Guess what? Your favorite open-ended, eco-friendly toy company, Green Toys, now has two new and totally impressive Playsets! Both the Fire Station and Farm are brand new kid-approved Playsets that come with a building, vehicle, characters, and accessories for kids 2 - 6 years old. Scroll down for a chance to win a Playset! Play is linked with empathy according to play researcher Stuart Brown. … [Read more...]
Grow Your Own Fairy Garden
Fairy Gardens are so popular right now and for good reason -- they're beautiful, teach kids about plants, and are fun for pretend play. My Fairy Garden Magical Cottage Playset gives you everything you need to get started building your own. My own kids LOVED setting it up and can't wait to see what grows. Grow Your Own Fairy Garden: My Fairy Garden Cottage Playset My Fairy Garden Cottage … [Read more...]
MyFamilyBuilders Diverse Character Building Blocks
MyFamilyBuilders™ Toy Set is a set of gorgeous magnetic building blocks of diverse people for ages 1+. And I LOVE this block set!! I love it because it's GREAT for representing the real world (diversity, hello!) and it's well crafted with strong magnets out of beautiful non-toxic, eco-friendly hardwoods. The creator of MyFamilyBuilders™ Toy Set wanted to create a toy that represented his … [Read more...]
Cool PlayTape Reinvigorates Our Pretend Play
I always want my kids to pretend play -- to imagine, to create, and to just be unplugged. As they get older, it's been harder and harder to find something that will engage both kids in pretend play with something they will play together. (They're 14 and 11.) But PlayTape pretend road tape reinvigorated my kids' imaginative car play. Which is why I'm telling you about it -- because, hooray for … [Read more...]
Pretend Play Gifts for Kids
Kids who regularly use their imaginations to pretend play develop better social skills and vocabulary than kids that do not. I love finding toys that encourage pretend play -- usually toys that are open-ended and battery free. How about you? For the 2015 holiday season, here's what's new and interesting for pretend play gifts. Update: 2016 Pretend Play Gifts Pretend Play Gifts Lock and … [Read more...]
DIY a Cryoow! Doll for Play and Stories
Cryoow! dolls start with a child’s 2D drawing, transforming it into a jaw-dropping, super-awesome hand-crafted 3D doll. It's so cool. Make a Cryoow! Doll To make a doll, your child draws a picture more than 4 inches tall. We recommend using the game Pick and Draw which taught us so many fun ways to draw faces. Draw your person -- my eight year old daughter drew herself. We sent her … [Read more...]
25 DIY Pretend Play Kits
When spring break begins, you'll be ready. Because you don't need to go on fancy vacations to have fun. You can stay home and pretend play for days. Throughout life, imagination remains a key to emotional resilience and creativity. - Stuart Brown, Play To help your kids pretend play, make your own thematic pretend play kits. In each kit put props that will help facilitate imagination for … [Read more...]
The BEST Pretend Play Gift Ideas for Kids
It's getting close to Christmas - and you may need a few more quick gift ideas. Here you go. Pretend play gift ideas for kids! Pretend Play Gift Ideas for Kids Fairy Tale Finger Tattoo Puppets Fun, temporary tattoos that turn normal little fingers into finger puppets! Each pack contains 20 finger tattoos and full instructions Finger Fairytale includes: Witch, Princess, King, Prince and … [Read more...]
Toys That Require Imagination . . . Cardboard
Kids are naturally wired to play and imagine. But when we (I'm guilty of this myself) give them tons of toys that do everything, they don't need to imagine anything. So give your kids a cardboard challenge - to find the hidden objects in the boxes like Michelangelo did with blocks of granite. The boxes require imagination. They won't do anything without it. Cardboard! It's NOT a box, but it … [Read more...]
How to Extend the Magic of Harry Potter Books With Playing and Writing
"Expelliarmus!" shouts one daughter to her friend, pointing a wand at her. In our house, Harry Potter isn't just a book to read, it's hours of imaginative play.It's the world's best loved chapter book series and the perfect book for reading, pretend play, and creative writing. Act Out Harry Potter Scenes Help your kids with new ideas to get started playing. Ideas like imagining you're in the … [Read more...]
Ideas and Activities for Summer Learning, Ages 3 – 6
If your kids are ages 3 to 6, you want to find easy ways to keep them engaged, playing, and learning throughout the summer. Don't worry, I got you covered with some snazzy, new ideas and resources. (Those of you with kids 6 - 10, you'll want to read yesterday's post about getting organized and finding fun activities for summer learning. Lots of ideas there, too.) Pretend Play Play is the way … [Read more...]
Activity Ideas for Summer Learning, Ages 6 – 10
Make this summer a time of playful learning and hands-on experiences. I love what I can do with my kids over the summer to encourage learning. Did you know that most kids regress two months in math and one or two months in reading? (Cooper, 1996) Yikes! We keep a summer schedule that includes learning activities, art, outside time, play, reading, friend time, room time, music, and choice time. … [Read more...]