Physical play
6 articles
Shared Dancing as a Way to Build Connection
Dancing with a child needs no skill and no equipment. It happens in the kitchen with the radio on; it happens in the hallway when *Wheels on the Bus*...
Rough-and-Tumble Play: Benefits and Safety
When children chase, wrestle, and roughhouse, many parents worry it's too aggressive or dangerous. However, rough-and-tumble play is a normal, healthy...
How to Support a Child Who Is Reluctant to Play Physically
A cautious child at the playground is not a problem to fix — they're a child reading the situation more carefully than the daredevil next to them. For...
How Physical Play Supports Brain Development
"Get them outside" is sometimes treated as folk wisdom — pleasant but optional. The neuroscience and child-development literature of the last 30 years...
Using Movement to Release Tension in Young Children
The toddler who is melting down at 5pm in the kitchen does not need a calm conversation about big feelings. They need to move. Verbal regulation is a...
Indoor Climbing and Physical Play Spaces
Telling a toddler not to climb is like telling water not to flow downhill. The urge appears around the first birthday and runs until about age 6, and...