by Susie Windle | Apr 12, 2017 | Parenting Playbook, The Power of Play
Pretend play can be powerful because reality can be suspended. By suspending reality, children can level the playing field and even feel that they have the advantage. After all, though children can be very wise and insightful at times, there are some real frustrations...
by Susie Windle | Mar 8, 2017 | Parenting Playbook, The Power of Play, Your Child's Brain
Downtime is important for the healthy growth and development of your child. Your child’s brain needs breaks in order to process the incoming flood of new information. Being idle allows the brain to take what it already knows and then think, reflect, and change. Idle...
by Susie Windle | Mar 1, 2017 | Parenting Playbook, Sensory Information, The Power of Play
Children live through and learn from their senses. Sensory experiences—what they see, hear, taste, touch, and smell—connect their exterior world with their internal, affective world. The importance of this sensory learning may be why studies indicate that natural...
by Susie Windle | Jan 25, 2017 | Parenting Playbook, The Power of Play
Play complements love and work. Play is a critical piece in the complex dynamic of healthy physical, intellectual, and social-emotional development at all ages. When play, love, and work are all involved, learning and development are the most effective. One of the...
by Susie Windle | Jan 4, 2017 | Parenting Playbook, The Power of Play
Great toys are the playthings that invite children to create with a full range of expression. Most toys from the store, often marketed through and based on movies and TV programs, have a “script” that suggests children do one thing over and over again. Children do...
by Susie Windle | Sep 28, 2016 | Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, The Power of Play
Playing on the floor with your child is a wonderful way to enhance your child’s attention span. Attention requires practice, and practice will occur naturally during “floor time” for a child who has been blessed with the ability to concentrate and focus. Floor time...
by Susie Windle | Sep 21, 2016 | Parenting Playbook, The Power of Play, Your Child's Brain
As scientists learn more about how the brain works, they find extensive links between movement and learning. No wonder kids move so much! For example, some research has revealed that gesturing and pantomiming speed up the process of learning to talk. They also...
by Susie Windle | Sep 14, 2016 | Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, The Importance of Emotions, The Power of Play
Tears can be an opportunity for connection between a parent and child. Your child gives you a sign that the tears are an effort to connect when he or she “peeks out” and looks for you. If you see your child peek out for you after a good cry, he or she may want and...
by Susie Windle | Sep 7, 2016 | Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, The Power of Play, Your Child's Brain
Children develop their ability to reason at different chronological ages. Some children arrive at the age of reason when they turn four while others are seven or eight years old before they have reasoning powers. It makes sense then to instruct children accordingly....
by Susie Windle | Aug 31, 2016 | Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, The Importance of Emotions, The Power of Play
Telling stories is one playful way to help children address important themes in their lives, particularly those that children might prefer not to talk about. Discharging powerful feelings connected to memories and experiences is important, though, so residual feelings...
