piece of newborn play. The American Academy of Pediatrics has been explicit since the late 1990s: babies sleep...
8 min read
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Best Toys for Tummy Time by Age
The AAP wants babies on their tummies for at least 30 minutes a day by 3-4 months, broken up across short sessions. Most newborns hate it. The right p...
7 min read
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Play Ideas for Babies Who Dislike Tummy Time
A baby who cries the moment they're placed on their stomach is not broken, and you're not failing them. Prone is genuinely effortful work for a newbor...
6 min read
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How to Turn Tummy Time Into an Enjoyable Game
Tummy time has a reputation as the boring chore of the newborn months, the thing the baby cries through and you both endure. It doesn't have to be. Th...
6 min read
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Travel Games for Young Children
A 6-hour drive or a transatlantic flight with a 2-year-old does not need a tablet on a stick. It needs a rotation, a small, varied set of activities i...
6 min read
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The Difference Between Educational and Simply Fun Toys
The educational toy aisle is one of the most successful marketing inventions of the last 30 years. A $79 plastic learning station and a $9 set of wood...
7 min read
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How to Transition From Dependent to Independent Play
Independent play is a skill, not a personality trait. Some children walk into it more easily; all children can build it. The realistic targets, based...
7 min read
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Touch-Based Games to Support Infant Development
Touch is the first sense to develop in utero (around 8 weeks) and the most fully wired at birth. For an infant, the skin is doing what the eyes will o...
7 min read
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Toy Safety Checklist for Parents
Most toy-related injuries are preventable, and most prevention boils down to a few specific checks. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) sets...
8 min read
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Threading, Lacing, and Other Fine Motor Games
Threading is one of those underrated activities that does a lot of developmental work for not much money. A bag of chunky wooden beads and a stiff lac...
7 min read
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Teaching Toddlers to Take Turns in Play
Two toddlers, one red truck. The grabbing, the screaming, the parent leaping in to peel them apart — this is one of the most exhausting and predictabl...
9 min read
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The Role of Technology in Early Childhood Play
The American Academy of Pediatrics is unusually specific about screens for young kids: under 18 months, video chat only (calls with grandparents count...
6 min read
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How to Tell if a Child Is Overscheduled
Toddlers and preschoolers often look fine at the soccer class, the music class, the gymnastics class — and fall apart at home. The signs of overschedu...
7 min read
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Sustainable Toy Choices for Environmentally Conscious Families
The toy industry produces about 90% plastic toys and tens of millions of tons of plastic waste annually. The honest sustainability move isn't choosing...
7 min read
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Swimming Lessons for Young Children
Of all the classes you can sign your young child up for, swim lessons are the one with the clearest case behind them. Drowning is the leading cause of...
8 min read
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How to Support Independent Play
A child who can play alone for a stretch is not a luxury for the parent — it's a developmental capacity for the child. Self-directed play is where tod...
6 min read
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When Structured Classes Are Too Much for Young Children
A 3-year-old does not need Suzuki violin, a Tuesday tumbling class, Saturday soccer, and a Mandarin enrichment hour. The American Academy of Pediatric...
6 min read
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Story Time for Babies Under One
Parents often wonder whether there is any point reading to a baby who can't understand the words. The answer is an emphatic yes — but for different re...
3 min read